Battery Serjeant Major Alfred Ernest Gould, RFA

[alfredgould]

Hi ... earlier this year I was researching this soldier (my grandfather) using, as a base, information provided to me by CWGC. This information has since been found to be incorrect, so here we go again.

Like so many others, his service records were completely destroyed in WW2. He was born in 1887 at Woolwich in London. He joined the army as soon as he was able as a regular soldier, probably in the RFA. He was married, probably in Eire. His unit was sent to India and he appears to have been stationed at the Military Cantonment at Neemuch in India (where my mother was born in 1914). His unit appears to have been part of the Indian 5th (MHOW) Division and by 1914 he had become a Battery Serjeant Major (possibly 99th Battery, XX Brigade RFA). He was returned to UK late in 1914 and became a member of the RFA contingent of the newly formed 27th Division at Morn Hill Camp, Winchester. The 27th Division was shipped to France in December 1914. I know little more until April 1918 when he was mentioned in one of Allenby's dispatches from Palestine, when my grandfather was presumably then serving with one of the Divisions forming part of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force. His MiD still shows him serving with the RFA. Circumstantial evidence suggests this Division was the 10th Irish.

He was gassed sometime during the Great War 'though I don't know where. He was discharged and died in 1920 from Pneumonia, contracted as a result of his being gassed. He was buried by CWGC in Clonmel in Eire. Since he was not awarded a Silver War Medal, I assume he was not discharged as the result of his being gassed and was discharged in the normal way.

You'll see there are large gaps in my knowledge and I appeal to you for any help you may be able to provide.

His wife bore him a daughter in India. Under what conditions would a Ranker be able to be accompanied by his wife on an overseas posting ?

Was it possible for a soldier in an infantry regiment to be transferred into the RFA (there is some small evidence that he may have belonged to the Royal Irish Fusiliers in his early army career).

I know gas was used on the Western Front. Was it also used in Salonika, Macedonia and Palestine ?

It seems soldiers who were gassed were not deemed to be wounded and therefore received no wound decoration. Is it possible he would have continued serving after he was gassed ?

I'd be grateful for any ideas as to how he could have progressed from the Western Front in 1914 to Palestine in 1917/18.

Derek Phipps

[Simon R]

Gas counts as a wound - and you would get a wound stripe for it.

Depending on how much/what type, he could well have continued serving after he was gassed.

[alfredgould]

Gas counts as a wound - and you would get a wound stripe for it.

Depending on how much/what type, he could well have continued serving after he was gassed.

Many thanks SimonR.