delta Posted 7 December , 2005 Share Posted 7 December , 2005 Tracking back a "tankee" through the London Gazette, I found that the future Lt Col Frank Summers (future OC of D Coy Heavy Branch MGC at Flers and CO F Bn Tank Corps at Cambrai) earned a gallantry award whilst serving with the RND MT in France 1915 but there is no more details. Can some-one give me a clue as to what the RND MT was (armoured cars?) and why he wold have picked up a DSC? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaeldr Posted 7 December , 2005 Share Posted 7 December , 2005 Stephen, I think that the ref to the RND is a bit of a red herring and that you may have more joy following a RNAS trail instead I cannot find Summers in the index, however ‘The War in the Air’ Vol.II by H. A. Jones does have several refs to the RNAS Armoured Car Squadrons Do you know which squadron Summers was in? Page 354 notes that there were ‘15 armoured car squadrons, of which six were on active service, two in the Dardanelles, one in East Africa, and three in France.’ And at the time of the change in government and Churchill’s departure from the Admiralty it was decided to pass these ‘semi-military ground services’ over to the War Office There is also an F. Summers T/Lt. RMA who got the 1914 Star for service at Ostend Is this the same man? Regards Michael D.R. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaeldr Posted 8 December , 2005 Share Posted 8 December , 2005 With a little more time to spare this morning I have had another look at this and in particular I have seen the LG entries Forget my first inclination above and see if this fits Was Frank Summers given his RM commission as a Motor Owner Driver? Tony Froom had an interesting little piece in Len Sellers’ magazine ‘RND’ Issue No.8, March 1999 where he explains “To help with some of the problems caused by the absence of transport, one of the ‘stop gap’ measures employed was to give 50 motor owner drivers temporary commissions as Hon 2nd Lieutenants, Royal Marines, and these were sent over to France and Belgium with their cars together with a number of London buses that had been purchased. In checking the issues of the Navy List for the first year of the Great War it will be noted that not all of the motor owner drivers served with the RND. Some were attached to the Directors of Naval Transport Offices (DNTOs) based in various continental ports. Gradually, over the early months of 1915, the services of many MODs were terminated and by June 1915 all remaining ceased to be mentioned in the Navy List. For example Hon.2/Lieuts RM had become Temporary 2/Lieutenants RM ……..” It is a pity that the LG does not give more details, but the above might fit Summers who I note is later out of the RM and into the MGC Regards Michael D.R. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delta Posted 8 December , 2005 Author Share Posted 8 December , 2005 Michael thanx for the prompt reply Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaeldr Posted 8 December , 2005 Share Posted 8 December , 2005 The answer’s in there some where and I think that it has more to do with Transport than with Armoured Cars. Do let us know if you get to the bottom of it Best regards Michael D.R. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delta Posted 8 December , 2005 Author Share Posted 8 December , 2005 Today I have found entries for two MIDs in 1917 but what I have yet to find is his campaign medal card - this may give a clue so I shall keep looking Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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