Where are these ASC men? Photo

[Chris_Baker]

This is part of a postcard of a group of men of the Army Service Corps Mechanical Transport. It belongs to a former school friend of mine and the man arrowed is her grandfather. I have found that he only served between April and November 1917 and that he began service at Grove Park. After that his location is as yet unknown.

There are some large buildings behind the trees. One in the middle, with a characteristic angled feature on its left-hand side. There's another on the right and possibly one on the left, too. I can't match this to any images I have seen of Grove Park or for that matter the driver training centre at Osterley Park, but I can't rule them out. There were substantial builings at GP but I can't spot any with that angle feature. It could equally be somewhere else. So where is it?

Edited 4 March by Chris_Baker

[Ken Lees]

Could the large structure in the background be part of a viaduct?

If so, that should narrow down the options.

[Chris_Baker]

Good call, Ken. Never thought of that. The angle could be part of an arch.

[TullochArd]

The limited dates and fact that Grove Park Hospital/Greenwich Workhouse was the ASC mobilisation and training depot leads me to that location.  The old Workhouse Laundry water tower still exists and has undergone several modifications in it's history.  Importantly it was next to a tree lined road similar to the one with the pollard-ed trees we see in the OP. 

[Chris_Baker]

Thanks. I did consider that and wasn't convinced, which is why I came looking for other ideas. The height where the angle begins, and the degree of the angle, just don't look enough to me like the tower as seen in the contemporary photos. But of course photos can be deceptive, and there's is no doubt that the men are in a place where there are several tall buildings. Maybe it is Grove Park.

Edited 4 March by Chris_Baker