Guest mazzie63 Posted 5 June , 2004 Share Posted 5 June , 2004 Could some one please tell me waht regiment M.G.A WAS DURING THE 1 WW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Northumberland Posted 5 June , 2004 Share Posted 5 June , 2004 MGA = Machine Gun Abtlg. German Army Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mazzie63 Posted 5 June , 2004 Share Posted 5 June , 2004 Thank-you for youe prompt reply so sorry to act so thick but what does the Abtlg. bit stand for? I have just to-day been given my grandfather in laws service number and would like to see if i can gain any info from it? it is 118553 henswell and his regiment was m.g.a gunner. He was a p.o.w but i do not know where. it was oin the 1st ww and i have a date for 20th of august 1915 but do not know what the date is for? any idea what i am talking about please as i do not know much about all this!! Maz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_Baker Posted 5 June , 2004 Share Posted 5 June , 2004 Hello Maz, welcome to the forum Abtlg = Abteilung = Section, of the German Army. But I think we are barking up the wrong tree there. Your grandad, with a name like Henswell, does not sound German! Are you sure it is MGA and not MGC? That stands for Machine Gun Corps. 20 August 1915 sounds like either the date when he joined up, or when he moved overseas. Many units were crossing to France and Gallipoli at that time. The MGC however was not formed until after this date, and it was initially by transferring the machine gunners from the infantry units and gathering them together into the specialist MGC. Go to the Long, Long Trail (link top of this page). Click on "Tommies" and find the MGC. You'll learn a lot more about them. Have a look too at "Grandads War" - it tells you how to find out about his service. It is possible that one of our MGC experts may be able to tell us something from his number. Hope that helps a bit. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mazzie63 Posted 5 June , 2004 Share Posted 5 June , 2004 O.K I am going to start this again LOL!! To day I have been given my rellies service number My rellie is called ERNEST RICHARD SAMPSON His service number is 118553 henswell he was a P.O.W and his family recieved a post card from the red cross with the above info on it. He was a gunner in the M.G.A Also in 1918 recieved a letter from royalty regarding all of this. does this make things any clearer.? May i take this oppertunity to thank-you for your time and help Maz xxxx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlesmessenger Posted 5 June , 2004 Share Posted 5 June , 2004 If he was ranked as a Gunner he is more likely to have been in the RGA (Royal Garrison Artillery). Charles M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Coulson Posted 5 June , 2004 Share Posted 5 June , 2004 Maz, Are you sure its not RGA, Royal Garrison Artillery. Bob. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Coulson Posted 5 June , 2004 Share Posted 5 June , 2004 Charles, You and I typing at the same time. Bob. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 5 June , 2004 Share Posted 5 June , 2004 Abtlg = Abteilung = Section, of the German Army. Tzz,tzzz,tzzz Chris! With so many knowledge about Germany you should know that "Abteilung" is equivalent to Regiment-level Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mazzie63 Posted 5 June , 2004 Share Posted 5 June , 2004 I was told m.g.a but as i dont know much about all this i dont know what to say! as in my previous thread can any one tell me where i can gain any more info please on the info that i have? maz x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Pete Wood Posted 5 June , 2004 Share Posted 5 June , 2004 You, or someone in your family obviously has the postcard. PLease, please, please just scan it and post it here so we can look at it. Can you also confirm that 'henswell' is not anything to do with your relative's name. Because there is a town called HeMswell in Lincolnshire..... Please also confirm that your relative was British (and not Australian, African, etc). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mazzie63 Posted 5 June , 2004 Share Posted 5 June , 2004 Rellie was ENGLISH born in Cornwall. Name was definately nothing to do with Henswell, but the owner of the postcard could have said hemswell not henswell! Do not have the postcard, a rellie in another county has given me this info from the card over the phone. What normally comes after the persons service number during ww1---is it their Surname as there seems to be some confusion over the name henswell after my rellies service number? Maz x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Pete Wood Posted 5 June , 2004 Share Posted 5 June , 2004 I would have expected the card to say something like: To Mrs Sampson Ivy Cottage Plymouth We wish to inform you that 12345 Gnr Ernest Richard Sampson RGA is being held as a prisoner of war in Munster, Germany So it is normally: number, then rank, then name. Ask your relative to read it out line by line. Until you know the regiment, (so the correct initials - RGA/MGA are important) it is very difficult for anyone to help. Every prisoner of war got a letter, with a printed signature of the King, when he was released from captivity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mazzie63 Posted 5 June , 2004 Share Posted 5 June , 2004 will ring rellie back and write it down word for word. Will get back to you in a mo Thank-you so much for your time and patience xx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mazzie63 Posted 5 June , 2004 Share Posted 5 June , 2004 OK here goes? This is what the post card had said word for word read out by rellie RED CROSS ENQUIRY DEPT FOR WOUNDED AND MISSING 18 CARLTON HOUSE TCE SOUTHWEST 1 on the other side of the letter is written TELEGRAMS NATIONALLY CHARLES BRITISH RED CROSS AND ORDER OF ST JOHNS ----------------------------------------------- ACCORDING TO A FRANKFURT LIST NUMBER 1218 RECIEVED THE 16TH AUGUST 1918 WE ARE GLAD TO INFORM YOU THAT GUNNER ERNEST SAMPSON 118553 HEMSWELL? REGIMENT R.G.A IS REPORTED P.O.W CAMP NOT STATED. Hope this helps you a little more Thanks Maz x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Pete Wood Posted 6 June , 2004 Share Posted 6 June , 2004 I think that now you know his regiment (RGA), his rank and number, you can make a start on tracing his military career. A lot of this will involve research at the National Archives. You might also like to start a new thread, with the correct information so that the Artillery experts will notice it. I really can't offer an explanation of what/who Henswell/Hemswell is. At first, I thought it might read "He is well" (in other words, not wounded), but only the person who has the card can say if that is a possibility. I can tell you that Hemswell, Lincolnshire had (has?) an airbase, and is (recently anyway) the home of 22 Regt Royal Artillery. So there might also have been a link with Hemswell and the RGA in WW1. I'm sure the artillery experts will put you straight once you make a fresh post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rflory Posted 6 June , 2004 Share Posted 6 June , 2004 There were no regiments in the RGA in the Great War so I think that what the telegram is actually indicating is: GUNNER ERNEST SAMPSON 118553 from HEMSWELL; REGIMENT: R.G. A.; IS REPORTED P.O.W; CAMP: NOT STATED. His service number is a regular RGA number so it will be no assistance in identifying his unit. It might be possible to narrow down which RGA unit he served if his embarkation date is given and if he embarked with a battery instead of going to France as a replacement. Regards. Dick Flory Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raster Scanning Posted 6 June , 2004 Share Posted 6 June , 2004 One RGA unit was called " 150 (Rotherham) Heavy Battery" according to the grave marker of a casualty. As Rt's states, could this be another battery with (Hemswell) in the title? Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Posted 6 June , 2004 Share Posted 6 June , 2004 Hi Racing Teapots. Not sure i can help with the soldier himself, but can clarify Hemswell is no longer used as an RAF base, it was opened i think in 1916 for use as a landing strip by the 33 (Home Defence) Squadron RFC, before expanding for its use in WWII. Hemsell airfield and the hangers are now mainly used for storage and a large antigues trade. The 22nd Regt Royal Artillery were based at Kirton Lindsey (disbanded March this year i think), which is about 10 miles away, and as far as i know not at Hemswell. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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