List of Training Camps

[Guest mruk]

I'm sure this has been asked before, but does any member know of a list of the camps where units trained, and whether this list is available? I'm thinking of those camps other than Ripon, Rugely and Fovant, although a guide to which units trained where and when, and at which times would also be useful.

Many Thanks in Advance,

Dave

[jay dubaya]

Hi Dave, I've got a few bits and pieces about Redmires in Sheffield, first camp for 12th Y&L amongst other Battalions that passed though the wind swept camp. Happy to pass on if you fancy a short read, cheers, Jon

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Gunner 90230 Levi Woodhouse RHA/RFA killed in action 18/07/16

Bombadier 116599 Percival George Mogg RGA died of wounds 18/07/18

[Guest mruk]

Thanks Jon,

I'd be very happy to have a 'short read'. My own interests are in the 10th West Yorks, and Tony Lund kindly posted an obituary yesterday on one of the lads who was killed. The article mentioned a camp at Burton-on-Trent, but nothing else other than that. I suppose the training regime, and the transient nature of most camps, makes it much more difficult to research as the war went on. I think a list would be a good idea, and the Redmires Camp would be a welcome addition.

Cheers,

Dave

[jay dubaya]

PM me with your email and I'll get the info together, & agree with a list of training camps is a good move. We as a family have conections with Redmires (as we've recently discovered), I'm very happy to contribute what I know to any list (sure there's someone out there who's good at compiling lists................ ), cheers, Jon

[Moonraker]

Mruk: Good idea, but the list could get very long! Mine of British infantry and cavalry units in Wiltshire during WWI runs to six pages of A4 - I believe I sent you the Fovant section recently, which I hope was useful. I started it off by working through E A James "British Regiments 1914–1918", which has gone into several editions and last time I checked (early last year) was still in print. It's arranged by battalions and I ploughed through it noting all the Wiltshire locations. James based his own research on regimental histories, which in some cases referred to "Warminster" (when it could have been any one of several camps in neighbouring villages) or "Salisbury Plain" (which had a dozen or so camps, depending on one's definition of Salisbury Plain).

I'm constantly tweaking the list from my own researches; there was even an item on eBay the other week which helped me pinpoint where one "Salisbury Plain" battalion was.

Anomalies do creep in, and earlier this year I recall an enquiry on the Forum about one soldier who had written home from Chisledon Camp, where his unit was never based. One also needs to be careful with precise dates of arrivals and departures, as often parties of men left in advance and after the main body; and sometimes the latter left at night, thus its departure was spread over two days.

Before long, the data on the Forum will become jumbled and will need to be tidied up by someone for inclusion on The Long, Long Trail, subject to Chris's permission, of course. (We have a long-running thread on hospitals which is still occasionally added to, but I find it very difficult to explore.) And different forms of regimental titles will need to be rationalised. When I started out, it took me a while to get to grips with the London Regiment ("City of London...", "County of London..." etc).

If your idea gets off the ground, I shall be happy to contribute my Wiltshire list.

[jay dubaya]

Hi Moonracker, would like a gander at you Fovant file if that's ok....... of to my day job now, hopefully chat again soon, cheers, Jon

a little oddity from the Lancs Fusilliers at Penkridge Bank 1914/15

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Remembering with pride

Gunner 90230 Levi Woodhouse RHA/RFA killed in action 18/07/16

Lance Bombardier 116599 Percival George Mogg RGA died of wounds 18/07/18

[Guest mruk]

Hi Moonraker,

The info you kindly sent me proved more than useful, and I was able to set aside a couple of doubts that had been nagging me for a while. Many Thanks. I had a cursory look at James' 'Book of British Regiments' for the West Yorkshire units in the library last week, and I take your point that the thread could so easily become congested if not regularly checked and put put into some sort of order. I never realised the enormity of such a project when raising the initial question, including any anomalies and contradictions that may arise. I think it is worthwhile, though, and I would be more than happy to manage any forthcoming data, but before proceding I would be extremely grateful for any suggestions and advice on the way forward.

Kind Regards,

Dave

Jon, many thanks for the 'oddity', and the 'oddballs' at Penkridge Bank c. 1914-15

[Moonraker]

Thanks Jon,

... I suppose the training regime, and the transient nature of most camps, makes it much more difficult to research as the war went on...

Cheers,

Dave

In the case of Wiltshire, the local papers carried a great deal of detailed info in the first months, but were then subject to censorship; most references from the start of 1915 related to sports, entertainments and cases in the civilian courts. I discovered a number of oblique references in The Times to camps where there were allegations of wasted food (eg loaves of bread floating down the river to Salisbury!), but here I benefitted from reporters being able to say "a Salisbury Plain training camp". A word search in the National Archives website may produce something.

Contemporary postcards can produce good images and comments. At very least, enter your camp name in eBay once a week. I visit half-a-dozen postcard fairs each year, but if you're after just one camp this can mean spending hours wading through county and military cards and often not getting anything. The other problem is that some publishers didn't caption their cards or, if they did, just said it was "The Camp". Many camps had their own postmarks, which can help - or mislead, as some cards were used months or years later. (I've seen a 1916 card of Larkhill used to enter a contest to do with Joe Pasquali, the TV entertainer!)

Because I know which units were based in "my" camps, I also check out appropriate unit histories, though it's always frustrating when the training is dismissed in two lines.

Moonraker

[Moonraker]

Hi Moonracker, would like a gander at you Fovant file if that's ok....... of to my day job now, hopefully chat again soon, cheers, Jon

Jay: Have sent you details by Personal Message.

Moonraker

[Guest mruk]

Thanks Moonraker,

You've gave me a lot to consider, and some good avenues to pursue. I think I will stay with local knowledge and unit histories for the moment, and work from there until I have something a little more comprehensive. There's nothing like big ideas and grand visions!

Kind Regards,

Dave