MIC/Medal Roll

[Lambton]

Facts:

On his MIC, Charles Albert Fox is listed as Gnr. 64640 R.G.A. with the awarding of two medals designated as RGA/130B on the roll on page 308.

On his medal roll, page 3008, he is listed as 64640 Gnr. Base Dtls. R.G.A.

Explanation:

The ten men listed on page 3008 are numbered consecutively from 64635 to 64644.

Seven of them are listed as 85 Sge. Bty. R.G.A.

Two of them, including Gnr. Fox, are listed as Base Dtls. R.G.A.

One of them is listed as 122 Sge. Bty. R.G.A.

Questions:

(1) What is the significance of Base Dtls. R.G.A.?

(2) What unit or formation does this represent as opposed to a numbered battery or is it a part of a numbered battery.?

Lambton

[Ron Clifton]

Hello Lambton

"Base Details" represents a pool of personnel at one of the coastal bases: le Havre in the case of the RGA. These men were usually either newly arrived reinforcements or recovering wounded awaiting return to their unit or transfer to another. In some cases, men were permanently assigned to the Base Details if their physical condition had become too bad to be returned to their unit.

Bearing in mind the sequence of numbers it is likely that Gunner Fox had served with 85 Siege Battery prior to his posting to the RGA Base Details.

Ron