2/1st Field Company West Lancs RE was also known as 422nd Company. So nothing to do with a field ambulance.
Here is the makeup of 55th Division -
http://www.1914-1918.net/55div.htm it gives the RAMC attached units:
= 3rd West Lancs Field Ambulance re-joined 16 January 1916
= 2/1st West Lancs Field Ambulance joined 17 January 1916
= 2/1st Wessex Field Ambulance joined 16 January 1916
If you search the CWGC for his cemetery and sort by date of death you will see a number of other casualties at the same time. But 55th Division were not involved in the Battle of Messines. So it looks like normal daily irritation shelling with a few RAMC killed while they went about their business attending the RE casualties. What does the war diary say?
This article tells the story of what happened to the wounded -
http://www.1914-1918.net/wounded.htm - the Divisional Field Ambulances provided men manning front line first aid posts and sent them back in stages to the Casualty Clearing Stations which were manned by RAMC assigned to an army.
The cemetery appears to be close to the front line. So it looks as if he died almost straight away.
If you have a home address for him you should look for an archive of his local newspaper. I see the father had to go through the death of three of his sons.
Ken
