WW1 RFA gunner WH Johnson help please

[Jomot1]

The only hospital war diaries I'm aware of are the ones at the National Archives, but as the 12th General was by then under the control of the US Army, there are no UK records held for the relevant date(s). As mentioned earlier, I've checked the Convalescent Depot and those records are little more than statistics (I posted the link if you wanted to download it for yourself).

Once in the UK there wouldn't be any war diaries, so you would have to try & track down any relevant records from the individual military hospitals, although few seem to have survived.

I think the 'sick and injured' refers to the fact that he'd previously been wounded. The war was over by the time he was demobilised, but he was only in the UK because he'd been gassed - otherwise he would still have been mobilised in France.

I can't agree that he remained sick and wounded as he went into Class Z Reserves, which meant he was liable to be immediately re-called to service in the event of further hostilities. If he was unfit for further service he'd have been discharged under Paragraph 32 (xvi) of the Kings Regulations and qualified for a Silver War Badge.

It seems to me that he was simply in the right place at the right time, ie he had recovered from being gassed but as the war was over there was nothing to be served from sending him back to his unit, so he was demobilised pending final discharge.

[Alpineted]

He attested May 1915 and posted to 171st Brigade as a Driver. I can’t see his later postings as the writing is very faint, but the subsequent references to D/170 would seem to mean D Battery, 170th Brigade.

The war diaries for the 170 Brigade Royal Field Artillery are available to download free of charge from the National Archives, but they are in several batches.

I’ve had a quick look at the entries for March/April 1918 and (very unusually) the diary lists the names of the wounded, including WH Johnson, who was wounded on 21st April “Shell Gas – Wounded”.

While there are mentions of the Germans firing gas, there are also regular mentions of D/170 carrying out Gas Shoots and Gas Bombardments, including on the 21st April.

The No. 12 General Hospital was at Rouen and was taken over by the US Army in June 1917, so this will be the reference to the 12 St Louis USA Hospital at Rouen.

Would medical records have specified whether injures were incurred as a result of enemy fire or 'friendly'fire? - as you mention that there are mentions of British troops carrying out gas shoots and bombardments?

[Alpineted]

#21 Thank you for references - I have been reading the war and other diaries.I am able to read some information, but some is illegible (to me).

I would like to be able to understand my great uncle's service during the period he was in 171st Brigade (MEF) and also 170th Brigade (Western Front). Are there any typed documents that would show chronological order of events?
I have looked at National Archives but all my search results result in naught. I think I may be searching incorrectly, as I am unsure as to what is Unit, Battalion, Regiment, Divisional Artillery etc - I am also failing with Ancestry searches!
Any advice re searching for MEF and BEF records would be much appreciated.

[Alpineted]

He attested May 1915 and posted to 171st Brigade as a Driver. I can’t see his later postings as the writing is very faint, but the subsequent references to D/170 would seem to mean D Battery, 170th Brigade.

The war diaries for the 170 Brigade Royal Field Artillery are available to download free of charge from the National Archives, but they are in several batches.

I’ve had a quick look at the entries for March/April 1918 and (very unusually) the diary lists the names of the wounded, including WH Johnson, who was wounded on 21st April “Shell Gas – Wounded”.

While there are mentions of the Germans firing gas, there are also regular mentions of D/170 carrying out Gas Shoots and Gas Bombardments, including on the 21st April.

The No. 12 General Hospital was at Rouen and was taken over by the US Army in June 1917, so this will be the reference to the 12 St Louis USA Hospital at Rouen.

Do you know the name of the battle near Beuchy (Buchy?)on 21st April 1918 please?

[Alpineted]

I’ve had a closer look at his service record, and listed after the 12 (St Louis) Hospital at Rouen is an admission to the 11 Convalescent Depot at Buchy on what looks like 27 April 1918. The war diaries for the Convalescent Depot show 651 admissions that day, versus a ‘normal’ number of 150/day, and although there aren’t any specific details it looks as though most were discharged to the base depot fairly quickly. https://discovery.nationalarchives.g...5814021a847b81

After that the writing is so faint I can’t really make it out, but there is mention of Coombe Lodge, which was a VAD Auxiliary Hospital at Great Warley, Essex.

With regards to Army form B104-81A, the only description I can see of his wounds is “Gas Shell Wound”, which mirrors the wording in the war diary at post #7. I don't see any mention of an explosion, or the word severe.

You also asked about him serving in both the MEF (8 Jan 1916-7 Mar 1916) and the BEF (8 Mar 1916-22 Jan 1919), and this may have something to do with him moving from the 171st to the 170th Brigade, but the writing on his records is too faint to be check. Both brigades moved from Egypt to France in March 1916.

I’ve had a very quick look at both war diaries, and 170th left Alexandria on 4th March 1916 and arrived at Marseilles on 11th March 1916.

The 171st left Alexandria on 1 March 1916 and anchored at Marseilles at 10pm on 7th March.

As William's records say his service with the BEF was from 8th March 1916, it therefore looks likely (but not certain) that he was still with the 171st at that point.

I am trying to find the MEF diaries, I have searched National Archives and followed link to Ancestry, would anyone be able to post me a link please or give me any tips for finding the 171st Brigade of the Royal Field Artillery between January and March 1916? Thank you

[Jomot1]

Sorry, I've been away.

Divisional Troops: 170 Brigade Royal Field Artillery (1915 Dec - 1916 Feb) - and -
Divisional Troops: 171 Brigade Royal Field Artillery (1916 Jan - Mar)
Both here: https://discovery.nationalarchives.g...ils/r/C4557742

Re your earlier question, the war diary doesn't suggest they were involved in a specific battle at the time, but were based around Adinfer Wood, Douchy and Ayette. The general hostilities may well have been connected to the German Spring Offensive however, and the 31st Division had been involved in some earlier parts of the Battles of the Lys

https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army...31st-division/

[Alpineted]

# 25 and 26
Thank you very much for information. The long long trail article about the 31st division is very interesting.

The link to National Archives 170 and 171 Brigade - Divisional troops says that records not digitised, only available to view at Kew.

I was hoping that the war diaries for the MEF, Jan-Mar 1916 would be available, just as the BEF war diaries you kindly sent me the link for.
Does that mean that the MEF war diaries are not available via Ancestry? (and not just me searching under the wrong terms?).
Thanks again for all your help - much appreciated.

[Jomot1]

Apologies - I was rushing so missed that the link said they hadn't been digitised.

I find Ancestry quite difficult for finding war diaries at times, but if TNA hasn't digitised them or signposted 'other ways to view', then I'd assume they can only be viewed at Kew.

[Alpineted]

# 28 No problem,you have been extremely helpful to me,thank you... I am new to this (as I am sure you can tell!) and thought my failure with Ancestry was due to my operator error - and may well be, come to think of it lol

[Alpineted]

Re #24
I have carried out further research about the 12 St Louis USA hospital at Rouen you mentioned - and found a web page with the heading 'Northwestern Remembers the First World War',that section includes photographs, a poem written by a nurse on duty, copy of worker's permit etc, and also an extract from the war diaries of Dr M Pinson Neal.
I have emailed the Northwestern University - Special Collections and Archives department to ask for copies of Dr Pinson Neal diaries for April 1918, when my uncle Bill was hospitalised; I realise he will not be mentioned by name, though the information provided will help build up a picture about his life during the war. I should receive info the week after next - fingers crossed.
Thank you once again for your help, it really is appreciated.