Royal Field Artillery

[wildwitch]

Hi
I am trying to make sense of my great grandfathers war records and my head is swimming. I have his medal index and also service record, but my head is all over the place trying to make sense of them. His name was Gustav Friedrich (Frederick) Walter Cunningham. He signed up on 3.11.1915 in Grimsby and his record states North Midland Brigade. His index card states RFA and that he was a bombardier, which now makes me even more confused. He survived the war and pictures have survived too. I presume he served in France from these but am unsure. There is also a story that suggests he carried messages on horseback, why I don't know and a picture of him in the army on a horse survives. i am not even sure where to start looking for war diaries since I am struggling to understand what he actually signed up to
any help would be wonderful

[Christine53]

I think the 1st North Midland Brigade became 230th Brigade and was a Brigade of the RFA.

http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/regiments-and-corps/the-royal-artillery-in-the-first-world-war/royal-field-artillery-brigades/
( scroll down to CCXXX for 230th )

Reading through the service record , if you find the Military History Sheet , which has next of kin details at the bottom , it has a list of dates at the top which indicate that he was in France 17.3.17 to 16.1.18. and again 11.6.18. to 24.1.19.

I am sure someone else will be able to offer further help. You could always post small portions of the record that you are unsure of.

[km1971]

North Midland Brigade RFA contained Territorial Batteries., ie pre war part-timers. They became embodied (full time )at the start of WW1. So he was only ever full-time.

There were four NM Brigades – numbered 1st to 4th. Within 1st North Midland Brigade they expanded to 2nd/1st and 3rd/1st and the original unit re-named 1st/1st.. as a recruit he joined 3rd/1st and progressed to 2nd/1st, 59th North Midland Divisional Ammunition Column

http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/order-of-battle-of-divisions/59th-2nd-north-midland-division/

This page on Findmypast - http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/order-of-battle-of-divisions/59th-2nd-north-midland-division/ gives his transfers and promotions.

After Driver he was unpaid Acting Bombardier, then paid A/Bombardier, then full Bombardier from July 1917. Before 1920 the RA had Corporals, and Bombardiers were equivalent to Lance Corporal with one stripe.

TF units were renumbered in March 1817 and given six digit numbers. I cannot find his pre 1917 number. Nor his medal card on Ancestry. But it is available on the National Archives website.

Ken

[jim1]

Attested into the 3/1 N.M. T.F. Bde. 3/11/15 & as this was a territorial Brigade he than had to be embodied the same day.
27/11/15 transferred to the 2/1 N.M.
1/8/16 the Bde. was renumbered the 59th.
17/3/17 59th was renumbered 296 A.F.A. (posted to France until 16/1/18)
28/7/17 transferred to the 298th.
12/3/18 transferred to the 4th. reserve.
11/6//18 posted to France B. Battery 88th. Bde.(posted to France until 24/1/19)
23/2/19 demobbed.

I see Ken beat me to it.
Pre 1917 no. 2370 & 1681.

Tried to re-enlist the day after the war ended but appears to have been rejected because his mother was German but was allowed to stay with his present unit.

[wildwitch]

Oh marvellous thank you so much and soooo many more questions now. His medal index card is on ancestry but have just noticed they spelt him Gustar by mistake. The medal index card gives his regiment numbers as 821040 but there is no other information really. He enlisted on 3.11.1915.

 So as far as I can tell he started off in Ireland in 1916 before going to France in 1917 until 1919? So he didn't go straight home when the war ended? His mother was indeed German, where is this information available? Also where do I find his military history sheet? I have a picture of him on a horse and was told he carried messages on horseback and I seem to vaguely remember a horse being shot away under him, would that have been part of his normal sort of duties (I noted the horse mentioned in royal horse artillery)? Why would he try to re-enlist after the war, would that be to join the army long term? I presume with the war over they could be a bit more selective as to who they took.

[locksmith]

There is also a story that suggests he carried messages on horseback, why I don't know and a picture of him in the army on a horse survives.

If, as Ken says above that he was a driver at one time, then yes he would have been on horseback. Driver wouldn't refer to him driving a vehicle, but driving the team of horses pulling the artillery pieces for example. An 18 pounder would have had 6 horses for instance.

Simon

[km1971]

FIndmypast have 3 or 4 entries for him. I went through half of the first set. One page discusses him being foreign before allowing him to rejoin his unit.

Ken

[jim1]

The information about his mother is in his service record referred to as Johanna Fredericka Dora Locht born Hamburg. It also states Gustave was also born there but registered at the Britsh Consulate as a British Subject.This is in a letter from Lincs. Constabulary.
Your man wasn't in France from 1917-19, he had 2 stints with a period in the UK in between.
Many men stayed in France/Germany after the war as part of the Army of occupation or he was just waiting his turn to get back.

[wildwitch]

Thank you yes I have just noticed he was there twice and I think if Ive read this correctly he returned in between after developing a carbuncle to his neck. I am really struggling to find this record with the details of his mother. I have grazed through find my past but really cannot find it