Williams Brother Album again.

 In the above photo, the stretcher-bearer in the front row, far right, has been identified by John McKenzie as his grandfather, 6381 Pte Joseph Rhodes, MM, of Fairfield, who joined the 6 Field Ambulance on 8 March 1916.  Gordon Williams transferred to the 12 Field Ambulance on 27 Oct 1916, so the photo would date to some time between March and October 1916.

 

 This shows Joseph Rhodes with children circa 1926.  Courtesy of John McKenzie.

Some while ago I managed to track down some relatives of Cec Dixon  who provided the bottom photo, which looks very much like an older version of Cec.

 Cecil Dixon on the left of this photo.

 

In the above photo, Cec Dixon is probably the man top left. He joined the 12 Field Ambulance on 20 Apr 1916, was wounded on 18 Oct 1917 and did not return to active service.

Cecil Dixon in later years, courtesy of Robyn Bray and Merle Wong.

See the whole Gordon Brothers' Album.

Williams Bros Album

“Back from the line unwashed, unshaved.  The brothers Williams, both as fit as fiddles, France 8/5/17”. 

It has taken a while to load up the photos from the album of Gordon and Harold Williams, but they are finally on the website, and you can scroll through the photos, commencing from here.  The album covers the embarkation and journey to the Middle East of Gordon with 6 Field Ambulance, and a later period with 12 Field Ambulance in Belgium and France, where Gordon's brother Harold joined him in 1916.  The photos were scanned courtesy of Robin Benjamin.

Who was "Shorty" Jackson?

Shorty Jackson on the left, and James Simonsen on the right. 

James Andrew Simonsen's grandson says that his grandfather had a great mate from the war called Shorty Jackson, and the photo above shows Shorty Jackson on the left, and Jim Simonsen on the right.

The problem is to identify Shorty Jackson.

James Simonsen embarked in 1915 with the 6th Field Ambulance.  He was dispatched to join the MEF on Gallipoli Peninsula on 30 August 1915.    A few months after the evacuation he was transferred to the 12th Field Ambulance, and embarked to join the MEF in France.

The photo of Shorty Jackson shows him as a Staff Sergeant.   I have searched the Embarkation rolls using the search terms 'Jackson' and 'Field Ambulance', and by checking their B2455 records only found two men who achieved the rank of Staff Sergeant who embarked with a Field Ambulance unit.  This doesn't mean someone didn't transfer in from a non-ambulance unit, but I'm inclined to think that those who did were not likely to rise to the rank of Staff Sergeant without experience in a Field Ambulance Unit.

The two men on my shortlist are Henry George Jackson who embarked and returned with the 1st Light Horse Field Ambulance Unit, and Herrick Jackson who embarked with the 4th Field Ambulance who likewise returned to Australia with his original unit.  Of the two men, Henry George Jackson was the most likely to have known James Simonsen both before and after the war, as they both came from Ascot Vale.  Herrick Jackson, on the other hand enlisted and was demobilised in South Australia.

The only period of service where they are most likely to have met up with each other was on the Gallipoli Peninsula.  After the war Henry and James possibly joined the same RSL at Moonee Ponds, and continued their friendship that way.

But is the man in the photo Henry George Jackson?  Henry never married.  His next of kin was named as his sister, Elizabeth Sophia Jackson who lived in Maribyrnong Road, Ascot Vale, and he had other brothers and a sister, so perhaps there is someone out there who is able to say whether or not Shorty Jackson is Henry George Jackson.  Anyone?

Charles Watson, 12 Field Ambulance Brigade

Back to the Williams' brothers photograph album, featuring men of the 6th and 12 Field Ambulance Brigades in France and Belgium in 1916 and 1917.   One of the men identified was Charles Watson, who is most likely to be 3380 Lance Corporal Charles Edward Watson, a dental assistant from Carlton who embarked with the 6th Field Ambulance on the Ajana in June 1915 and later transferred to the 12th Field Ambulance, as did Gordon Williams.

In this photo Charlie Watson is identified seated third from the left.

In this photo Charlie Watson is identified sitting first on the left.

Other photos which seem to feature photos of this man are:

The man on the left.

 The stretcher bearer on the right.

 As Charlie always seems to have a smile on his face, that might be him second from the left.

And for the same reason, the smiling face in the back row on the left may be Charlie.

 Possibly Charles Watson again in a winter fur.

Any comments on these identifications is welcome.

The man standing in the doorway was identified on the back as W Keating.  On the same embarkation roll page for Gordon Williams was a Walter Birmingham Keating, a 19 year old clerk from East St Kilda

In a different album, but also featuring the 6th Field Ambulance is another photo which shows "Wally" standing on the left at the side of the Ajana on her departure from Port Melbourne in 1915.  The identity of "Scottie" is difficult to discover, but I wonder if he is the corporal on the left in the photo below, which has Harold Williams on the far right?  The photo below is during the period that Harold served with the 12th Field Ambulance, during 1917.

6th Field Ambulance in Egypt, 1915

3355 George Gordon Williams is standing on the right in the photo above,  but who is on the left?  He is wearing a nice watch.

"Tent Group outside waggons at Oasis".

"Tent pitching Showing Heliopolis.  Col Hardie, Capt Johnson, Cpl Reid, Pvte Inglis & myself."

"Myself" is Gordon Williams, whose regimental number was 3355.  Pte Inglis was No 3410 Thomas Inglis, a station hand from Orange, NSW.  You won't recognise him from the back view, but perhaps he is in one of the other photos in this post.

6th or 12th Field Ambulance crew

Based on the fact that Gordon Williams seems to have usually had his photo taken with a pipe between his teeth, I am speculating that the man on the left is Gordon Williams.

Again, if anyone can help with identifications, I'd be pleased to hear from you.

Unknown stretcher-bearer No 1

These photos seem to represent the same man.  He appears wearing a pith helmet in the Middle East, which means he would have embarked with the 6th Field Ambulance there, and later moved to France/Belgium.  He might have moved on to the 12th Field Ambulance, but this isn't clear.  In the bottom photo he is wearing a German helmet and greatcoat.


He is standing on the left in the photo below.


Can anyone identify him?

Stretcherbearers, 6th or 12th Field Ambulance

These photos are details from photos that I have enlarged to try and capture the faces. 

What the well-dressed stretcher bearer is wearing

I have been very fortunate in having been given access to a photograph album, courtesy of Robin Benjamin, which had been sent home in 1917 by brothers George Gordon Williams and Harold James Williams, at that time serving with 12 Field Ambulance. 

Gordon Williams embarked with the 6 Field Ambulance on the Ajana on 4 June 1915, and his brother Harold with the 23 Infantry Battalion.  Gordon transferred to 12 Field Ambulance on 27 October 1916, and Harold joined him there a few weeks later on 13 December 1916.  

The photos are small snaps of low resolution, but I would like to try and identify some of the men who worked with Gordon and Harold by putting them in the next few posts. 

Harold Williams on the left, and Gordon Williams on the right, at this point they are serving with 12 Field Ambulance.

Some of the photos have inscriptions on the back, but most do not.  None of the photos are of the 23 Inf Bn. 

Pte Simonsen of the 6th Field Ambulance

James Simonsen of Ascot Vale enlisted with the AIF in May 1915, and spent some time on Gallipoli and in Egypt before moving on to France. He embarked with the 6th Field Ambulance, later transferring to the 12th Field Ambulance.  After the war James returned to work at the Cordite Factory, Maribyrnong, where he had been apprenticed before the war.  Grandson Jim Rowley tells James' story here.