Author Topic: Queen Mary's Army Auxiliary Corps.  (Read 1235 times)

Offline Lizalex

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Queen Mary's Army Auxiliary Corps.
« on: Saturday 12 July 14 17:48 BST (UK) »
My grandmother, Agnes Allan, was one of Queen Mary's Army Auxiliary Corps and was sent to France. I have some photographs of her in uniform and her medal record, but have found it very difficult to find out much more about the corps because the records were destroyed. Can anyone recommend any publications or sources which might help? Is there even a place where anyone has a collection of old photographs, or even a memorial to them? The more I search, the more I feel that these women were some of the forgotten heroines of WW1.
Ballantyne, Young, Allan, Thommeny, Masterton,

Offline GrahamSimons

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Re: Queen Mary's Army Auxiliary Corps.
« Reply #1 on: Saturday 12 July 14 22:52 BST (UK) »
The Imperial War Museum has a factsheet on line and suggests that research among their collections may be fruitful. The factsheet says that many of the surviving records were transferred to the National Army Museum. The National Archives website suggests that at least medal cards and some personnel records are available. Looks like an interesting line of research: best of luck.
Simons Barrett Jaffray Waugh Langdale Heugh Meade Garnsey Evans Vazie Mountcure Glascodine Parish Peard Smart Dobbie Sinclair....
in Stirlingshire, Roxburghshire; Bucks; Devon; Somerset; Northumberland; Carmarthenshire; Glamorgan

Offline GillyJ

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Re: Queen Mary's Army Auxiliary Corps.
« Reply #2 on: Saturday 12 July 14 23:19 BST (UK) »
I have found the national archives in Kew very helpful on WW1 Nurse information and some war records are available if you know your relations date of birth. if you know the hospital she worked or trained in it may be possible to access their records in a records office near to that hospital - eg nurses record books etc - very interesting.

Offline Lizalex

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Re: Queen Mary's Army Auxiliary Corps.
« Reply #3 on: Sunday 13 July 14 08:36 BST (UK) »
Many thanks for replies, GillyJ and Graham. I have been to Kew, where I found her medal record, but they had nothing else. I will try the Imperial War Museum, though. I know that she was one of the few who were on the Western Front, but there is not much information available anywhere.

Liz
Ballantyne, Young, Allan, Thommeny, Masterton,


Offline newburychap

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Re: Queen Mary's Army Auxiliary Corps.
« Reply #4 on: Sunday 13 July 14 10:22 BST (UK) »
I recommend getting in touch with Sue Light - she seems to have more on WW1 nurses than any archive!  Post a query on the Great War Forum and she will almost certainly respond.
Latest project - www.westberkshirewarmemorials.org.uk
Currently researching:<br /> Newbury pubs  & inns - the buildings, breweries and publican families.
Member of Newbury District Field Club - www.ndfc.org.uk

Offline Lizalex

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Re: Queen Mary's Army Auxiliary Corps.
« Reply #5 on: Sunday 13 July 14 10:32 BST (UK) »
Thanks for that, Newberrychap. I'll get onto it right away.  :)

L
Ballantyne, Young, Allan, Thommeny, Masterton,

Offline millymcb

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Re: Queen Mary's Army Auxiliary Corps.
« Reply #6 on: Sunday 13 July 14 17:06 BST (UK) »
Check out Sue's website - there is lots of fabulous information there.
http://www.scarletfinders.co.uk/
She's on twitter too...how modern :)
https://twitter.com/Scarletfinders



Milly

McBride (Monaghan, Manchester), Derbyshire (Bollington,Cheshire), Knight (Newcastle,Staffs), Smith (Chorley, Lancs & Ireland), Tipladay (Manchester & Yorkshire) ,Steadman (Madeley,Shropshire), Steele (Manchester,Glasgow), Parkinson (Wigan, Lancashire), Lovatt, Cornes & Turner (Staffs) Stott (Oldham, Lancs). All ended up Ardwick, Manchester
Census info is Crown Copyright http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

Offline Lizalex

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Re: Queen Mary's Army Auxiliary Corps.
« Reply #7 on: Sunday 13 July 14 17:28 BST (UK) »
Thanks, Milly. I found her on The Western Front Association and have left a message, but her website looks fantastic.

Much appreciated all.

L
Ballantyne, Young, Allan, Thommeny, Masterton,

Offline Scarletwoman

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Re: Queen Mary's Army Auxiliary Corps.
« Reply #8 on: Tuesday 15 July 14 13:39 BST (UK) »
Members of the women's army - Women's Army Auxiliary Corps and later Queen Mary's Army Auxiliary Corps were not nurses, nor did they work directly in hospitals.  They were employed in army camps to take over jobs previously done by men, to release them for military service, so clerks, orderlies, storewomen, drivers, waitresses, telephonists, cooks - anything that needed doing.

Most of their service records were later destroyed, and only a small percentage (about 10%) have survived.  Those are at The National Archives in Class WO398 and can be searched online and downloaded for a fee if you're lucky enough to find who you're looking for:

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/womens-army-auxiliary-corps.htm

In addition, quite a few members were later transferred to the Women's Royal Air Force, and there is also a run of records for them in class AIR80, though the information in those is quite brief:

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/airwomen-ww1.htm

Other than that, there are no service records and little chance of finding official mention of the women.  However, the Imperial War Museum have an extensive and fully-searchable range of documents relating to the WAAC/QMAAC within its 'Women's Work Collection.'  It's held online at the IWM, and can be accessed via their computer terminals there.  Not sure now it's been re-hashed if things are the same, but before the closure you could just walk in any time and find a spare computer on the first floor and sit there for as long as you like.  The documents are mainly organisational and administrative records, but some are very informative and interesting to help get some idea of what life was like in France.  It's also worth checking out the photographic collection which can be accessed online - just be inventive with the keywords you use for a search and you'll find a fascinating collection of images.

http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/search

If you put something like 'WAAC' in the box, and when you get the results up use the filters on the left - e.g. click on 'subject period' and then 'First World War' etc.

Sue



Scarletfinders - Researching British Military Nurses from 1880, mainly Great War period