leon21 Posted October 29, 2016 Share Posted October 29, 2016 Here's a photo I recently found of my Grandfather, MT4-437337 Private James Winterbottom driver in the Army Service Corps. Born in 1900 he was only 18 years old when this photo was taken on the 26th Nov 1918, with him in the photo is his first wife don't know her first name, she died after her 4th child was born. Some time later in the mid 1930s he married my paternal Grandmother who was also a widow at the time with two small children of her own. The MT4 before his number indicates he was a driver of Motorized transport carrying supplies to the front lines ie: food, fuel ammunition ect, in the photo he is wearing a bandolier worn by mounted soldiers, there's a story he told me about how he was only given 4 bullets to put in his bandolier. After the war he worked for the Electricity board digging trenches in all weather's till he retired in 1965, he died in 1971. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenny Andrew Posted October 31, 2016 Share Posted October 31, 2016 wow what a thing to find, any sign of his medals? my next door neighbour was a first world war veteran, when I was a lttle boy I used to go to his house and stare at his coal fire while he told me stories of the trenches, sadly I can't remember any of the stories but that would have been the early seventies too. He gave me his first world war medals which were either lost in my back garden whilst playing soldiers or one of my pals pinched them.I wish I still had them my mother thinks he was in the Cameronians. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leon21 Posted October 31, 2016 Author Share Posted October 31, 2016 Sadly no Kenny never saw his medals don't know what happened to them, his shoulder titles have the letters PT or RT. The letter T I know stood for Transport not sure what the other letter stood for ?. Only ever saw one other photo of him in uniform but he was on his own in the photo, that photo went to one of his great great grandchildren who I'm trying to trace at the moment to get a copy of it. What I remember most about him was he all ways wore leather clogs with irons on the sole's, you could here the clatter the irons made when he was walking, he always wore a white silk scarf round his neck and a wide leather belt like the type Officers wore in WW1. Yes I remember he had a big black cast iron fire range which always had a roaring fire going. I was told that he joined the Kings Liverpool Regiment but possibly was transferred to Army Service Corps later. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenny Andrew Posted November 3, 2016 Share Posted November 3, 2016 I've never come across PT or RT titles before Colin , maybe someone here will know. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leon21 Posted February 28, 2017 Author Share Posted February 28, 2017 Here's another photo of him I've managed to obtain from a cousin I have not seen for over 40 years I managed to trace her and she kindly e-mailed me the photo, he's only 16 years old in this one it was taken shortly after he joined up. The cap badge is that of the Kings Liverpool Regiment ( all-brass economy badge issued in 1916). The PT shoulder titles could stand for Park Train or Park Transport he may have belonged to a unit of drivers that collected supplies from the Park Trains and delivered to supply depots or transported soldiers up to the front lines. Or then again the P or R could donate the company he was in, sadly information on the shoulder title records is very incomplete. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leon21 Posted March 4, 2017 Author Share Posted March 4, 2017 Here are a few photo's I've found relating to the type of transport used. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leon21 Posted May 7, 2018 Author Share Posted May 7, 2018 I've been researching the family tree on my grandfather James Winterbottom side of the family, and have managed to trace them back to the mid-1700s at the moment. the first photo I posted of him and his first wife I now know she was called Elsie (nee) Wallwork born in 1897 in Oldham Lancashire, they married in August 1920. I also found he had a younger brother Thomas who joined the army in 1919 joining the Manchester Regiment, and found a copy of his marriage certificate for 1923 and is listed as a driver in the Royal Field Artillery. using census records baptism records and marriage certificates gave me were they lived what jobs they did and how many children they had, and using old maps and old photo's of the periods also helped me to understand what the area in which they lived was like and what type of industry there was around them also. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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