magpie Posted 24 February , 2007 Share Posted 24 February , 2007 as i posted before i am looking for my great grandad George Harold Simons and there were 3 George H Simons in the medal rolls but i was drawn to one who was a RFA Driver because i had found his brother who had the same job and i have a lot of family photos of men in Royal Artillery uniform, so today i treated myself to the medal card to have a closer look at it but on the same sheet of medal cards i got was another one which looks very interesting, it does not give a first name, just the initials G H Simons but this one has K in A written on it which I know is the abbreviation for the town he lived in could K in A mean anything else other than the town he lived in? any help in telling me what other information is on these cards would be much appricated because i don't understand them. Thank you. Jane Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Posted 24 February , 2007 Share Posted 24 February , 2007 Jane KinA is an abbreviation for Killed in Action rather than a reference to his home town Mick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magpie Posted 24 February , 2007 Author Share Posted 24 February , 2007 Jane KinA is an abbreviation for Killed in Action rather than a reference to his home town Mick Thank you Mick, sad information but i guess that takes me back to my original thought that the RFA Driver might be my G. Grandad. I have put that medal card in again because I think i did something wrong in my first post because both cards did not seem to come up very well, hopefully it will work this time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jarvis Posted 24 February , 2007 Share Posted 24 February , 2007 CWGC has two G Simons of the RFA listed, one died in 1916 and the other 1918. I can't find G H Simons so perhaps his second initial is not listed (or wrong), or perhaps your great grandad survived the war. Does one 'fit' using the Additional Information and Service No ? SIMONS, GEORGE WILLIAM ....... note George William .... not George Harold Initials: G W Nationality: United Kingdom Rank: Gunner Regiment/Service: Royal Field Artillery Unit Text: 9th Bty. 3rd (West Riding) Bde. Age: 19 Date of Death: 02/04/1916 Service No: 1026 Additional information: Only son of William Isaac and Charlotte Simons, of 17, Eyam Rd., Crookes, Sheffield. Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead Grave/Memorial Reference: D. 26. Cemetery: BEAUVAL COMMUNAL CEMETERY SIMONS, GEORGE ....... note no second initial or name Initials: G Nationality: United Kingdom Rank: Gunner Regiment/Service: Royal Field Artillery Unit Text: "C" Bty. 93rd Army Bde. Age: 21 Date of Death: 01/05/1918 Service No: 76057 Awards: MM Additional information: Son of George and Eliza Simons, of 23, Earl St., Silverdale, Newcastle, Staffs. Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead Grave/Memorial Reference: D. 11. Cemetery: COUIN NEW BRITISH CEMETERY Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magpie Posted 24 February , 2007 Author Share Posted 24 February , 2007 thank you for looking Jarvis, I know my g.grandad survived the war, so i have not looked at the cwgc site yet. Jane Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stebie9173 Posted 24 February , 2007 Share Posted 24 February , 2007 The George H Simons in the Artillery that you have posted was an "Old Contemptible" i.e. one of the orginal men of the Army that fought in the first battles in 1914. This George arrived a little later than the very first men who arrived in August 1914 probably because he was serving out in the Empire somewhere with his unit. 35th Brigade Royal Field Artillery was part of the 7th Division that crossed to Zeebrugge on 6th October 1914 (the same day as George landed, so that fits) to help in the defence of Antwerp. Antwerp was beyond help when the Division landed so it went to Ypres to defnd taht soon to be famous town. Within a couple of months the war came right to Ypres and the town was fough over almost constantly for the rest of the war. http://www.1914-1918.net/7div.htm George above was entitled to the 1914 Star, Victory Medal and British War Medal, as shown in the stamped on area. The references there refer to the Medal Roll books which record his entitlement. These may add further details to his career, but not always. The middle line - C&R, etc. - refers to his Clasp and Roses for his 1914 Star that effectively denote he was in battle before 22-11-1914. He transferred to the Royal Garrision Artillery on 15th January 1918 (an unusual note on an MIC). The RGA fired the heavier guns that were further back behind the lines. Steve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magpie Posted 27 February , 2007 Author Share Posted 27 February , 2007 Thank you for that information Steve, I am fascinated by how much information and history you can get off these small cards. I am not sure the info found relates to my g. grandad, so i think i might have to keep doing more research on him and my family history, but i am finding myself going in new directions of interest regarding the first world war that i had not thought of before i found this site. Jane Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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