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1st Northumbrian Field Ambulance, Royal Army Medical Corps    1st Northumbrian Field Ambulance, Royal Army Medical Corps was a unit of the Territorial Force with its HQ in Hutton Terrace, Newcastle-upon-Tyne. They served with 50th (Northumbrian) Division. The Northumbrian Division was a formation of the Territorial Force, formed in 1908 as one of 14 Divisions of the peacetime TF. They had just departed for their annual summer camp when war broke out and they were at once recalled their home base. The 50th division was mobilised for war service on the 5th of August 1914 and took up their allotted positions on the Tyne defences by mid August 1914. In April they proceeded to France concentrating in the area of Steenvoorde just as the German army attacked Ypres, using poison gas for the first time. The 50th Division were rushed into the battle. They saw action in The Battle of St Julien, The Battle of Frezenburg Ridge and The Battle of Bellewaarde Ridge. In 1916 They fought on the Somme at The Battle of Flers-Courcelette, The Battle of Morval and The Battle of the Transloy Ridges. In 1917 they were in action at Arras during The First Battle of the Scarpe, The Capture of Wancourt Ridge and The Second Battle of the Scarpe before moving north for the Third Battles of the Ypres. In 1918 they fought on the Somme, in the Battles of the Lys and The Battle of the Aisne, leaving the troops exhausted. The orginal infantry units were withdrawn and others arrived to take their place. The reformed Division went back into action in October in the Battles of the Hindenburg Line, The pursuit to the Selle and the Final Advance in Picardy. At the Armistice the 50th Division was resting at Solre le Chateau, demobilisation began December and the service of the Division was disbanded on 19th of March when the final troops left for England 17th Apr 1915 On the Move 18th Apr 1915 On the Move 19th Apr 1915 On the Move 20th Apr 1915 On the Move 21st Apr 1915 In Billets 22nd Apr 1915 Gas 23rd April 1915 Orders 23 April 1915 Ordered to Move  Operation Order No24 by Brigadier General J.F. Riddell Commanding Northumberland Brigade Winnezeele 23rd of April 1915 1. The Brigade will move off at once by march route to Brandhoek via Watou and Poperinghe. 2. Troops will move as per margin, the head of the 5th Bn will pass the cross roads at Droglandt at 1.15 pm H.Q. Northumberland Brigade 5th Btn. Northumberland Fusiliers 6th Btn. Northumberland Fusiliers 7th Btn. Northumberland Fusiliers 4th Btn. Northumberland Fusiliers 1st Northumberland Field Coy R.E 1st Northumberland Field Ambulance No 2 Coy A.S.C. Train 3. First line transport will be brigaded under the Senior transport Officer and will follow the Field Coy RE in the order of march of their respective units. 4. Baggage and Supply wagons will join the train. 5. Reports to head of 5th Northumberland Fusiliers. Issued at 12.45 pm to representatives of units 23rd Apr 1915 On the March 23rd Apr 1915 Orders   24th April 1915 On the Move 24th April 1915 On the Move  149 Brigade HQ at Brandhoek report "At 3.45 pm Orders received from 5th Corps for Brigade to move via Ypres to Potjze where it will form a corps reserve. 4.35 pm Orders issued for move to Potjze movement to commence at 6 pm 10.30 pm Brigade arrived at Potjze being heavily shelled whist passing through Ypres. Several casualties. Night rainy and cold." 24th Apr 1915 Shelling   25th Apr 1915 Shelling   26th Apr 1915 In Action 26th Apr 1915 In Action  Report on the action at St Julien on Monday 26th April 1915 Reference Belgium sheet 28 1/40,000 1. On the morning of the 26th April 1915 the Northumberland Brigade (4th, 5th, 6th & 7th Battalions Northumberland Fusiliers) were concentrated at Wieltje and placed under the orders of the 1st Canadian Division as Reserve. At 10.15 am General Riddell commanding the Northumberland Brigade received orders from the G.O.C 10th Sub Brigade to verify a report received from the 28th Division that the enemy were breaking through the first line trucks in D 13 c & d and to counter attack with whatever force he considered necessary. The 5th Btn Northumberland Fusiliers was directed at 10.45 AM to send forward an officers patrol to verify the report & to proceed with his Battalion to Fortuin with a view to counter attacking if the enemy were discovered breaking through. By 12 noon the officer commanding this Battalion was satisfied that no attempt was being made by the enemy to break through at the place indicated and so his battalion has being heavily shelled to proceed to dig in and remained in the position he had reached and consequently took no part in the subsequent operations. 