AAMCJ Depot, Fovant Camp, Wiltshire

[Moonraker]

You've guessed, I'm trying to work out what these initials stand for. I'm not sure if the penultimate letter is a J - the sender forms his Is differently,  but does refer to "the Depot"; could it be a P? And is that really a C?

Up to mid-1916 Fovant Camp housed British units,  then from mid-August Australians predominated, but not exclusively. No clues as to date from the postmark. There's a reference to "the flue",  which might mean the Spanish Influenza of 1919. The writer appears to have English relatives, but includes "England" in the recipient's address, suggesting he was used to corresponding from  overseas. The card shows Fovant Camp Hospital, with some of the posing soldiers wearing Australian slouch hearts.

Edited 8 August , 2023 by Moonraker

[FROGSMILE]

1 hour ago, Moonraker said:

You've guessed, I'm trying to work out what these initials stand for. I'm not sure if the penultimate letter is a J - the sender forms his Is differently,  but does refer to "the Depot"; could it be a P? And is that really a C?

Up to mid-1916 Fovant Camp housed British units,  then from mid-August Australians predominated, but not exclusively. No clues as to date from the postmark. There's a reference to "the flue",  which might mean the Spanish Influenza of 1919. The writer appears to have English relatives, but includes "England" in the recipient's address, suggesting he was used to corresponding from  overseas. The card shows Fovant Camp Hospital, with some of the posing soldiers wearing Australian slouch hearts.

Australian Army Medical Corps Supply/Stores Depot (AAMCSD).

 I imagine you might already be familiar with this link, but just in case: https://birtwistlewiki.com.au/wiki/Fovant. Information is limited, but the little map is interesting.

Edited 8 August , 2023 by FROGSMILE

[Moonraker]

As ever, Frogsmile, thanks. Googling the title produced nothing, and the Depot seems not to have had its own war diary, though I suppose there might be a few references in that of a larger unit.

The card (showing the hospital) is not one that I was aware of so, especially with the message, was a bargain at the very low price that the vendor was asking.  (Memo to self: do not grumble the next time that I pay over the odds for card.)

[FROGSMILE]

12 minutes ago, Moonraker said:

As ever, Frogsmile, thanks. Googling the title produced nothing, and the Depot seems not to have had its own war diary, though I suppose there might be a few references in that of a larger unit.

The card (showing the hospital) is not one that I was aware of so, especially with the message, was a bargain at the very low price that the vendor was asking.  (Memo to self: do not grumble the next time that I pay over the odds for card.)

Very much a low level administrative unit I should think.  Important in its own scheme of things, but unlikely to maintain a war diary as they are generally restricted to combatant units only.

Edited 9 August , 2023 by FROGSMILE

[Moonraker]

There are Australian war diaries for Baths and Laundries, Veterinary, Canteens - and Medical, Dental and Nursing; I did glance at some of the last but none seemed likely on this occasion.

[FROGSMILE]

15 minutes ago, Moonraker said:

There are Australian war diaries for Baths and Laundries, Veterinary, Canteens - and Medical, Dental and Nursing; I did glance at some of the last but none seemed likely on this occasion.

I am surprised to learn that, thank you for letting me know.  I wonder if that was peculiar to the AIF.  I do recall that the original instruction for WD was for combatant units.  For example I don’t think that e.g. the Labour Corps was added until later in the war.

Edited 9 August , 2023 by FROGSMILE

[Moonraker]

Australian and Canadian war diaries are a very fertile source of information about Wiltshire during the war, I suppose because once servicemen arrived in this country from their homelands they were on active service overseas. There are a  few war diaries for British units, including those of ASC companies, who served only in the UK.

Which leads me to wonder/ask: did most British units keep a diary-like record of their activities during training at home? If so, were these destroyed after the war in the belief they were of no interest?

Edited 9 August , 2023 by Moonraker

[FROGSMILE]

5 minutes ago, Moonraker said:

Australian and Canadian war diaries are a very fertile source of information about Wiltshire during the war, I suppose because once servicemen arrived in this country from their homelands they were on active service overseas. There are a  few war diaries for British units, including those of ASC companies, who served only in the UK.

Which leads me to wonder/ask: did most British units keep a diary-like record of their activities during training at home? If so, were these destroyed after the war in the belief they were of no interest?

I don’t know the answer to your question and what you say has puzzled me, as the war diary concept had arisen out of lessons learned from the Boer War at the turn of the century.  It was specifically intended for operational combatant units in order to keep a record of their activities so that they could be consulted for the official historical record of whatever conflict it was.  They didn’t really lend themselves to the mundane activities of administrative units.  That’s not what they were for.

Edited 9 August , 2023 by FROGSMILE