Aldershot Regiments 1917 - 1918

[LeePayne]

Hi I have been trying on and off for years to discover what my grandfather disclosure in WW1. He was 18 in February 1917 and assume he was conscripted shortly after, all I know is that he was supposedly at Aldershot and was involved with horses .
Can anyone help with advice as to which regiments were based at Aldershot from 1917- 1918?
All help appreciated
Many thanks
Lee

[christanel]

Hi Lee and welcome to British-Genealogy
I think you have come here from Forces War Records so reading this will tell you why.
If you would like to give us your grandfather's full name, date and place of birth we can see if his service records were lucky enough to survive the bombing/fire in WW11 which destroyed 60 % plus of WW1 service records. Medal Card Index Rolls and Award and Medal records do survive but these very rarely have any personal information on them. WW1 service records are online on ancestry.com or Findmypast both of which are licensed to hold them but are pay oer view sites. However some libraries do have the free version of either one of them.
As I said, if you want to give us your grandfather's details we can take a look. The search is always easier if the serviceman's name is unusual of course.
Christina

[LeePayne]

Hi Christina
Many thanks for your prompt response, my grandfather's details are as follows;
George William Cartwright
DOB 10 February 1899
Birthplace Blackmore, Essex
Residence in 1917 High Ongar, Essex
All the family know us that he was supposedly at Aldershot and worked with horses
I look forward to your reply
Many thanks
Lee

[davyr]

Not that it's probably of much help, but my grandfather Frederick Kendall was at Aldershot with the Royal Engineers just prior to the outbreak of WW1. He was a driver, so also worked with horses. I remember him telling me that he and his fellow soldiers witnessed the death of pioneer aviator Samuel Franklin Cody when his plane crashed near Aldershot on Aug 7 1913. he always believed the pilot had been Buffalo Bill - a common mistake at the time, as Cody himself looked and dressed like the Wild West Show William Cody and positively encouraged the comparison!

[LeePayne]

Hi davyr
Thanks for that as I hadn't consideredthat the engineers would have worked with horses.
Your story ishort interesting and a great addition to a family history
Lee

[essbee]

One of my great uncles was a 'carman' before the war, driving a horse-drawn cart. When he enlisted he was sent to the Veterinary corp, which helped look after the horses, dogs and other animals used by the army.

[LeePayne]

Hi essbee
My grandfather had previously worked with livestock an issue had always presumed without any evidence that Had may have been involved with the acquisition and training of privately owned horses to be sent to the front.
Thanks
Lee

[christanel]

Hi Lee
This article on The Long Long Trail may be of interest.
I have done some searching but unfortunately there doesn't appear to be a surviving service record for your grandfather and there are so many George (William) Cartwright results in the Medal Roll Index cards and the medal and Award records that without knowing a definite regiment it will be very difficult to identify your grandfather.
Christina

[christanel]

There are 9 George W Cartwrights and 71 George Cartwrights in the medal Roll Index cards plus a few variants on the name! The results in the Service Medal and Award records are equally prolific.
Using the Royal Artillery (Royal Horse Artillery and Royal Field Artillery) regiment to cull the results still doesn't let us pick an individual with any degree of confidence.
Christina

[LeePayne]

Hi Christina,
Many thanks for the link to the article which identifies companies which stayed at home though I expect I'm still looking for a needle in a haystack and may have to accept that I may never positively identify how and where my grandfather served.
Once again many thanks for your assistance
Lee