2 At 1.30 pm operation orders from the 1st Canadian division were received. It will be seen from these orders that the Brigade was to attack St Julien in cooperation with the Lahore Division and one battalion of the 10th Infantry Brigade and that the assault was to take place at 2.5 pm. The distance from Wieltje to St Julien is approximately 1 3/4 miles and the ground had not previously been reconnoitered by the staff or any of the officers of the Brigade. No information was received or could be obtained as to the actual position of either our own or the enemys trenches nor was it known that the G.H.Q line was strongly wired and that there were only certain places through which the troops would be able to pass. No communication was ever made with the artillery and no artillery officer got in any way into touch with the Brigade. The time was short, the order to attack being received at 1.30 pm. Nevertheless considering that any failure to attack on the part of the Brigade might seriously hamper the operations General Riddell decided to carry out the orders he had received impossible as they seemed. By 1.50 pm the Battalions were on the move the 6th Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers attacking with the right Wieltje - St Julien road and the 4th battalion Northumberland Fusiliers with their left on the road. The 7th Bn Northumberland Fusiliers was ordered to follow the 4th bn in the second line. At 2.5 pm the leading battalions reached the G.H.Q in C22b and C23c and came under very heavy shell and rifle fire. The Battalions deployed on both sides of the Wieltje - St Julien and lost very heavily by not having reconnoitered the openings to the wire entanglements in front of the line of trenches. However they found places and the advance towards St Julien continued steadily both battalions in the front line suffering heavily from machine gun fire apparently coming from the wood in C17 A on their left flank. By 2.45 pm both of the leading Battalions had reached the front line of our trenches in C17b and the 7th Battalion had been absorbed in the attack. At 3.10pm isolated parties of the 6th Northumberlands on the left of the road pushed forward about 250 yards in front of our first line trench and occupied some small trenches from which the enemy had apparently retreated. The 4th and 7th Northumberlands were unable to make any advance. During the whole of this period no signs of the Lahore Division or the battalion of the 10th Brigade had been observed and it was subsequently ascertained that the movement of this battalion had been cancelled although no verification has been sent to the Northumberland Brigade. The culminating point in the advance of the 6th Btn Northumberland Fusiliers was reached at about 3.45pm when unsupported on their left flank and heavily shelled with high explosive shells they were compelled to dig themselves in and remained in possession of the ground they had gained until dusk when they returned to the first line trenches. At 3.30pm Bigadier general Riddell accompanied by his Brigade Officer left his HQ in C23a and proceeded towards Farm Vanchule in C17d for the purpose of getting into closer touch with his battalion Commanders and was shot through the head 150yards to the south of the farm at 3.45pm. The command devolved to Colonel Foster 4th Northumberland Fusiliers, the senior officer present with the battalions and a message was sent to Col Coles CMS DSO commanding t he 5th Northumberlands informing him of General Riddell's death and that the command of the Brigade had devolved to him. The position of Colonel Cole's HQ was not actually known and it was not until about 7pm that he arrived at Brigade HQ. Orders had however been issued by Colonel Foster for the battalion to remain where they were until dusk and at 7.30pm Col Coles having ascertained that the services of the Brigade in the first line trench were not required, ordered the troops to return to bivouac at Wieltje. 