Regimental Policeman - Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own (Yorkshire Regiment)

[Daniel Cox]

HI All,

 

For your interest here are two postcards from my family collection, of Lance Corporal (UNKNOWN SURNAME) Adam a Regimental Policeman, of an unknown battalion from the Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own (Yorkshire Regiment).

 

Well that's the conclusion I have come to after consulting David Bilton's The Badges of Kitchener's Army, since to begin with I had no idea what regimental hat badge he was wearing.

 

The second postcard has nothing written on the back aside from the Post Card printing, while the other has "To Uncle Adam from Adam" written in pencil as well.

 

With Uncle Adam being Adam Craig Bell of Wetherill Park, New South Wales, formerly from West Stanley, County Durham. Which would make it likely that L/Cpl Adam is a man from Consett, Stanley, Annfield Plain or somewhere else near to those places within County Durham in England.

 

Cheers,

 

 

Daniel.

 

 

[squirrel]

Splendid moustache.

[Toontraveller]

Good afternoon, I know the area fairly well having  been born in the area but now living in Kent. 
 

Do you have any further Information on the uncle , dob address in west Stanley etc it may help people narrow down the search if they can trace him first and work to identify his nephew,if of course he was his Uncle.... .

 

I believe there is an active Family History Group in that area who could possibly assist If this forum can’t identify the man in the photograph.

[FROGSMILE]

Well done Daniel, that’s good photo interpretation, and he is indeed a regimental policeman from a battalion of PAOW Yorkshire Regiment.  He would have worked for the battalion’s Provost Sergeant.

Edited 30 December , 2020 by FROGSMILE

[Mark1959]

According to a family tree on ancestry Adam Craig Bell born Great Whittington has 3 sisters Mary, Agnes and Annie. At least 2 had sons called Adam according to the tree

Mary had a son Adam Moore born 1880 North Shields

Agnes had a son Adam Proud born 1880 Etherley Moor

Proud appears to have been Yorks regiment then RAF. Looks to be 16671 Yorks and 127451 RFC/RAF. Discharged 30/11/18 GSW to the Head. Address Langley Park 7 miles from Stanley. So Proud must be the favourite.

Struggling with Moore

Edited 30 December , 2020 by Mark1959

[Toontraveller]

Adam Proud with York’s Regiment 127451 and RAF regiment no 16671 also has 3 records on Fold 3 on Ancestry - RAF muster roll, RAF disability pension record and  RAF service record.

 

MIC Proud Adam also confirms the Service numbers  numbers.

. I can say from looking at the family Tree of the sister Agnes Bell the locations of marriage, death and where the Proud family were living are little Mining villages and  are exactly in the right location for the Adam Craig Bell ,whom  Mark1969 identified in his  post.  
 

[FROGSMILE]

Be careful of term “RAF Regiment”, there was no such thing until 1942.  I’m sure you meant he was RFC ground crew and then RAF ground crew.  Unless of course he was SNCO aircrew, it would explain how he was shot in the head?

Edited 30 December , 2020 by FROGSMILE

[Toontraveller]

1 hour ago, Mark1959 said:

According to a family tree on ancestry Adam Craig Bell born Great Whittington has 3 sisters Mary, Agnes and Annie. At least 2 had sons called Adam according to the tree

Mary had a son Adam Moore born 1880 North Shields

Agnes had a son Adam Proud born 1880 Etherley Moor

Proud appears to have been Yorks regiment then RAF. Looks to be 16671 Yorks and 127451 RFC/RAF. Discharged 30/11/18 GSW to the Head. Address Langley Park 7 miles from Stanley. So Proud must be the favourite.

Struggling with Moore

I agree Proud is the favourite in my book.

I have tried to locate a service record for Adam Moore as you mentioned above born 1800 in North Shields, Northumberland. I have traced him through the census 1881 to 1911 , he is living in small villages Ryton, Winlaton, Blaydon  area all of which are all in close proximity to each other.
In the 1939 census Adam Moore is shown as single dob 30.4.1880 and living  with the same family and address as  he was recorded as living at in the 1911 census. 4 Clara St, Winlaton. Employed as Coal Hewer(Miner) .

 Whilst not too far from Stanley/ Langley Park it would have been a bit of a journey in those days. 
I could find no connection Or Army records for a Adam Moore in the Yorkshire Regiment but can not discount he may have served in WW1, there was a lot of Adam Moore in Ancestry.

[PRC]

His Adam Prouds' Airmans Service record on FindMyPast shows he joined the Army on the 21st November 1914, signing up for the Duration of the War. He was then aged 34 years and 7 months.

 

His next of kin was his wife, Jane Maria Proud, of 21 South View, Langley Park, County Durham. The couple had married on the 1st March 1901 at Castleside Consett, (details confirmed from marriage certificate). His civilian occupation was Coke Drawer. He was 5 feet 9 inches tall, but no other physical description details have been completed.

 

Details summarised from his Army record is that he served in France with the Yorkshire Regiment from the 26th August 1915 to the 28th August 1917.

 

Prior to transfer he had received a shot wound to the head, although the time line isn’t clear – he was down as admitted to 2 Canadian General Hospital, Le Treport, on the 10th June 1917, but then he is shown as being admitted to 10 CCS on the 16th June 1917. He was subsequently admitted to 3 Convalscent Depot, Le Trepot on the 24th June 1917. Found fit, he was discharged to Base at Etaples on the 2nd August 1917.

 

He transferred in to the Royal Flying Corps on the 29th August 1917, and then the RAF when it came in to being on the 1st April 1918.

