Looking for Grandfather's WW1 records.

[deEscofet]

I have been trying to find my Grandfathers WW1 records but have had no luck anywhere. The only definite thing I know is that he was a Farrier in the Army and originated from Wolverhampton. His name was Benjamin Mills. I don't know if he held any rank other than Private or if he could hold another rank being a Farrier. Any help as to where I might get this information would be most welcome. Thank you. Jacky

[Peter Goodey]

You need to know a bit more than that - when was he born, where did he live, who would his next of kin have been?

I take it you know that most WW1 service records have not survived. Those that have are at the National Archives. These were outsourced to Ancestry which is the first place to look.

There is a record for a Benjamin Mills from Wolverhampton whose civilian trade was blacksmith. However he was in the Mechanised Transport section of the ASC - so probably not a farrier.

FYI Ancestry call the database "British Army WWI Service Records, 1914-1920". Also check "British Army WWI Pension Records 1914-1920"

You need to look at this and other records and decide.

[thewideeyedowl]

Hi Jacky and a very warm welcome to Brit Gen...

It might be worth investigating the Benjamin Mills who served in the ASC, mainly because they were the ones who kept the show on the road - moving munitions, supplies etc. I wouldn't be put off by the fact that the man Peter found so quickly was in a Mechanised Transport branch, because - from what I have read - there was an awful lot of moving around. What's for certain is that the ASC was a 'Cinderella' corps: they did so much essential work but it has never been fully recognised with the result that it is very difficult to research men in this corps. (My brickwall grandfather was in the ASC...)

You might be interested in these links. This is to the Western Front Association's page on the ASC: https://www.westernfrontassociation.c...rit-a-s-c.html; and this to a forge in Sussex: https://www.slindonforge.co.uk/?p=905, which includes a photo of a farrier sergeant.

Also take a look at The Long Long Trail (www.1914-1918.net) and find the pages devoted to the ASC.

Hope this may give you a few pointers.

Swooping off

Owl

[deEscofet]

Thank you Peter will check that out. I do have the information you said I need. Thanks again. Jacky

[deEscofet]

Hello Owl,

Thank you for that, I will check all of these out.

The reason I'm not too informed about my Grandfather is that he died in 1925 and Nan never said a lot about him. My Dad couldn't say anything he was only 2 when he died. I believe he was gassed 2 or 3 times and this eventually lead to his death and I suppose his civvy trade as a wrought iron blacksmith didn't help much.

Thank you once again.

Jacky

[thewideeyedowl]

I have been reading Warrior, The Amazing Story of a Real War Horse, by General Jack Seely (first published 1934, new and updated edition 2013). General Seely - war hero, MP, cabinet minister - commanded the Canadian Cavalry Brigade; on the horse Warrior he led the last cavalry charge in British history (Moreuil Ridge, 30 March 1918) To quote from p77 of the new edition:

"...I [went] to the War Office to see Lord Kitchener. There I received the news that I was to command all the available Canadian cavalry, to be formed into a mounted brigade, three thousand men and horses, comprising cavalry, artillery, engineers, signallers and army service corps, a wonderful command for any man to be privileged to lead."

That is the only mention of ASC in the book but it shows that men of the ASC served just about anywhere and everywhere (which is why they are so difficult to research!). And who other than ASC men who have provided the 'essential maintenance' of shoeing etc?

I realise this doesn't progress you in any way, but - as another ASC descendant - I thought it was very interesting.

Owl

[deEscofet]

Thank you once again Owl. What you have said is very interesting. As far as I know my granddad only served in France but I only assume this through snippets I heard growing up. I will look into everything you have told me. Thank you once again.

Jacky

[thewideeyedowl]

Hi again Jacky

No, I wasn't suggesting that he served in a support role with the Canadian Cavalry Brigade (which would have been quite a pukka posting, I should think!). The sentence shows how many different support units there could be in a full brigade - engineers, signallers, ASC etc etc - and that's what we all need to remember when researching, particularly if the man wasn't in the Somethingshire Regiment.

This page from The Long Long Trail is helpful: https://www.1914-1918.net/asc.htm. You will see that at its peak, the ASC had over 10 thousand officers and 300,000+ men. And that's a helluva lot! Yet, acc to that website, in the official history of the War, they get just four pages; and there is no dedicated memorial to them anywhere.

Plus, when conscription came in (1916), the new men where assigned to wherever there was a vacancy.

So just keep your mind wide wide open to anything when you are researching - and, if you can find him, you might be quite surprised where he turns up!

Swooping off now.

Owl