Alfred Robinson - Royal Marine Artillery, Gallipoli

[nickyclarke52]

My Great-Grandfather was Alfred William Robinson born Mile End, 1880.

On his marriage cert (1909) he is a gunner in the Royal Marine Artillery, number 10035, (posibly 12035).

On a later document (1917 - my Gran's birth cert) he is a stoker (K40508) in RN.

I can find his service record as K40508, but nothing earlier.

Is there any way of finding the earlier information?. To start with, was he definitely at Gallipoli?.

Any advice appreciated.

Nicky

[horatio2]

If his register number was RMA/10035 he would have enlisted in about December 1902; if RMA/12035 in about September 2007. If he was born in 1880 then the earlier enlistment is most likely. Even then he would have been 22 years old - a bit older than most recruits at 17/18.

You will find his record of service, which will list all his various drafts to ships and units, at Kew under ADM 159. His attestation papers will be in ADM 157. None of these records are available on-line.

There were very few RMA men serving ashore with the Royal Naval Division's Marine Brigade at Gallipoli - just about all were RMLI. However, he may have been serving afloat in one of the ships.

Many RMA and RMLI men transferred to the Royal Navy often as stokers. You have obviously down-loaded his RN service record from Kew. You should be aware that his attestation papers as a stoker are at the Fleet Air Arm Museum.

[bootneck]

You should find Alfred William Robinson’s RMA Register of Service entry at TNA in ADM 159. If his number was RMA 10035 in ADM 159/81 that covers men who joined between February 1902 and June 1903 and were given numbers in the range 9947 to 10488, or as seems more likely from the information you mention, ADM 159/84 which covers men who enlisted between September 1905 and November 1907 and were given original numbers in the range 11563 to 12105. When the RMLI and RMA amalgamated in 1923, a 2 was added to the beginning of an RMA man’s number to avoid confusion with an RMLI man with the same old number.

His RM service papers should also at TNA under reference ADM 157 and filed by date of discharge. The following links Royal Marines: Other Ranks' Service Records Royal Marines: How to Find a Division and Royal Marines: Further Areas of Research to the National Archives website http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ will provide you will further information.

Have you downloaded his RN Register of Service as this would show you when he transferred.

You will find details of his WW1 medal in ADM 171.

Regards,

Bootneck

[bootneck]

Sorry, I misread the date of birth as 1890, so I would revise my earlier post and say it was more likely that Alfred Robinson joined in 1902.

Bootneck

[bootneck]

According to his Register of Service entry, held at TNA, in ADM 159/81 Alfred William Robinson, RMA 10035, born on 10 August 1880 in Mile End, London, enlisted in London on 25 April 1902. His occupation is shown as Carman. He was discharged on 5 June 1914 having served 12 years and his Discharge Board (DB) Number was 15430. You will find his service papers in ADM 157/3134.

While in the RMA he served on the following ships:

Cornwallis: 9 February 1904 to 26 February 1906.

Swaitham(?): 17 January 1907 to 8 April 1908.

Albemarle: 25 August 1908 to 17 February 1910.

Prince George: 28 June 1910 to 29 July 1910.

Indomitable: 9 August 1910 to 11 November 1911.

St Vincent: 12 November 1911 to 27 May 1912.

Prince George: 2 July 1912 to 2 August 1912.

Natal: 16 August 1912 to 20 March 1914.

His naval papers show that he joined as a Stoker, K40508, on 1 February 1917 and was demobbed on 6 March 1919. It is worth pointing out that his occupation is shown as Woolwich Arsenal and also that his papers are stamped at the top “FORMERLY RNVR Y” followed by 1822? (the last number possibly is a 6 or 2).

I have not checked his RNVR service, which might have included Gallipoli.

Regards,

Bootneck

[horatio2]

His RNVR 'Y' number is a holding number within the naval reserves until being properly enlisted. He would have had no active service until enlisting as a stoker in 1917.