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Remembered Today:

Four sisters from Altrincham Cheshire


GERRYD

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This is a watch I bought at auction a few months ago, as you can see it was presented to M. Fisher in 1918 from her colleagues at the East Lancs. Transport. She was a voluntary ambulance driver with the BRCS between 1914 – 1918 at  26/Cheshire at Timperley. 

 

She went on to volunteer in France 1918 – 1919 again as a VAD in the FANY corp. 

According to her BRCS & war records she was located near or in Calais and her service number is 229. 

 

I’m trying to find out more details about her involvement in France and some advice where to look would be appreciated.  

She had 3 sisters 2 serving in the Cheshire 26 and 1 other also in FANY.

 

 

Fisher girls_.jpg

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I’m new to this forum and my interest in the activity of these sisters is purely accidental as I am a watch enthusiast hence the attached images. If I have posted in the wrong section go ahead and either delete or swop to the appropriate sub section.

I bought this watch with the inscription from an auction and started research into the recipient Marjorie Fisher who turns out to be a volunteer ambulance driver at the BRCS unit 26 East Lancs between 1914 to 1918. Initially I thought that was the extent of her involvement, but research revealed that she went to the area around Calais at the beginning of 1918 as an ambulance driver with the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry, though this is recorded on her BRCS record. 

Marjorie had three sisters, all had involvement with the BRCS VAD units and one Gthya, also was involved with the FANY as an ambulance driver in France.

Most of my research centred around the BRCS history site and Ancestry site.  As you can see, I’ve managed to get a picture of the four sisters from a living relative and Marjorie is on the right. 

 

My question is about Marjorie’s movement in France which is not documented on her BRCS records. Her sister Gytha’s record does show her movement in France during her service as VAD driver in FANY .

Any advice as to where I might find any information about Marjorie’s involvement while in France would be welcome. 

Thanks for read long post.

Fisher girls_.jpg

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This is a repeat of your previous request here :

https://www.greatwarforum.org/topic/288522-manchester-brcs-presentation/?tab=comments#comment-2981369

 

It would have been better to add the new information to your first post in order that any research is not repeated.

However, it is a very nice post and also a nice montage photo of the ladies. It is a bit surprising that there was no response to the original post.

Best of luck.

 

BillyH.

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BillyH thanks 

I know it was a repeat and if thats against the rules I apologise.

My thoughts were having read other posts was that maybe I had initially posted in the wrong place as like you said I had few views and no comments  and maybe looking at the number of views in this section I was right.

I can cut and paste into the first post if you think thats better? I didn't  want anyone to research on my behalf but I know people like to do that. I was really asking for advice where to further my research.

Gerry

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  • Admin

I have merged the two posts.

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I'm confused now how this forum works? I get an email and I follow the link that brings me here but I cant find the post? I can see a link to the BRCS on my email but not here. 

Anyway Terry Reeves you are correct that is her and there are more records of her there.

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The BRCS and the FANY ran a joint ambulance column out of Calais.  Members wore their own uniforms.  If Marjorie is the woman at the far right of your photo, then she was a member of the FANY, not a VAD.  That may explain why her red cross record stops at January 1918. 

Norman 

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1 hour ago, royalredcross said:

The BRCS and the FANY ran a joint ambulance column out of Calais.  Members wore their own uniforms.  If Marjorie is the woman at the far right of your photo, then she was a member of the FANY, not a VAD.  That may explain why her red cross record stops at January 1918. 

Norman 

 

The Medal Index Card shows commencement as a F.A.N.Y. falling in nicely with commencement date overseas February 1918. There is also a BWM medal index card as a V.A.D. so an outside chance that she was awarded two if we are correct that these relate to the same woman.

Edited by Jim Strawbridge
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3 hours ago, Jim Strawbridge said:

 

The Medal Index Card shows commencement as a F.A.N.Y. falling in nicely with commencement date overseas February 1918. There is also a BWM medal index card as a V.A.D. so an outside chance that she was awarded two if we are correct that these relate to the same woman.

Jim I do believe that the woman on the records is indeed the lady who received the watch. I have asked about the medals but the family do not recall either them or the watch. 

Norman I'm hoping to get some letters written by Marjorie while she was stationed in France, do you know of joint columns out of Calais. I've attached Marjorie's younger sister Gytha also a FANY, they list her convoys well at least some.. The sisters had a habit of not using their first names which through me for a while. 

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Clearly she (Jane Gytha) went to France as a VAD driver under the Joint Committee (JC) of the BRCS & Order of St. John.  As of the same date she is posted to the Le Treport convoy, which will be her initial unit.  In 1919 she transfers to the Boulogne convoy.  She will be the second from left in the photo. 

For Marjorie, there is a good account of the Calais convoy in the book "War Girls"  by Janet Lee.  No mention of M Fisher though. 

 

Norman 

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Gytha is first on the left, she has FANY uniform and cap. Next is Nancy in a BRSC uniform I think and then Olga as a nurse . I am pretty sure the photo is a composite of individual photographs. Nancy would have been only just old enough during the war but maybe I don’t know. Olga died in 1920 and I suspect this photo was made around then?

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