Wolverton Anzac "Chips" Adams

[grantmal]

Hi All,

Arthur James "Chips" Adams, a stretcher bearer with the 3rd Australian Field Ambulance, died of wounds received at Pozieres, in August 1916. He was originally from Wolverton, Bucks, where his father, George Adams, was a Body maker in the Carriage Finishing Shop.

I am writing a book about the 3rd Field Ambulance and would like to contact relatives of the Adams family. His father was born in Norwich, and his mother, Alice, in London. The 1901 census lists a brother, Frederick G Adams (13) and a sister, Florence G Adams (7). George Adams died in 1948, aged 86.

The photo below shows the survivors of C Section, 3rd Field Ambulance, celebrating the first anniversary of the Gallipoli Landing with a beach party on the Suez Canal. Chips Adams is seated (on a keg?) with camera in hand.

Chips Adams made the cross (he was a carpenter, hence the nickname) that was put over the grave of fellow C Section stretcher bearer Jack Simpson (The Man With the Donkey) at Gallipoli. Bert Baker (2nd from right) was carrying with Chips when he was hit:

"You’re walking through trenches and perhaps the sap you’re going through is knocked down and you go over…now, a fella – an Englishman he was – he was on the other end of the stretcher and I felt it drop and I said ‘oh blimey, get him out over the other side – Chips[‘ll handle] it’ and it was Chips himself, he was shot through here[?]. And I hung onto him and sent another bloke for a doctor and he bought another bloody stretcher. I said ‘Listen! I want a doctor!’ Anyway he had to go back and get the doctor and he stopped the bleeding - of course I’d stopped it – he fixed him up and he said ‘Oh, he’ll be alright’ He didn’t – he died. And he used to – in his spare time, when we was out for a rest – he makes crosses – he was a bit of a carpenter, a cabinet-maker, and he’d make crosses and he made his own cross that was put on his grave."

The George Adams info came from the Milton Keynes Museum, but all other inquiries have met with a blank.

Hoping someone on the forum can help!

Good on you,

Grant

Edited 5 January , 2006 by grantmal

[Will O'Brien]

Grant

Can't help with the relatives I'm afraid or add much to what you have posted other than Arthur also worked at the Wolverton Railway Carriage Works before immigrating in 1910. He did his schooling at the Wolverton County School & was a Territorial whilst at the works. Local newspaper reports suggest he died of shock. Regarding the relatives it might be worth contacting the local rag the Milton Keynes Citizen to see if they'd run an appeal or something similar. The following link takes you to their 'contact us' page on their website. Oh yes Arthur is also on the Wolverton War memorial

Edited 6 January , 2006 by Will O'Brien

[grantmal]

Thanks Will,

The old local newspapers were the next step - I was hoping some of his letters home made it into print (he kept a fairly comprehensive diary). Any chance you can get your hands on the reports you mention? I'd love a copy. I will contact the 'Citizen'....fingers crossed.

Good on you,

Grant

[Will O'Brien]

Thanks Will,

The old local newspapers were the next step - I was hoping some of his letters home made it into print (he kept a fairly comprehensive diary). Any chance you can get your hands on the reports you mention? I'd love a copy. I will contact the 'Citizen'....fingers crossed.

Good on you,

Grant

Grant, I'll have a look next time I'm up at the library. My notes state there is info on Arthur in the Wolverton Express & Bucks Weekly News, 25th August 1916 edition & the Bucks Standard, 2nd September 1916 edition. I'm pretty sure I've never seen any of his letters (something I've seen with other local casualties) in the old papers & the 2 extracts are going to be about his death. Not sure when I'll get to the library but once I have I'll contact you.

Edited 6 January , 2006 by Will O'Brien

[grantmal]

Appreciate your help, Will.

18 of the original 51 "C" Section men were from UK. Highly probable some of the local newspapers reprinted their letters or carried some other info (5, including Chips Adams, were killed).

I will list some more of 'the boys' on the forum and see how we go.

Good on you & thanks again,

Grant

[campaign]

Hi - read your thread with interest - get into Wolverton most days and have been stopped in the Stratford Rd to allow the trains out of the sheds - it's a real tight fit to get those carriages round and the traffic has to be moved - parked cars and all !!

Do you think some of the other relatives could be buried in Wolverton ?

Lyn

[campaign]

Wolverton Memorial

[Tim]

From CWGC - They have him listed as 13th Field Ambulance. On closer inspection of the photo of the cross on his grave, it also says 13th Field Ambulance.

Name: ADAMS, ARTHUR JAMES

Initials: A J

Nationality: Australian

Rank: Private

Regiment/Service: Australian Army Medical Corps

Unit Text: 13th Field Amb.

Date of Death: 09/08/1916

Service No: 78

Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead

Grave/Memorial Reference: III. D. 2.

Cemetery: WARLOY-BAILLON COMMUNAL CEMETERY EXTENSION

Country: France

Locality: Somme

Location Information: Warloy-Baillon is a village about 21 kilometres north-east of Amiens along the D919 to Arras. The Communal Cemetery is on the east side of the village and the extension is on the eastern side of the cemetery.

