Postcards sent home from the first world war by my father
Private G G Horrocks of the 85th London Field Ambulance
85th (3rd London) Field Ambulance, Royal Army Medical Corps served with 28th Division.
The 28th Division was formed at Hursley, Pitt Hill and Magdalen hill Camp near Winchester during December 1914 and January 1915, as regular units arrived back in England from garrisons of the Empire.
They sailed to France from Southampton, landing at Le Havre between the 16th and 19th of January, they concentrated in the area between Bailleul and Hazebrouck, being joined by additional Territorial units. In 1915 they were in action in The Second Battle of Ypres and The Battle of Loos ( September ).My father was first sent to the base hospital at Rouen and joined with the field ambulance in May 1915 with seven others.
Frank Kenchington wrote of the 85th Field Ambulance;
“The first Christmas of the war saw this Division which had just been formed, busily preparing in the deep snow, and deeper mud of Winchester for an immediate departure for France, and there was little opportunity for anything in the way of organised entertainment. The greater part of the following year was spent in France, and though at Ypres and Loos the enemy guns provided most of the music, in the intervals of rest behind the lines many impromptu concerts took place from time to time”
On the 19th of October 1915 orders were received to prepare to sail and five days later the first units left Marseilles for Alexandria in Egypt all units (with the exception XXXI and CXLVI Brigades RFA) arrived the by 23rd of November and they went on to Salonika on the 4th of January 1916.
Later in the year they were in action during the occupation of Mazirko and the capture of Barakli Jum’a. In 1917 they were involved in the capture of Ferdie and Essex Trenches (near Barakli Jum’a) and then the capture of Barakli and Kumli. In mid 1918 a number of units returned to France The remainder of the Division were later in action at the Battle of Doiran and the pursuit to the Strumica valley.
When Hostilities with Bulgaria ceased at the end of September the 28th Division was in the area of Trnovo. They moved in early November to Gallipoli and occupied the Dardanelles Forts.They returned to England via Wimereux in Northern France in June 1918.
London Gazette28 November 1917 G G Horrocks mentioned in dispatches.The Certificate marking this award was signed by Winston Churchill
Medal records and dates of service.Finally left the Army 10th June 1919.
worldwar1postcards 