Researching Gertie Brooks WAAC

[hydna]

Hello,

I found this fascinating photograph in a vintage postcard box in an antique market last year. It appears to be of Gertie Brooks who served in WAAC (later "Queen Mary´s Army Auxiliary Corps")although Gertie has signed the postcard WAAC so I assume it's from before the army was renamed. I can find little information about her except possibly a listing on Ancestry for the UK, World War I Service Medal and Award Rolls, 1914-1920 which gives her company as WO329 and Regiment No. 19525 where it says she received the British War Medal and Victory Medal. 

I'm wondering if anybody could help me and shed a little more light on Gertie - I'm assuming her name was Gertrude (although I think she's a different Gertrude to another I've seen featured here called Biddy).

[charlie962]

2 hours ago, hydna said:

except possibly a listing on Ancestry for the UK, World War I Service Medal and Award Rolls, 1914-1920 which gives her company as WO329 and Regiment No. 19525 where it says she received the British War Medal and Victory Medal. 

Welcome to the forum.

 

Wo329 is the Archive référence for the medal roll, rather than her Company.

The medal roll does give dates of service in theatre 1a for 19525 which would fit with her signing off as WAAC on a photo taken just before going overseas.

Courtesy Ancestry.

So she is a good possibility.

Anything on the back?

 

Charlie 

Edited 1 September by charlie962

[hydna]

Good morning, Charlie,

 

Thank you for your response.

 

On the back is the post card branding you might expect with a printed by Hughes, 433 Strand and Edgware Road - actually (just noticed) "1916?" written tiny in one corner - I presume added by a collector or seller later.

When you say "Services in theatre" what does that mean exactly - sorry, I'm new to this and have heard the term "theatre of war" before but I imagine the phrase means something else these days (I'm an entertainment writer in my spare time).

Thanks again for your insight and explanation, at least I feel I may have something else to give Gertie some identification now.

Have a great day,

Andy

[charlie962]

Théâtre is indeed theatre of War. 1a being France and Belgium.

The UK provenance of postcard suggests a typical pre embarkation photo so late 1917 / early Jan 1918.

[alf mcm]

Andy,

Welcome to the forum.

  It’s a very nice photograph. I think Charlie is right about the date, she looks to be dressed for winter.

   Gertie served in France from 30/01/18 until 16/08/18, when she returned to the U.K. This may have been due to injury or illness, but it couldn’t have been too serious since she was back in France on 05/09/18, until 18/02/19. France was the only country the WAAC/QMAAC served in overseas.

  She actually received 2 medals {you only mentioned one}; the British War Medal and the British Victory Medal.

  ‘Worker’ is Gertie’s WAAC/QMAAC rank {equivalent to Private in the Army}. She would have been trained to do a particular job, such as cook, waitress, bakeress {only men were bakers in the Army}, driver, typist etc. Unfortunately, her service records have not survived.

  If you wish to know more about WAAC/QMAAC then I can recommend the following;-

The Women's Army Auxiliary Corps in France, 1917–1921: Women Urgently Wanted eBook : Philo-Gill, Samantha: Amazon.co.uk: Books

  This will give you a good insight into what these women went through.

  The women would refer to themselves as WAAC’s even after the change of name to QMAAC.

Regards,

Alf McM

[DavidOwen]

I did wonder if it was this Gertie Brooks from Banbury Guardian 31 January 1918 but I think the dates she served in France may well rule this one out? [courtesy FMP]

[hydna]

9 hours ago, charlie962 said:

Théâtre is indeed theatre of War. 1a being France and Belgium.

The UK provenance of postcard suggests a typical pre embarkation photo so late 1917 / early Jan 1918.

Thank you, Charlie,

That's helpful to give the picture some context and Gertie looks like she's wearing a heavy-duty coat on the photo, I imagine it would have been cold when the photo was taken.

[hydna]

9 hours ago, alf mcm said:

Andy,

Welcome to the forum.

  It’s a very nice photograph. I think Charlie is right about the date, she looks to be dressed for winter.

   Gertie served in France from 30/01/18 until 16/08/18, when she returned to the U.K. This may have been due to injury or illness, but it couldn’t have been too serious since she was back in France on 05/09/18, until 18/02/19. France was the only country the WAAC/QMAAC served in overseas.

  She actually received 2 medals {you only mentioned one}; the British War Medal and the British Victory Medal.

  ‘Worker’ is Gertie’s WAAC/QMAAC rank {equivalent to Private in the Army}. She would have been trained to do a particular job, such as cook, waitress, bakeress {only men were bakers in the Army}, driver, typist etc. Unfortunately, her service records have not survived.

