129th Field Ambulance in 1915

[Guest]

On 04/09/2013 at 22:30, Wintonian said:

Sotonmate,

Apologies for my tardy response to your reply - I really didn't expect such quick responses, if any at all in fact.

However, the TNA reference is very much appreciated, thank you, although my prospects of getting there any time soon are remote at the moment. I have no first hand experience of war diaries, but I had assumed that they probably only started when the unit arrived in theatre, if that's the right expression, so I was just hoping that someone might have had some information from some other more obscure source.

Dave, who is known to me, has "stolen" part of my answer regarding the spelling of Flowerdown, but I can still add to it.

I used 2 words as I believed that was the local contemporary spelling convention, not only on the OS maps, but also in the "Hampshire Chronicle" (local newspaper).

However, I can now add a quote from a book in my collection called, "The Flowerdown Link 1918-1978", by Squadron Leader L L Burch, RAF (Ret'd), who researched the same issue over 30 years ago: "My first objective was to ascertain how the name of Flowerdown came about and after considerable help from several sources mentioned in my acknowledgements and the assistance of the retired gentleman who owned much of the land in that area during the years concerned, I find that the name Flower Down existed as far back as 1750, it probably became hyphenated and, shortly prior to the take-over by the Royal Air Force (or even during the take-over) the hyphen had been dropped and the name Flowerdown brought into general use." He also wrote that, "It is certain that the name Flower Down is attached to the site of the RAF Station on both the Enclosure Award map of 1844 and on Taylor's map of Hampshire of 1750, in the majority of other instances the area is simply referred to as 'farm land' ".

The Squadron Leader was certainly thorough in researching his details, so I am trying to follow his example now!

I have contemporary OS maps of the area, as well as a 1945 map (with full 1930 revisions), and they all still used 2 words at that time, to describe an area that appears on the map as open down land.

I have to say that I have yet to see a hyphenated example, but I suspect that it was the RAF who used the single word spelling for the name of their base, for reasons of keeping things simple for their recruits, resulting in the single word spelling coming into common use.

Finally, if you visit Winchester and ask for directions to Flowerdown (however you spell it) don't be too surprised if you don't get much help. The area, once known as Flower Down, now lies between the housing estate known as Harestock, the village of Littleton and the A272 road and most of that area is now used by the Army Training Regiment with the address, Sir John Moore Barracks, Andover Road, Winchester, so I believe that the name Flowerdown, however spelt, is rarely used in the modern context and it certainly doesn't appear on my 1959 one inch OS map. In fact, in 1959 the area still appears as undeveloped land, with no sign of buildings, presumably for security reasons.

Mike

Mike i need to speak to you..

[Guest]

Hello, regarding Howard L Roberts from Borth, Cardiganshire and  129th RAMC . I can confirm that Howard Roberts was in the 129th /15th RWF. We have his original manuscript trench diary for 1916. He gives a  small sketch map showing " Windy Corner", and appears to go " Up the Lines" on 4th February 1916 . No 4 rest camp RichebourgSt Vaast mentioned a couple of times....

We have just acquired this diary and are starting to research the man and his career. Any help greatfully received!

 

 

[Alan24]

On 01/09/2013 at 00:40, Wintonian said:

I have strong evidence (from messages on contemporary postcards) that the 129th Field Ambulance were at Flower Down Camp (on the western outskirts of Winchester) during 1915. I have ascertained from other sources that, along with the 130th and 131st Field Ambulances, the 129th Field Ambulance were part of the 38th (Welsh) Division, assembled at Winchester during 1915, and in France by January 1916. I would be very pleased to hear from anyone who could confirm the precise location of the 129th Field Ambulance during 1915.

I think this section from one of his postcards is quite conclusive that HLR was at Flower Down in 1915.