Sgt. George Walter Furniss MM, 33048, 29th Field Ambulance RAMC, 9th (Scottish) Division 1916

[Ivor Anderson]

Sgt. George Walter Furniss MM, 33048, 29th Field Ambulance RAMC, 9th (Scottish) Division 1916

 

Born: 16th June 1887 (death index) Rock Ferry, Cheshire. Parents Frederick & Anne.

1901 Census - aged 13, 23 Old Cher Road, Parish of St. Peter's, Rock Ferry, Cheshire. Father Frederick a 'plumber & painter'.

1911 Census - aged 23, plumber & painter. Living 23 Dacre Hill, Rock Ferry, Cheshire with parents & siblings.

Died: 26 August 1980, 106 Shrewsbury Road, Birkenhead.

 

Enlisted 3 September 1914. Entered France 12 May 1915 with 29th FA RAMC.

George Furniss is one of three MMs to the 29th Field Ambulance listed in the LG of 11 October 1916:

33483 Sgt. William Furminger 31672   (disembarked in France with 29th FA 12-05-1915)

33484 Sgt. George W. Furniss 33048   (disembarked in France with 29th FA 12-05-1915)

33485 L/Cpl. Arthur Mace M2/053232 ASC (att'd 29 FA)

Their MMs are on a list of 'retrospective awards recommended June 1916' to the 9th Division at the end of the 9th's WD for October 1916.

Furminger and Furniss are mentioned as promoted from acting to permanent rank of sergeant in the 29th FA WD on 18th July 1915.

The pension record of George Furniss survives with his service record included.

 

The 29th FA was operating at NIEPPE just over the border in France, south of YPRES, and close to Armentieres, from 26th Jan to 4th May 1916. They were often subject to shell-fire and suffered casualties. 27th, 28th, 29th Field Ambulances were part of 9th Division.

 

On 30th November 1915 one sergeant was killed and 9 men wounded by a shell as they made their way out of Ypres.

The 29th FA moved to an ADS at Stenwerck on 4th May 1916, and then the number 2 Convalescent Depot at Rouen on 30th May 1916:

https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/soldiers/a-soldiers-life-1914-1918/the-evacuation-chain-for-wounded-and-sick-soldiers/convalescent-depots-in-france/

They were based there until the 29th FA was disbanded at Rouen on 28th February 1917 by order of the DGMS.

 

Edited 24 July , 2022 by Ivor Anderson
Additional information

[BillyH]

 

BillyH.

[Ivor Anderson]

Thank you Billy. Was that published around April 1916?

Their ADS at NIEPPE was under regular shell-fire in early 1916 (e.g. 3rd, 12th, 17th & 28-29th March), but the war diary does not mention their MMs.

Edited 10 June , 2021 by Ivor Anderson

[corisande]

its from Birkenhead News 04 November 1916

[Ivor Anderson]

Thanks Corisande. Unfortunately someone seems to have felt it necessary to roughly erase the unit off his MM at some point:

 

[corisande]

15 minutes ago, Ivor Anderson said:

Unfortunately someone seems to have felt it necessary to roughly erase the unit off his MM at some point:

 

That seems to be really strange. Why would anyone want to remove just that information?

[Ivor Anderson]

It has been suggested that being in the RAMC held a stigma re conscientious objection?

 

[Ivor Anderson]

The full list of retrospective awards for June 1916 as found at the end of the 9th Division's AQMG war diary in Oct. 1916 (TNA ref attached):

They were listed in the LG of 11th Oct. 1916. The three 29th FA MMs are at the end.

 

[BillyH]

On 10/06/2021 at 22:09, Ivor Anderson said:

Thank you Billy. Was that published around April 1916?

 

No, it was 4th November 1916 (as Corisande had already deduced).

I know that the image is poor, but it doesn't really look like an RAMC cap badge? did he originally join another regiment?

 

 

BillyH.

[Ivor Anderson]

It's hard to tell from the photo. He arrived in France on 12th May 1915 (MIC) with the 29th FA RAMC and was with them when he earned his MM.

I suppose the photo may have been taken with a pre-WW1 territorial unit.    MM Index Card - TNA image:

 

[Ivor Anderson]

He appears to have gone to live and work in Venezuela for a time post 1923 (I cannot see him on the 1939 register):

 https://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/sse.dll?dbid=2997&h=38746274&indiv=try&o_vc=Record:OtherRecord&rhSource=7579

 

[Ivor Anderson]

On 08/06/2021 at 16:20, Ivor Anderson said:

On 30th November 1915 one sergeant was killed and 9 men wounded by a shell as they made their way out of Ypres.

I cannot find the sergeant mentioned as being killed in the war diary. There are only 5 deaths from 29th FA RAMC listed on the CWGC site.

The first 2 may have died from wounds received leaving YPRES on 30th November 1915:

[Ivor Anderson]

I suspect that the action the three MMs were retrospectively awarded for was that of 30th November 1915 when 'one sergeant was killed and 9 men were wounded by a shell as they made their way out of Ypres'. I have not been able to identify the sergeant who was killed on 30th November?