 

With the RFC he was a 3rd Class Air Mechanic.

 

At the time of the creation of the RAF he appears to have been with 1 Brigade. His new rank was Private 1st Class. His Trade Classification was Labourer.

 

(The Day 1 Muster Roll for the RAF has the same date of enlistment, shows him as being an Air Mechanic Class 3 since the 29th August 1917, and confims his new rank as Private 1st Class. His RFC Trade Classification was given as K.B.S. (B.P.) which I don’t recognise. His new Trade Classification was Labourer. His daily rate of pay was 1 shilling and 8 pence.)

 

He was discharged on the 30th November 1918 as unfit. His 1914/15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal were all issued by the RAF.

 

It may be a co-incidence, but our parent site, the Long, Long Trail, shows that the 8th and 9th Battalions of the Yorkshire Regiment landed in France on the 26th August 1915 – the date Adam Prouds’ RAF record shows he got to France.

 

Hope that helps,

Peter

Edited 30 December , 2020 by PRC
Clarified which Adam I was writing about and typos

[squirrel]

"His RFC Trade Classification was given as K.B.S. (B.P.)" 

 

K B S - Kite Ballon Section ? BP no clue but perhaps "Ballloon Packer?

[FROGSMILE]

2 hours ago, PRC said:

His Airmans Service record on FindMyPast shows he joined the Army on the 21st November 1914, signing up for the Duration of the War. He was then aged 34 years and 7 months.

 

His next of kin was his wife, Jane Maria Proud, of 21 South View, Langley Park, County Durham. The couple had married on the 1st March 1901 at Castleside Consett, (details confirmed from marriage certificate). His civilian occupation was Coke Drawer. He was 5 feet 9 inches tall, but no other physical description details have been completed.

 

Details summarised from his Army record is that he served in France with the Yorkshire Regiment from the 26th August 1915 to the 28th August 1917.

 

Prior to transfer he had received a shot wound to the head, although the time line isn’t clear – he was down as admitted to 2 Canadian General Hospital, Le Treport, on the 10th June 1917, but then he is shown as being admitted to 10 CCS on the 16th June 1917. He was subsequently admitted to 3 Convalscent Depot, Le Trepot on the 24th June 1917. Found fit, he was discharged to Base at Etaples on the 2nd August 1917.

 

He transferred in to the Royal Flying Corps on the 29th August 1917, and then the RAF when it came in to being on the 1st April 1918.

 

With the RFC he was classed as a 3rd Class Air Mechanic.

 

At the time of the creation of the RAF he appears to have been with 1 Brigade. His new rank was Private 1st Class. His Trade Classification was Labourer.

 

(The Day 1 Muster Roll for the RAF has the same date of enlistment, shows him as being an Air Mechanic Class 3 since the 29th August 1917, and confims his new rank as Private 1st Class. His RFC Trade Classification was given as K.B.S. (B.P.) 

Kite Balloon Section - Balloon Party.

 

It was largely a physical activity with some skill concerning ropes, tackles, pulleys, hawsers, etc.

 

There were three classes of air mechanic in the RFC, each covering a group of skill sets.

 

Air Mechanic 3rd Class:

 

Armourer, Acetylene Welder, Blacksmith, Coppersmith, Tinsmith, Engine Fitter, Gear Mechanic, Aircraft Rigger, Electrician, Magneto-Repairer, Fitter, Machinist, Sailmaker.

 

There were also Private 1st Class and Private 2nd Class, both of which were employed as drivers.

 

 

Edited 30 December , 2020 by FROGSMILE

[Daniel Cox]

13 hours ago, squirrel said:

Splendid moustache.

 

Indeed.

 

13 hours ago, Toontraveller said:

I believe there is an active Family History Group in that area who could possibly assist If this forum can’t identify the man in the photograph.

 

Thanks for mentioning an active Family History Group in that area, since I have quite a lot of documents (letter, photos, postcards and more) that is relevant to a number of families form that part of the world.

 

 

13 hours ago, FROGSMILE said:

Well done Daniel, that’s good photo interpretation, and he is indeed a regimental policeman from a battalion of PAOW Yorkshire Regiment.  He would have worked for the battalion’s Provost Sergeant.

 

Thanks and likewise for the info on the balloon stuff.

 

12 hours ago, Mark1959 said:

According to a family tree on ancestry Adam Craig Bell born Great Whittington has 3 sisters Mary, Agnes and Annie. At least 2 had sons called Adam according to the tree

Mary had a son Adam Moore born 1880 North Shields

Agnes had a son Adam Proud born 1880 Etherley Moor

Proud appears to have been Yorks regiment then RAF. Looks to be 16671 Yorks and 127451 RFC/RAF. Discharged 30/11/18 GSW to the Head. Address Langley Park 7 miles from Stanley. So Proud must be the favourite.

Struggling with Moore

 

Thank-you @Mark1959, the Proud family keep coming up in some of the material I have, as does Moor as well. Of which I have a postcard of a member of the Durham Light Infantry who is described as "cousin Leo(?) Moor"

 

12 hours ago, Toontraveller said:

Adam Proud with York’s Regiment 127451 and RAF regiment no 16671 also has 3 records on Fold 3 on Ancestry - RAF muster roll, RAF disability pension record and  RAF service record.

 

Thank-you for all of that and more. Plus thank-you Peter @PRC, as well, for finding out so much.

 

That said I appreciate all of your generous efforts in identifying Adam and for giving me so much to take in and to explore further.

 

Cheers,

 

Daniel.