26th Apr 1915 Shelling   27th of April 1915 Artillery movement 27th Apr 1915 Motor Ambulance Convoy   28th Apr 1915 Medical Officer 29th Apr 1915 Divine Service 30th Apr 1915 Vehicle 1st May 1915 Civilians Treated 2nd May 1915 On the March 3rd May 1915 Wagon Lost 3rd May 1915 Wagon Lost  149 Brigade HQ reports: 5am. Brigade less 4th Btn. Northumberland Fusiliers arrived Poperinghe. An uneventful march. A few shells fired at column just at starting, one of which wounded 5 men of the 5th Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers Night fine & cool. Transport proceeding through Ypres came under heavy fire & suffered some loss the limbered wagon belonging to GHQ with Brigade Majors Confidential dispatch box having had to be abandoned. The box contained B.M's war diary & other confidential papers & censor stamp. 6am. A search party was immediately sent back to Ypres to look for the box and its loss was reported personally to a staff officer 2nd Army. A telegram was also sent to GHQ regarding loss of censor stamp No. 1540. 7am. 4th Bn Northumberland Fusiliers arrived and reported 2 casualties coming through Ypres. 11.30am. Search party sent to Ypres to look for confidential box reported that the wagon had been discovered but that it had evidently been looted of everything it contained. 2pm. Orders received from Northumberland Division for the Brigade to march via Watou to this new area west of and exclusive of that village. 4pm. Orders issued for the Brigade to move at 8pm. 11.30pm. Watou. Brigade arrived and went into billets. HQ in farm house in K--- 3rd May 1915 Hospital 4th May 1915 Parade 4th May 1915 Parade  149th Bridage HQ report from Watou: 7am. Message form Northumberland Division. The C in C will speak to the Brigade at 11.30am. 11.30am. Battalions assembled just west of Brigade HQ and was addressed by C in C in complimentary terms on work they have done during the period they were attached to the Canadian Division. 4th May 1915 On the March   5th May 1915 Sick   7th May 1915 Ready to Move 7th May 1915 Ready to Move  At 8.30am Orders received from the Northumbrian Division that 149th Brigade is to hold itself in readiness to move at two hours notice. At 9am Units informed and instructions issued to the points that the several Battalions are to assemble on receipt of order to move. 8th May 1915 In Bivouac 8th May 1915 In Bivouac  149th Brigade remained in bivouac in Near Watou. 9th May 1915 Orders 9th May 1915 Ordered to Move  At 10.30pm Orders recieved for 149th Brigade to move by omnibus to the neighbourhood of Brandhoek. At 11pm Orders issued to units in accordance with above. 10th May 1915 On the Move 10th May 1915 On the Move  At 7:30am. 149 Brigade H.Q. 5th and 6th Battalions Northumberland Fusiliers left billets near Watou in 73 omnibuses. At 9am. 149 Brigade H.Q. 5th and 6th Battalions Northumberland Fusiliers arrived at cross roads in G5d and marched to bivouac in wood A30a. Day very hot and dusty. Transport did not all get in until 16:30. Was very bad. 11th May 1915 In Bivouac   18th December 1915 On the Move 11th May 1915 In Bivouac  149th Brigade are in Bivouac in A.30A. 31st January 1916 Casualties 29th February 1916 Report 1st Sep 1916 Flies   2nd Sep 1916 Wet Day   3rd Sep 1916 Orders Received   4th Sep 1916 Billets   6th Sep 1916 Visit   7th Sep 1916 Conference   8th Sep 1916 Water Treatment   9th Sep 1916 Arrangements Made   10th Sep 1916 Moves   11th Sep 1916 Return to Duty   12th Sep 1916 Duty   13th Sep 1916 Duty   14th Sep 1916 Stretcher Bearers   15th Sep 1916 In Action   16th Sep 1916 Large number of Casualties   17th Sep 1916 Stretcher Bearers   18th Sep 1916 Busy   19th Sep 1916 Evacuations   20th Sep 1916 Evacuations   21st Sep 1916 Poor Sanitation   22nd Sep 1916 Weather Improves   23rd Sep 1916 Quieter   24th Sep 1916 Clothing   25th Sep 1916 Enemy Aircraft   25th of April 1917    26th of October 1917 Orders 8th of November 1917 Orders   13th of November 1917 Dispositions   26th of February 1918 Orders 3rd of April 1918 Orders 21st of June 1918  25th of June 1918  29th of June 1918  29th of June 1918  30th of June 1918  11th of July 1918  12th of July 1918  6th of September 1918  27th of September 1918 Orders   9th of October 1918 In Reserve 10th of October 1918 Move   12th of October 1918 Orders   19th of October 1918 Reliefs Complete 22nd of October 1918 Instructions 22nd of October 1918 Inspection 28th of October 1918 Orders 30th of October 1918 Move 8th of November 1918    12th of November 1918 Casualties If you can provide any additional information, please add it here. Want to know more about 1st Northumbrian Field Ambulance, Royal Army Medical Corps ? There are:5323 items tagged 1st Northumbrian Field Ambulance, Royal Army Medical Corps available in our Library   These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Great War. Those known to have served with 1st Northumbrian Field Ambulance, Royal Army Medical Corps during the Great War 1914-1918. Price John Thomas. Pte. (d.31st Oct 1918) Smith MM.. Robert. WO2 (d.1st Aug 1916) All names on this list have been submitted by relatives, friends, neighbours and others who wish to remember them, if you have any names to add or any recollections or photos of those listed, please Add a Name to this List Records of 1st Northumbrian Field Ambulance, Royal Army Medical Corps from other sources. The Wartime Memories Project is the original WW1 and WW2 commemoration website. 