Two later died of wounds on the 1st & 2nd December: Pte. Charles Harold Sykes 32138 on 1st and Pte. James Gallagher 39619 on 2nd.

War diary extract from TNA - I cannot make out what they went to collect - 'rubble'?

The 1916 Newspaper account says that "Sgt Furniss saved the lives of a number of soldiers at the risking of his own".

 

[Ivor Anderson]

On 11/06/2021 at 09:29, BillyH said:

I know that the image is poor, but it doesn't really look like an RAMC cap badge? did he originally join another regiment?

This pension card gives a 'former' service number (13503). BillyH could be correct about the cap badge in his photo (Fold3):

This no. range was used by a large number of regiments!

Edited 11 July , 2022 by Ivor Anderson

[Ivor Anderson]

His father Frederick died at 411 Old Chester Road, Rock Ferry, 28 October 1921.

George died: 26 August 1980, aged 93, 106 Shrewsbury Road, Birkenhead (probate):

Edited 12 July , 2022 by Ivor Anderson

[Ivor Anderson]

Found the Sergeant killed at Ypres 30 Nov 1915 - ASC att'd 29th FA RAMC -

Sgt. Harry Owens T2/9501: https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/146569/harry-owens/

Edited 11 July , 2022 by Ivor Anderson

[Ivor Anderson]

Promotion to Sgt. confirmed 18 July 1915. Pont d'Avelette is a canal crossing north of Bethune.

Edited 11 July , 2022 by Ivor Anderson

[Ivor Anderson]

Detail from his service record - Ancestry:

Enlisted 3 September 1914 - Went to France with 29th FA RAMC 12 May 1915. Confirmed as Sgt. 18 July 1915.

29th disbanded in late Feb 1917 and he was posted to 60th FA in early March 1917.

Served in France & Belgium May 1915 to August 1917 (2 yrs 4 mths) - 'Gastritis' began about June 1917 due to bad food conditions in the field.

Discharged 22 March 1919 - Gastric ulcer - at present can eat no solid food.

Edited 12 July , 2022 by Ivor Anderson

[Ivor Anderson]

Is this what the 29th FA RAMC would have been like - positioned just behind front lines?

[Ivor Anderson]

I came across this MM award to Arthur Binks 33642 of 28th Field Ambulance (also with 9th Div.) in the same LG. His Sch. no. is close to that of Furniss (TNA):

Edited 31 July , 2022 by Ivor Anderson

[TEW]

On 12/07/2022 at 19:59, Ivor Anderson said:

Is this what the 29th FA RAMC would have been like - positioned just behind front lines?

Difficult to say exactly what this is. Taking the Daily Mail caption with a pinch of salt it's not a full compliment of one if the three FA sections.

Each section ran to about 80 men including some ASC.

As far as transport is concerned each FA had (quoted from TLLT):

23 wagons, 3 water carts, 3 forage carts, 6 General Service wagons, 10 ambulance wagons and the cooks wagon. The Field Ambulance also had a single bicycle. By the end of 1914, each Field Ambulance also included 7 motor ambulance vehicles.

The photo does show 7 motor ambulance vehicles but that seems too much of a coincidence?

It could be a relay post or a dressing station but it seems quite open ground on a quiet day.

The same vehicles could be used by the motor ambulance convoys who would also set up 'car stands' for evacuation from front line dressing stations.

TEW

 

[Ivor Anderson]

Thanks TEW. Could be an arranged photo for the press. Not too many men around, unless they were further forward with stretchers?

Honours & Awards in 9th Division A&QMG war diary (TNA):

10 May 1916 - MM to Pte. W. Wilson 18727, KOSBs:

24 May 1916:

26 May 1916:

NB 29 May 1916 - 29th FA RAMC:

Edited 27 July , 2022 by Ivor Anderson

[TEW]

I wondered if the term Advanced Field Ambulance might be the correspondant muddling up an Advanced Dressing Station of a Field Ambulance.

There could be some sort of shelter centre of image in front of the tree.

Certainly looks to be a quiet day and the photographer is on slightly higher ground.

TEW

[Ivor Anderson]

On 27/07/2022 at 12:08, TEW said:

the term Advanced Field Ambulance might be the correspondant muddling up an Advanced Dressing Station of a Field Ambulance.

Yes. I thought it might be ambulances to the rear of an Advanced Dressing Station, ready to transport serious cases to a Casualty Clearing Station?

[Ivor Anderson]

These 2 MM cards have schedule numbers (Arthur Mace & Harry Hamer) that follow on consecutively after Furminger (33483) and Furniss (33484) - source TNA:

Arthur Binks 33642 of 28th Field Ambulance has sch. no. 33480.          EDIT another is 33482, Abbott of ASC, att'd 27th FA RAMC

Edited 31 July , 2022 by Ivor Anderson
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