Historical Information: The first Commonwealth burial took place in the communal cemetery in October 1915 and the last on 1 July 1916. By that date, field ambulances had come to the village in readiness for the attack on the German front line eight kilometres away, and the extension was begun on the eastern side of the cemetery. The fighting from July to November 1916 on the northern part of the Somme front accounts for the majority of the burials in the extension, but some are from the German attack in the spring of 1918. The extension contains 1,331 First World War Commonwealth burials and two from the Second World War. There are also 18 German war graves in the extension. The communal cemetery contains 46 Commonwealth burials of the First World War and 158 French war graves. The extension was designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield.

No. of Identified Casualties: 1348

Cheers,

Tim

[bernardmcilwaine]

have you tried rootschat,its a genealogy site,theres a buckinghamshire site on it where you could post your enquiry,bernard

[Rupert]

Grant, I'll be up that way next month. I'm also from Perth but live in Paris. I can get you a photo of his current grave, if you haven't already got one. No worries.

Regards,

Stu

[grantmal]

Thanks everyone for the replies.....I gotta look in a little more often!

Tim - C Section, 3rd Field Ambulance became the nucleus of the 13th Field Ambulance during the reorganisation of the AIF after the withdrawl from Gallipoli.

Thanks for the great photos, Lyn - good on you. Not sure about Wolverton burials - Chips' parents later moved to Old Stratford; his father George drowned in the canal there in 1948 (thanks Will).

Stu - yes mate, would love a photo of the grave if you could. What are you doing in Paris?

The articles Will mentioned in his post are to hand...this is the letter of condolence sent by Captain Sprent to Chips' parents (Wolverton Express & Bucks Weekly News, 25.8.16):

"My Dear Sir,

I have just returned from the front and hasten to send you my condolences on the death of your son. I was his officer, commanding his section and was the first to see him when he was hit. He had been with me in the Peninsula, and again when we first took part in the great battle now in progress. His work was always magnificent, his courage superb, and his end affected us more than that of any other man. In your son was no ordinary man, a gifted man in many ways, an outstanding figure always. He was terribly low when I saw him, shortly after he was hit, suffering from profound shock from which he never rallied. He was sent to our own ambulance, where he died in spite of every care from a surgical staff which is as good as any in France. I shall never forget the grip of the hand he gave me, and his last request touched me to the quick. He brought out of his pocket a notebook into which he had copied some verses he once wrote, and asked me to sign it. You will find a shaky signature, for it broke me up, and my colleague Captain Lovegrove dressed his wound. The poor boy had a broken thigh with a big artery severed, but the real cause of death was shock, for his comrades had skilfully stopped the bleeding, and he himself had impressed the artery. His effects will reach you in time. If not, please let me know. In his sketch book you will find a watercolour which he valued highly; given him by a French Count (I forget the name), a noted French painter, who owned the chateau where we were billeted awhile and who was greatly taken with Adams, and thought much of his artistic work. You Sir, have lost a brave son and I a friend and comrade, more than any other for his bright and cheerful nature, his striking personal gift, and for his good works. Such men never really die. Let me say once again that he will always be remembered here as one of the best we ever had with us, and may your sense often be tempered with the knowledge that he died on duty, doing his work to the utmost. There is no better epitaph.

Yours very sincerely,

James Sprent, Captain"

The respect Sprent had for Adams was mutual. Here is the last fortnight of Chips' diary (AWM 1DRL/0004):

"23 July – Sunday

Hundreds of wounded arriving. We are kept busy looking after them. Move to the trenches at 2pm and find business very brisk. Carry all night through Sausage Gully. Meet a lot of old 3rd boys, including Lacey and Hoppy.

24 July – Monday

Carry all day to the aid post the 11th and 12th Battalions and have some wonderful escapes from high explosive shells. Lots of Boche prisoners. Big attack tonight and we are kept going all night with wounded. Our boys push on till morn.

25 July – Tuesday

Keep going all day and only get about 2 hours sleep and on again all night. Simply hell but Byleveld of my squad hit on the head and steel helmet saves his life. Some of the 5th Field Ambulance come to help us and a lot of their men get hit.

26 July – Wednesday

Some 12th Field Ambulance come in to help today. We are still kept very busy. Heavy shell fire and close shaves all day.

27 July – Thursday

Morning ditto ditto and go out for a spell at 2pm after moving from Albert in a lorry.

28 July – Friday

Colonel gives us one of his damn foolish little speeches about the name we have made for ourselves, to which speech we pay no attention. Captain Sprent tells us is a dozen words that he is pleased with us which we do notice very much and appreciate.

6 August – Sunday

Move into trenches today and see Tom Deasy, Ern Pilcher, C Ware etc on transport. Get very heavy night bombardment and work through Sausage Valley. Thousands of casualties.

7 August – Monday

Heavy work in day. Mahney gets hand blown off but the rest are very lucky. One shell gets 41, including 27 killed, chiefly 48th Battalion, right against our Aid Post. Awful sight. McLann gets piece of shell through leg. Capt Sprent at top is very pleased with us.

8 August – Tuesday

Quiet day, though some awful cases come through."

As for Rootschat...yes, been lazy, but armed with family details from old George's death notices I'm onto it...

Thanks again!