Military Mounted Police were they assigned to other units?

[Guest]

Hello,

I am trying to find out more about my Husbands' Grandfather who is being very elusive.

 

He joined the MMP in 1914. P S Weal P411. Unfortunately it appears his service record did not survive although we do have his medal index card.

He was sent out to France in May 1915.

In March 1915 he was married with a special licence at Chawton in Hampshire and his residence is given as Alton and on his marriage certificate his residence is also given as Alton.

 

The question I have is if he was assigned to a Unit, based at Alton how can I find out which Unit it was?

I have done some searching and I can't find any camps, barracks etc at Alton at that time.

I am probably completely wrong but I am stumbling around in the dark a bit now.

 

We know very little about his wartime years.

 

Sadly the marriage didn't last as long as the war, I believe.

 

Any help appreciated. Thank you.

[kenf48]

He may have been based at Aldershot, which is  a few miles or 20 minutes or so from Alton.  Aldershot was a garrison town and virtually every Division bound for France was quartered there, or trained on Salisbury Plain at one time or another, it was a great encampment in WW1 which would need policing.  

Is it not the custom to get married at the bride's church, I wonder if he was billeted on the farm, and married Olive the farmer's daughter?  I imagine the special licence was because he knew a posting was imminent, or...

 

Not knowing much about him the number is commensurate with enlistment/re-enlistment in the Special Reserve in London in September 1914.  I assume he is the Animal Cruelty Inspector in the 1911 Census.   He may have had previous military experience and was time served in 1914.

 

Discharged to the Class Z Reserve in 1919.

 

If you want to know about Military Mounted Police activities in Hampshire suggest you change the title of your post as there are County researchers on the forum.

Once in France the MPs were 'Army' assets and therefore difficult to track as you have found.  This thread may be of interest

 

[Terry_Reeves]

There is information on this site which explains their roll in WW1

 

https://rhqrmp.org/rmp_history.html

 

TR