1st of September 2023 marks 24 years since the launch of the Wartime Memories Project. Thanks to everyone who has supported us over this time. Want to find out more about your relative's service? Want to know what life was like during the Great War? Our Library contains many many diary entries, personal letters and other documents, most transcribed into plain text. Looking for help with Family History Research?    Please see Family History FAQ's Please note: We are unable to provide individual research. Can you help? The free to access section of The Wartime Memories Project website is run by volunteers and funded by donations from our visitors. If the information here has been helpful or you have enjoyed reaching the stories please conside making a donation, no matter how small, would be much appreciated, annually we need to raise enough funds to pay for our web hosting or this site will vanish from the web. If you enjoy this site please consider making a donation. Announcements 22nd April 2024     Please note we currently have a massive backlog of submitted material, our volunteers are working through this as quickly as possible and all names, stories and photos will be added to the site. If you have already submitted a story to the site and your UID reference number is higher than 263973 your submission is still in the queue, please do not resubmit. Wanted: Digital copies of Group photographs, Scrapbooks, Autograph books, photo albums, newspaper clippings, letters, postcards and ephemera relating to the Great War. If you have any unwanted photographs, documents or items from the First or Second World War, please do not destroy them. The Wartime Memories Project will give them a good home and ensure that they are used for educational purposes. Please get in touch for the postal address, do not sent them to our PO Box as packages are not accepted. We are now on Facebook. Like this page to receive our updates, add a comment or ask a question. If you have a general question please post it on our Facebook page. World War 1 One ww1 wwII greatwar great battalion regiment artillery Did you know? We also have a section on World War Two. and a Timecapsule to preserve stories from other conflicts for future generations. 261381 Pte. John Thomas Price 1st Northumbrian Field Ambulance Royal Army Medical Corps (d.31st Oct 1918) At age 24, when he was already in the Field Ambulance Corps, John Price married Ada Pugh at the Wesleyan Methodist Chapel, Easington, County Durham on 13th of September 1917. Prior to his service, he was probably a coal miner. He died in Belgium just over a year later and is buried in Heverlee War Cemetery. Frances Bagnall Add to this record. 236622 WO2 Robert Smith MM. 1st Northumbrian Field Ambulance Royal army Medical Corps (d.1st Aug 1916) My grandfather Robert Smith had three brothers all of whom served with the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers. He enlisted in the Northumberland Fusiliers Voluntary Force in 1901 being redesignated to the Northumberland Field Territorial Force on 1st April 1908 and transferred to the RAMC on 13th June of that year. His service number was 9 and he rose to the rank of Quarter Master Sergeant (WO Class II). He was awarded the MM but for what reason remains a mystery. On 1st of August 1916, he was found lying by the side of the road near Canada Corner with a head wound. He was taken to No.8 Casualty Clearing Station but died later that day. The Court of Enquiry found that he had been thrown from his horse when it may have slipped or been startled by a passing vehicle or exploding shell. He is buried at Bailleul. He left a widow with three children under the age of five. M R Smith Add to this record. Recomended Reading. Available at discounted prices.

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