Patrick Carroll, HLI and ASC.

[Looking]

I am trying to find a picture & his stolen medals of my great Grandfather Patrick Carroll.

Patrick Carroll

DOB: 21 October 1885

Address: 11, Coombe Street, Dublin, he then immigrated to Scotland

He then joined the British Army & served as a Private in the Highland Light Infantry (Regimental Number: 17125) and later transferred to the Royal Army Service Corps (Regimental number: M/332254).

 Throughout the First World War he fought exclusively in France seeing action from May 1915 at the battles of Loos, the Somme, Arras, Cambrai and the advance on the Hindenburg Line. Unfortunately his army service record no longer exists. When the War ended he was awarded a number of medals these being the 1914 – 1915 Star, the British Medal and the Victory Medal;

Patrick died in 3 October 1929

[Allan1892]

Are you aware that he was wounded in September 1915? He was admitted to Number 2 General Hospital (Le Havre) on the 27th September 1915 with a Gun Shot Wound to his shoulder. He is listed as being in 'B' Company, 10th Battalion, Highland Light Infantry. He was then transferred by sick convoy to the Hospital Ship St David -- although it doesn't actually state where he went, by being on a hospital ship, he would have been on his way back to England.

[Looking]

Oh my goodness, I wasn't expecting any information so quickly! No we were not aware that he was wounded. Where did you get that information from as we believe that his service record was destroyed?

[Allan1892]

From a medical admissions register held on the subscription site, Find My Past.

His entry also states that he was 27 years of age, he had been in the Army for 1 full year (estimating his enlistment circa August / September 1914) and he had been 'in the field' (i,e, on active service) for 6 months.

I have attached the page from the register (courtesy of Find My Past) -- his entry is the second last on the page.

[Allan1892]

Alexander Allison enlisted into the 10th Battalion Highland Light Infantry and was also in 'B' Company -- he was given the service number of 17124 (immediately before Patrick's of 17125) -- his enlistment date is recorded as 27th August 1914 -- I think it is safe to say that Patrick also enlisted on the 27th August 1914. would have enlisted about the same time.

Edited 11 March by Allan1892

[Looking]

In Sept 1915 Patrick would have been 29 years old (turning 30 in the October), on the medical record it says 27 but do you think potentially it could read 29?? Also as he had only been in active service for 6 months, would he have gone home injured, recovered and then got posted out again?

[Looking]

Also, I know finding his medals are nearly impossible to find but I am really keen on finding a picture as my great aunt has no pictures of him (her father). Do you think there would be regiment photos somewhere?

[Allan1892]

55 minutes ago, Looking said:

In Sept 1915 Patrick would have been 29 years old (turning 30 in the October), on the medical record it says 27 but do you think potentially it could read 29?? Also as he had only been in active service for 6 months, would he have gone home injured, recovered and then got posted out again?

His age in the register says 27 but please remember that the scene would have been noisy and even a little chaotic. I have looked at the pages before and after the page that records Patrick and in total, there were 285 soldiers arriving from an ambulance train all at the same time to be assessed and prepared to embark on the St David the very same day -- I'm sure that slight mistakes were made by the person(s) recording the soldier's details. In fact, each soldier may have had a label of sorts pinned to his uniform that had his details on and this would have been prepared by someone at the Casualty Clearing Station before the soldier was transferred.

A soldier that had recovered from his wounds and was fit for duty didn't always go back to his original regiment, soldiers were posted to where the Army needed them. It is highly likely that Patrick was posted to the ASC when he was declared fit for duty.

[Allan1892]

22 minutes ago, Looking said:

Do you think there would be regiment photos somewhere?

There were no official photographs taken of a soldier when he enlisted. Many men would visit a local photographer to have their photo taken when they were in uniform, this would have been treasured by his family whilst the soldier was on active service. You do find group photos of sections of a battalion but unless they were all officers, they were rarely named.

[Allan1892]

His Medal Index Card (image courtesy of Ancestry) shows that he entered Theatre of War (1) France on the 12th May 1915 -- this would give him just over 4 months of service 'in the field' when he was wounded -- this is another small discrepancy in relation to the information in his entry in the medical admissions register.

[Looking]

Are these the medals he was awarded?

Also when Patrick was transferred to the Royal Army Service Corps (Regimental number: M/332254), how would I find out what batallion (sorry I'm not sure of the terminology) he was in?

[Michelle Young]

Awarded War Victory and 1915 star medals.