  If you wish to know more about WAAC/QMAAC then I can recommend the following;-

The Women's Army Auxiliary Corps in France, 1917–1921: Women Urgently Wanted eBook : Philo-Gill, Samantha: Amazon.co.uk: Books

  This will give you a good insight into what these women went through.

  The women would refer to themselves as WAAC’s even after the change of name to QMAAC.

Regards,

Alf McM

Thank you so much Alf for the insights into Gertie's "worker" title, it's such a shame her service record is lost, I can only hope I will uncover more on her if something else materialises, but I do have a clearer vision of her experiences now than this time yesterday, which is a good thing!

Both you and Charlie have given me a bit of extra context here which is wonderful. I will put the book on my wants list, thanks for the tip!

 

 

[hydna]

9 hours ago, DavidOwen said:

I did wonder if it was this Gertie Brooks from Banbury Guardian 31 January 1918 but I think the dates she served in France may well rule this one out? [courtesy FMP]

Thank you, David,

Funnily enough, when I did initial searches last year on the British Newspaper Archive - I came across several references to a theatrical Gertie Brooks who continued working into the 1920s - I did get quite excited at thinking maybe this could be the same - although I'm not sure if she could be,  given like you say, the dates. Could someone simultaneously balance serving king and country with a career in the theatre (although I think it would make a great story)? Maybe you know of some examples?

Either way, I still think our Gertie, like so many of her contemporaries who served across the ranks and services is a star whether she got on the stage or not. 

[FROGSMILE]

On 02/09/2024 at 22:16, hydna said:

Thank you so much Alf for the insights into Gertie's "worker" title, it's such a shame her service record is lost, I can only hope I will uncover more on her if something else materialises, but I do have a clearer vision of her experiences now than this time yesterday, which is a good thing!

Both you and Charlie have given me a bit of extra context here which is wonderful. I will put the book on my wants list, thanks for the tip!

 

 

And here’s a bit of colour for your mind’s eye Andy.

images via websearch.

 

Edited 5 September by FROGSMILE

[hydna]

7 hours ago, FROGSMILE said:

And here’s a bit of colour for your mind’s eye Andy.

images via websearch.

 

Thank you so much!

These will be very helpful for a project I'm working on and gives me some important detail!

[FROGSMILE]

On 03/09/2024 at 23:26, hydna said:

Thank you so much!

These will be very helpful for a project I'm working on and gives me some important detail!

In this group photo you get a good impression of how the rank structure was visually delineated at a glance.  Military ranks were forbidden by the army and instead a quasi industrial terminology used.  Notice though that the officer equivalents (management) have collar and tie, the NCO equivalents (middle management) have been given a white collar (removable) and the rank and file (workers) have a plain brown collar (again removable).

I’ve often wondered what “WAAC Surgery” related to.

images via websearch and IWM.

Edited 6 September by FROGSMILE

[alf mcm]

Gertie’s medal roll entry indicates that she first landed in France on 30/01/10. Most Waacs landed at Boulogne. A check of the WAAC war diary for that day for the Area Controller, W.A.A.C., Boulogne Area {WO95/85} states that at 6.30 p.m;-

‘Draft of 55 workers arrived from U.K. in charge of Assistant Administrator’.

It was usual for drafts to stay at the WAAC hostel in Boulogne for 1 night before proceeding to their final destination. The Assistant Administrator was Miss Sybil Johnson, and this was her first trip to France. I have identified 52 of the women from the medal rolls, and for all of them this was their first time in France. In terms of ranks there were 1 Forewoman; 5 Acting Forewomen; 2 Assistant Forewomen; 1 Acting Assistant Forewoman; and 43 Workers. From all these women only 2 sets of service records have survived {1 for a telegraphist and 1 for a housemaid}. These records show that they, and presumably the rest of the draft made their way to Abbeville, arriving there on 4^th February,  to be accommodated in Camp 2 or Camp 3.

  Gertie left France on 16^TH August 1918, and the following, from the war diary of the Senior Unit Administrator of the Abbeville Area {WO95/84/8} for 15^th August 1918 appears to show why;-

‘Evacuation 1 wkr {gen. domestic} att. A.D.R.T.{S}. from Hospital to U.K., sick.’

  Given the date and the context it seems highly likely to me that this is Gertie. It confirms that she was working as a general domestic and became sick. The letter ‘R’ in A.D.R.T. appears to have a letter ‘T’ typed under it as a clerical error.

  Gertie would have probably been taken to Boulogne by motor ambulance, or ambulance train, and put on the first available Hospital Ship.

Regards,

Alf McM