interpretation and where next?

[mrskpickles]

Hi,

My Great Grandfather was Archibald McCormick, I know he servied in the army between 1911 and 1921. I am sure that he was a soldier in WW1, his marriage certificate says "ex-soldier" in the occuparion column.

I am unable to obtain any other info apart from his DOB, place where he was born and parents names. I do know that he was discharged due to injury and sent back to England to a hospital in hampshire, this is where he was nursed by my great grandmother (how romantic!).

I really am unable to get any more detail than that, I have no photos, medals, family to ask etc etc.

Does anyone have any ideas. I have some medal cards images from national archives, but Idont really understand them

The one I think it could be....uneducated guess is.....

Name- Archibald McCormick

Corps- ?res bde rfa (? brigade, royal field artillery??)

Rank- DVR

Reg No- 651,218

Date of discharge- 28/3/19

Enlistment- 29/9/14

Cause of discharge- PARA(092ivia) I think thats what it is, the writing is micrscopic!) under this there is a capital W in the cause of discharge column...Wounded??

Under the action taken column it says- ...list (may not be list) RA/3578.

it was the only archibald mccormick on national archives to be discharged before the war ended, and I guess it would make sense as my Archibald was married august 1921.....long shot I know!

I'll admit this is a little above me, any help would be great.

Thank you

Kirstie

[MelPack]

Hello Christie

Can you post the card for viewing? It sound as if you have downloaded the SWB card with the standard KR 392 reference of discharge through wounds/sickness.

There is also another MIC for the medals:

Medal card of McCormick, Archibald

Corps Regiment No Rank

Royal Field Artillery 4351 Driver

Royal Field Artillery 651218 Driver

I will hazard a guess but it looks like a TF RFA unit.

Are you certain that this is your man and not the other five Archibalds?

Regards

Mel

[Stebie9173]

Corps will be Reserve Brigade RFA (Royal Field Artillery) - the unit from which he was discharged.

Rank = Driver (sat on a horse and helped drive a team of horses that pulled the guns)

Enlistment and discharge dates are self explanatory.

Is there a stamped grid on the card with references in?

Cause of discharge is likely to be : KR (King's Regulations) 392 xvi - No longer physically fit for service.

W does = Wounds.

The list ref will be SWBList RA/3578 which is a medal entitlement book (Medal Roll) for the Silver War Badge issued to honourably discharged men.

The RFA number 651218 is a Territorial number issued to either the 1/1 Lowland Brigade, RFA (later renamed 257th Brigade) or 2nd Lowland Artillery Brigade (later renamed 325 Brigade). Although a soldier could be sent anywhere the Army wished a lot of the early enlisters went to their local units.

Was Archie McCormick Scottish?

Steve.

[mrskpickles]

Hi, Yep I think this is def our man, he is from scotland.

I didn;t get what you meant by....

"It sound as if you have downloaded the SWB card with the standard KR 392"

I am not at all familiar with military things?! I pologise for my ignorance and thank you for your help.

Kirstie

Hello Christie

Can you post the card for viewing? It sound as if you have downloaded the SWB card with the standard KR 392 reference of discharge through wounds/sickness.

There is also another MIC for the medals:

Medal card of McCormick, Archibald

Corps Regiment No Rank

Royal Field Artillery 4351 Driver

Royal Field Artillery 651218 Driver

I will hazard a guess but it looks like a TF RFA unit.

Are you certain that this is your man and not the other five Archibalds?

Regards

Mel

[mrskpickles]

Yes he was Scottish, born is wigtown in scotland. This is gonna sound ridiculous but if he rode a horse, would his marriage cert still say ex-soldier did he still count as a solider if he drove horses???

Thank you

Kirstie

Corps will be Reserve Brigade RFA (Royal Field Artillery) - the unit from which he was discharged.

Rank = Driver (sat on a horse and helped drive a team of horses that pulled the guns)

Enlistment and discharge dates are self explanatory.

Is there a stamped grid on the card with references in?

Cause of discharge is likely to be : KR (King's Regulations) 392 xvi - No longer physically fit for service.

W does = Wounds.

The list ref will be SWBList RA/3578 which is a medal entitlement book (Medal Roll) for the Silver War Badge issued to honourably discharged men.

The RFA number 651218 is a Territorial number issued to either the 1/1 Lowland Brigade, RFA (later renamed 257th Brigade) or 2nd Lowland Artillery Brigade (later renamed 325 Brigade). Although a soldier could be sent anywhere the Army wished a lot of the early enlisters went to their local units.

Was Archie McCormick Scottish?

Steve.

[Stebie9173]

Yes, he did still count as a soldier.

His main job would be pulling one of the guns shown on this page:

http://www.1914-1918.net/cra.htm

like so:

(these are New Zealand soldiers but the job was the same)

The drivers sat on the left hand horse and "drove" two horses. When the guns were being used they helped bring forward ammunition, but also had to be ready to move the guns at a moments notice.

Stev.

[Stebie9173]

Kirstie,

Did you download the other card that Mel has suggested.

They will be the same man because both cards show his 651218 which would be unique to him within the Artillery.

This will hopefully give us a date he went overseas (if in 1915) that will help us track him.

Steve.

[mrskpickles]

Hi, I have the other image, so there is the once I posted earlier and then this one

Name- Archibald McCormick

Corps- RFA

Rank- DVR

Regd No- 4351, then below that 651218 (goot point about the numbers, clueless!)

In the medals column it has in the victory column- (TF)RFA/108 after the 8 of 108 it has a little risen 8 or is it a B??

Page 1431

Then in the British column it has dittos.

So he got two medals??? What for??? And what did they look like, could I find pics?? I tried putting theminto google,

There are no dates on the card, only on the one I already posted with enlist and disch dates.

The 4351 card and the initial one I posted have different formats?? The initial was had a heading 'campaign' at the top left balnk. And the 4351 card has boxes for 'theatre of war first served in- BLANK and dtae of entry therein- BLANK.

Sorry I cant post the images, problem being I don't have them on this computer, and the person who has the old mac can't find them!!

The initial card I posted has something scribbles realy smalle diagonally in the botton right hand corner, none of the other I've seen do. Looks like a 1 or an I then underthat Qpaon, thats probably not what it is at all, but it's not easy to read.

Thank you again for all your help...Kirstie

Kirstie,

Did you download the other card that Mel has suggested.

They will be the same man because both cards show his 651218 which would be unique to him within the Artillery.

This will hopefully give us a date he went overseas (if in 1915) that will help us track him.

Steve.

[mrskpickles]

One other thing the form references for all the cards including the 4352 card is K1380. The initial card I posted the ref was K808. i guess that will tell you the difference?!?!?

Also at the bottom of the original posted one there is a long lind of numbers...

(6 34 45) W234-HP5590 500,000 4/19 HWV (P240) K808

This mean anything to you???? I won't surprise you to know I am none the wiser!!!

It may help, hence the post.

Kirstie

[mrskpickles]

PHOTO....

Just thought I would post this photo I found of Archibald after he was discharged...aint it nice?!?!?!

Kirstie

[punjab612]

Kirstie

For an explanation of why he was awarded these campaign medals see this link

http://www.1914-1918.net/grandad/grandad6.htm#wm

and for explanation of Silver War Badge seet this

http://www.1914-1918.net/grandad/grandad8.htm

Good luck with your research

Peter