Pte Hellawell 58848 - Gardener?

[AndrewSid]

I recently came across this soldier.  My question is what on earth is his posting to the Brigade Gardens all about?  Even if such a duty existed it seems odd it was formal enough to be placed on his Medal Roll as an actually posting within the Brigade, What am I missing?

To add.  Whatever cultivation he was doing it didn’t stop him joining the Rifle Companies for a Battalion attack during which he lost his life in Sept 1918.

 

 

[Gardenerbill]

Due to issues with supplying the Salonika Army, units were encouraged to grow there own food when possible, hence they became known as the gardeners of Salonika. Having said that I haven't seen it on an official document as above before.

[RussT]

I can't help with the specifics but the Welsh Regiment was one of the Regiments that came under the Shrewsbury Record Office.

They all had a rather peculiar way of compiling their Medal Rolls with a tremendous amount of superfluous information - although fascinating for us later researchers. Being attached to various "units" is a common entry - although I have not seen that one.

I'm slowly (very slowly) making a little study out of it in trying to decipher the reasons for why the Rolls were compiled in that peculiar way by this Office. For example, what was the reason for listing 11/Welsh Regiment twice on rows 5 and 6. On row 4 there is no Battalion, the reason being in this case because he was at an IBD - perhaps after recovering from an illness/wounding. The trick is to marry up Service Records with Medal Roll entries.

Regards

Russ

 

[Gardenerbill]

My Grandfather's ASC unit had a garden on their camp by the Seres Road and grew a variety of vegetables. War diary entry 24th April 1917

', Rations. Sowed lettuce, cress, broad beans, peas, turnips'

Edited 23 August , 2023 by Gardenerbill

[AndrewSid]

Thankyou Gents.  I will see if any more gardeners appear whilst I’m looking.  
 

Russ - with regards to the rolls. Whilst they have detailed  those various lines of internal postings they didn’t report his fate as KIA or those of his colleagues , either killed or for example Discharged as Class Z.  
 

I will try and find a matching service record  and let you know. I’m sure I have at least one. 

Andy

[RussT]

5 minutes ago, AndrewSid said:

with regards to the rolls. Whilst they have detailed  those various lines of internal postings they didn’t report his fate as KIA or those of his colleagues , either killed or for example Discharged as Class Z.

Yes, those Rolls do not record that information and of course there was also no need to do so.

12 minutes ago, AndrewSid said:

I will try and find a matching service record  and let you know. I’m sure I have at least one.

John Hellawell does have a SR but it looks to be insufficiently complete - ideally you need to have an Army Form B103 - Casualty Active Service Form to try to marry up overseas movements with what is on the Medal Roll. In his example it would start with being sent O/S from the 85th TRB to France (hence his TRB number TR/5/61632).

If you turn up with any others that might shed light on the reasons for the various and sometimes repetitive listings, I would be interested - I think there is a code waiting to be broken.

Russ

[charlie962]

This article appeared in several local papers March 1918.

Courtesy Findmypast newspapers

[AndrewSid]

Thank you all.  I’ve  found a few other men with a similar annotation in the medal roll so it was not a unique  Battalion posting within the Brigade.

Havnt broken the code yet Russ but will have a good try when time permits. 

Andy