A/31989 Tpr Hugh Rowland Chambers Tank Corps

[Gus Daniells]

Hi All, 

 

A bit of help needed if possible, my Great Uncle Hugh was conscripted in 1916 and although he applied for special status as he was a farmers son working on the farm on 10 October 1916 his request was rejected by Northamptonshire Tribunal. He was allowed, however to work through the harvest and report following that period. His date of enlistment is down as the 9 Dec 1915, however that was in reality 9 Dec 1916. He was trained as a Dragoon at 6th Cavalry Reserve Regiment which must have been at Tidworth in 1917. The picture post card attached shows Hugh at the right rear. The only document I can find on him is from Find My Past showing him as posted to the Tank Corps from 6CRR. He is then shown as transferred from the Tank Corps on the 19 Mar 1919 to the RASC Reserves on 9 August 1919 with his new number R/459031. 

He never said a word about the war to any of the family and died in 1975. I as a child was terrified of him as he was bitter and cruel with a rasping cough and hit out with his walking stick for no reason. No one knew which unit he served with until this picture surfaced after my father died. What makes this very personal for me is that in 1972 I joined 1st Royal Tank Regiment, serving until 1992 and he saw me in my RTR uniform after our Drill Parade in August 1972. He lived with his siblings in Much Hoole, Preston including my fathers Mother until his death. Never once did he mention to me the fact he was Tank Corps. I am now trying to find out where he served, any medals he was awarded and especially if he was gassed as that was the family rumour.

If any one can be of help then it would be appreciated, dreading the 1940 blitz record destruction scenario but have a feeling that will be the case.

Thanks

Gus

[Gareth Davies]

Welcome aboard Gus.  Sadly I can't help you with your enquiry but I am certain that the collective brain of the GWF will be able to help.

[PRC]

Hi Gus and welcome to the forum.

 

I'm afraid his service records don't appear to have survived, and the apparent absence of a Medal Index Card would indicate he didn't serve outside the UK and so didn't qualify for any service medals.

 

4 hours ago, Gus Daniells said:

His date of enlistment is down as the 9 Dec 1915, however that was in reality 9 Dec 1916.

 

You may well be right  giving the Tribunal dates, but he could possibly have joined up in December 1915 under the Derby Scheme - see https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/soldiers/a-soldiers-life-1914-1918/enlisting-into-the-army/the-group-scheme-derby-scheme/

In which case he volunteered rather than was enlisted. His employer would have been the one to appeal his subsequent mobilisation and so it may have been against Hugh's wishes - although given the employers name, (E.R Chambers), I suspect it's a relative. The gap between the appeal hearing date, (10th October 1916) and your proposed enlistment date, (9th December 1916), would also seem too long - men normally were expected to go straight away and here is no mention of him being given 6 to 8 weeks to sort his affairs out. May be a little bit more in contemporary newspapers, which FMP gives a reference for the papers held by Northamptonshire County Council.

 

Another check would be to look for men with nearby Cavalry service numbers to see if any of those have surviving service records.

 

Even if he was serving in the UK it is unlikely he was living at home, and so is likely to be on the Absent Voters Lists for 1918 & 1919. If you can track down the entry for him then that should give you an idea of which unit he was serving with. For more information on this route see https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/soldiers/how-to-research-a-soldier/finding-soldiers-through-the-1918-absent-voters-lists/

 

Should he have married while he was serving, or the marriage produced children, then the relevant certificates may also give you more details about his unit under Grooms occupation  \ fathers' occupation.

 

Sorry that's not very positive, but hope that gives you a start.

 

Cheers,

Peter

 

[Gus Daniells]

8 hours ago, Gareth Davies said:

Welcome aboard Gus.  Sadly I can't help you with your enquiry but I am certain that the collective brain of the GWF will be able to help.

Thanks Gareth, truly appreciated your advice. Stay safe.

[Gus Daniells]

3 hours ago, PRC said:

Hi Gus and welcome to the forum.

 

I'm afraid his service records don't appear to have survived, and the apparent absence of a Medal Index Card would indicate he didn't serve outside the UK and so didn't qualify for any service medals.

 

 

You may well be right  giving the Tribunal dates, but he could possibly have joined up in December 1915 under the Derby Scheme - see https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/soldiers/a-soldiers-life-1914-1918/enlisting-into-the-army/the-group-scheme-derby-scheme/

In which case he volunteered rather than was enlisted. His employer would have been the one to appeal his subsequent mobilisation and so it may have been against Hugh's wishes - although given the employers name, (E.R Chambers), I suspect it's a relative. The gap between the appeal hearing date, (10th October 1916) and your proposed enlistment date, (9th December 1916), would also seem too long - men normally were expected to go straight away and here is no mention of him being given 6 to 8 weeks to sort his affairs out. May be a little bit more in contemporary newspapers, which FMP gives a reference for the papers held by Northamptonshire County Council.

 

Another check would be to look for men with nearby Cavalry service numbers to see if any of those have surviving service records.

 

Even if he was serving in the UK it is unlikely he was living at home, and so is likely to be on the Absent Voters Lists for 1918 & 1919. If you can track down the entry for him then that should give you an idea of which unit he was serving with. For more information on this route see https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/soldiers/how-to-research-a-soldier/finding-soldiers-through-the-1918-absent-voters-lists/

 

Should he have married while he was serving, or the marriage produced children, then the relevant certificates may also give you more details about his unit under Grooms occupation  \ fathers' occupation.

 

Sorry that's not very positive, but hope that gives you a start.

 

Cheers,

Peter

 

 

Peter,

 

Thank you for the insight, very much appreciated. He was the oldest son of the Chambers family but as seemed to be the case then it was a large family. He never married, always lived with my Great Grandmother and ran our family farm with her when my Grandfather decided engineering was better than cows, plus a quick trip to America to try ranching that went all wrong. By this stage Hugh had changed in a catastrophic way that only my great gran could control. Will try all that you advise but I think the Luftwaffe have upset the apple cart.

 

Thanks again

 

Gus

[George Rayner]

Welcome to the forum Gus

 

Can you give me a URL for the FMP link please because I'm jiggered if I can find him!!

 

George

[johntaylor]

Hi, I've just been looking at his entry in the RTC attestation records and it shows he was only in the Tank Corps for a few months in 1919.  On the basis of this I doubt if he would have seen active service, or been awarded any medals:

 

There are some post-war service records held by the MoD and it would be worth searching there. I'll post a link.

 

All the best,

 

John

[ss002d6252]

7 minutes ago, George Rayner said:

Welcome to the forum Gus

 

Can you give me a URL for the FMP link please because I'm jiggered if I can find him!!

 

George

 

Try this George - https://www.findmypast.co.uk/search/results?sourcecategory=armed forces %26 conflict&firstname=hugh rowland&firstname_variants=true&lastname=chambers&sourcecountry=great britain&sid=999

 

Craig

[johntaylor]

This is the document I've posted above. However I can't read the word after RASC which Gus thought was Reserves - could it be Remounts?

 

John

 

[George Rayner]

Thanks Craig.

 

Remounts looks good John.

 

Wonder if he was Home Guard with WW2 ref?

 

George