Myrtle Posted 17 April , 2004 Share Posted 17 April , 2004 Some time back I requested information on Gunner William Mervyn Montague Vere Coren Richardson, 2nd Division Ammunition Column, Canadian Field Artillery. He was KIA 25th March 1917 and is buried in Ecoivres Military Cemetery. Dick Flory very kindly supplied me with some information from the Royal Artillery Unit Histories but also mentioned that there was no mention of Gunner Richardson in the list of casualties for the 2nd DAC. He also confirmed that there is no mention of Gunner Richardson's death in any other CFA unit. To add to the confusion, some documentation (attestation papers) have W. Mervyn Richardson listed as Driver Richardson. Has somebody any further information that will help solve this puzzle ? Myrtle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Burns Posted 17 April , 2004 Share Posted 17 April , 2004 Canadian Virtual War Memorial Hi Myrtle, Above is a link to Gunner Richardson's page on the Canadian Virtual War Memorial. Both Gunner and driver were artillery ranks so it may be that William Richardson was both a Gunner & Driver at points in his career. So he could have been Driver Richardson with the Ammunition Column but killed serving (or attached) as a gunner with a different unit. This could explain not being mentioned in the unit histories. Not much of an answer I know but possible. Take care, Neil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myrtle Posted 17 April , 2004 Author Share Posted 17 April , 2004 Neil Thank you for your ideas on the Gunner/Driver question which seems a sound explanation for the differences in documentation. I am still puzzled, however, by why he does not appear as a casualty in any other CFA unit. Myrtle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mordac Posted 17 April , 2004 Share Posted 17 April , 2004 Hi Myrtle: The C.E.F. Roll of Honour has the following listing: 318917 - Driver - Richardson - William Mervyn - 2nd DAC CFA - March 25, 1917 - KIA I've run into this driver/gunner question myself. The man being researched is listed as a gunner on his attestation papers and the CWGC web site, but his medals are inscribed driver. Garth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myrtle Posted 17 April , 2004 Author Share Posted 17 April , 2004 Garth Thanks for your reply. Have you any ideas on why Gunner Richardson doesn't appear on any of the CFA casualty lists ? Myrtle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mordac Posted 17 April , 2004 Share Posted 17 April , 2004 Have you any ideas on why Gunner Richardson doesn't appear on any of the CFA casualty lists? Hi Myrtle: The only reason I can think of is oversight. With the massive number of fatal casualties on the Western Front, there was bound to be a couple of men not recorded on the casualty lists. Maybe Gunner Richardson was one of these men. Sorry, that's really not much help to you. His service number falls in the block (304501-305000) assigned to the 50th Battery, CFA and he enlisted in Kingston, Ontario where the 50th Bty. was mobilized. In June 1916, the 50th Bty. was part of the 13th Brigade, CFA. You might want to check the 13th Brigade's war diary (here) and see if your man is mentioned. Garth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myrtle Posted 17 April , 2004 Author Share Posted 17 April , 2004 Hi Garth I've checked the 13th Brigade Diary. They appear to have been at Milford Camp, Surrey at the time that Gunner Richardson was KIA. Myrtle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myrtle Posted 18 April , 2004 Author Share Posted 18 April , 2004 Gunner Richardson's attestation papers state that he was with 6th D.C.O.R. for 2 months. What was the D.C.O.R. ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rflory Posted 18 April , 2004 Share Posted 18 April , 2004 Gunner Richardson's attestation papers state that he was with 6th D.C.O.R. for 2 months. What was the D.C.O.R. ? 6th DCOR = 6th Regiment (The Duke of Connaught's Own Rifles). Regards. Dick Flory Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rflory Posted 19 April , 2004 Share Posted 19 April , 2004 Myrtle: I have gone through the Militia Orders for 1917 and finally found your man Richardson. He is listed under the April casualties rather than the March casualties, even though he was KIA in March. He and another Gunner are listed under the 2nd Divisional Ammunition Column in the April list, the other Gunner being KIA on 24 March 17 and Richardson on 25 March 17. The other gunner, Gnr Henry Wyne is also not listed as KIA in the unit history. I have gone back to the book Second Canadian Divisional Ammunition Column and its part in the Great War of 1914-1918 and can find no mention of Richardson even though that unit history has detailed month-by-month casualty lists. In the unit history for March 1917 three men are listed as wounded: Dvr Waugh, Dvr Irwin and Dvr Cook and no officers or men are listed as killed. For April one man is listed as KIA and he is an officer. The unit history indicates that everything was quiet from March 8th thru April 7th. I think that the answer to your problems with Gnr Richardson lies in the fact that he was not serving with the 2nd DAC when he was KIA, but rather was attached to another unit. The unit history indicates that in March 1917 48 men of the unit were transferred to brigades and 18 others were seconded to the Trench Mortar Group. I think Richardson was one of these men and that he was killed while serving with another unit. That would also account for why his death was announced a month after it occurred. Regards. Dick Flory Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myrtle Posted 19 April , 2004 Author Share Posted 19 April , 2004 Dick Thank you very much, yet again, for supplying me with such a wealth of information. I agree with your conclusion that Gnr. Richardson must have been transferred to another unit therefore delaying the announcement of his death and explaining why he did not appear in the Second Divisional Ammunition Column casualty lists. I appreciate your help and advice.Thank you. Regards Myrtle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Broznitsky Posted 19 April , 2004 Share Posted 19 April , 2004 Myrtle, I'm not solving your puzzle in any way, rather adding to it, but I wonder why a man living on Thurlow Street in Vancouver, British Columbia with militia experience with a Vancouver Regiment, DCOR Infantry, would have travelled some three thousand miles across Canada to enlist in Kingston, Ontario into the artillery. I would have expected a DCOR man to join one of the Vancouver-area 62nd, 72nd, or 121st Overseas Battalions in 1916. Oh well . . . Peter in Vancouver Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Alexander Posted 19 April , 2004 Share Posted 19 April , 2004 A note regarding ranks/appointments. Drivers were found in both the artillery and the service corps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myrtle Posted 19 April , 2004 Author Share Posted 19 April , 2004 Peter I am just rushing off to work but have checked Gnr. Richardson's attestation papers. Kingston is stamped on the form but I am unable to see mention of Ontario. Is there a Kingston in the Vancouver area ? Myrtle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Broznitsky Posted 19 April , 2004 Share Posted 19 April , 2004 No, Kingston is in Ontario. Thousands of miles from Vancouver . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myrtle Posted 19 April , 2004 Author Share Posted 19 April , 2004 Peter Oh Well ! Another mystery ! I was hoping that there would be another Kingston but in British Columbia. W. Mervyn Richardson had already travelled many thousands of miles from Britain to Canada so why journey a few thousand more miles to join the Artillery ? I am more and more intrigued with this search. Regards Myrtle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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