Ernest James Foulston's WW1 Army Records, downloaded from Ancestry.co.uk

This documents my interpretation of these badly damaged and highly cryptic documents. I have added further notes and pictures gleaned from general internet researches.

(1) Medal Card

R.G.A = Royal Garrison Artillery

Victory medal
British medal
SWB

The Silver War Badge (SWB), sometimes erroneously called the Silver Wound Badge, was authorised in September 1916 and takes the form of a circular badge with the legend "For King and Empire-Services Rendered" surrounding the George V cypher. The badge was awarded to all of those military personnel who were discharged as a result of sickness or wounds contracted or received during the war, either at home or overseas.

British War Medal Victory Medal Silver War Badge

Click to view medal card

(2) Short Service Enlistment Attestation.

The form dated 5.6.16 but date stamped 1 DEC 1915 states:

No 90917 Foulston EJ
Corps Royal Garrison Artillery
Address 14 Harcombe Rd
  S.Newington
Trade Postman
Age 30 years

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(3) Descriptive Report On Enlistment

This form has various details including:

next-of-kin Kate Foulston  
  Address 14 Harcombe Rd
    S.Newington
  Relationship Wife
Particulars as to Marriage Name of woman to whom married Kate Brown
  Place and date of marriage Parish Church
West Hackney
8/10/1905
Particulars as to children Ernest Robert James 10/3/1906
  Ivy Kate 10/2/1912
  Sidney Charles 25/6/1914

Note the address has been crossed through and 78 Dumont Rd pencilled below indicating that Kate moved house whilst Ernest was at war.

Note that our direct ancestor Sydney's name has been unusually spelled as Sidney. He was only about 18 months old when his father went to war.

The form has a section marked MILITARY HISTORY SHEET
3. Wounded Cryptic text difficult to decipher
5. Medals B.W. and V Medal

B.W. almost certainly means British War Medal.
V. almost certainly means Victory Medal.
The whereabouts of Ernest's actual medals is unknown.

Click to view form

(4) Statement of Services

A mixed collection of hand-written and stamped data such as.

Attested 1/12/15
Mobilized 2/12/15
Posted 3 JUN 1916

Discharged - no longer physically fit for War Service
Date 27.9.19
Place Dover
Home Address 78 Dumont Rd
Stoke Newington

Character V. Good
Disability G.S.W caused amputation of Right Leg
G.S.W left ankle
Caused by Service Yes
difficult to decipher 1.10.19

Statement of Services
From To Years Days
1.12.15 20.1.17 1 51
21.1.17 28.1.18 1 8
29.1.18 12.2.18   15
18.2.18 31.10.18   261
1.11.18 27.9.19   331
    3 301

Note. Almost four years service. Also discharge date of 27.9.1919 is approx 10 months after the end of the war.

Click to view form

(5) R.G.A. Record Office (Dover), medal receipt card dated 20.9.1921.

Receipt signed by Ernest for his B.W. and V medals (British War and Victory). R.G.A = Royal Garrison Artlillery

Regtl. No 90917
Rank Gunner
Signature E.J.Foulston
Unit 1/1 Highland (Fife)
Date 21.9.1921

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(6) Damaged form difficult to interpret.

W.O. Cas List Wounded Sht adm Metropolitan Initials?
Reference no? H. Kingsland Rd. N. date (possibly 26-1-19)
  4-1-19  

My interpretation is 'War Office Casualty List', Wounded, shot? admitted to the Metropolitan H.(ospital) Kingsland Road N. (London i.e. Hackney) at a date, possibly 4-1-1919.

Metropolitan Hospital, Kingsland Rd.

Office ??? to Queen
  Mary's Convalescent
  Hospital Roehampton
  31-7-19

Queen Mary's Hospital, Roehampton was founded in 1915 initially as a military convalescence hospital for servicemen who had lost limbs in World War 1. It soon became renowned as a centre for rehabilitation of amputees.
In the 1920s plastic surgery, burns and maxillofacial surgery were added and in World War 2 it became a specialist centre for the treatment of tropical diseases, especially for Far East Prisoners of War. In the 1960s it became part of the NHS as a district general hospital while retaining its specialist services. In 1998 it became a community hospital.

RP 11-8-19 Cannot understand writing Inf always good
    23-8-10

Man Asks that marks and scars Reference?
  may be amended ammended and retd
  3/10/19 7/10/19

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(7) Inside Sheet (For Original Attestation)

No 90917 Name Foulston EJ

From Whom Purport and Date Action
Wife Heard that her husband reference?
  was ? both legs 23rd inst sent 31.10.18
  asks for news signature
W.O Cas List G.S.W. Chest Ankle ?  
Reference? Leg. Right Frac Sev N of Kin
  Adm 5 Gen Hos Rouen informed
  24.10.18 6.11.18
W.O Cas List Wounded. Adm 3 Western signature
reference? Gen H. ? 1.11.18 14.11.18

The Base Hospital was part of the casualty evacuation chain, further back from the front line than the Casualty Clearing Stations. They were manned by troops of the Royal Army Medical Corps, with attached Royal Engineers and men of the Army Service Corps. In the theatre of war in France and Flanders, the British hospitals were generally located near the coast. They needed to be close to a railway line, in order for casualties to arrive (although some also came by canal barge); they also needed to be near a port where men could be evacuated for longer-term treatment in Britain. There were two types, known as Stationary and General Hospitals. They were large facilities, often centred on some pre-war buildings such as seaside hotels. The hospitals grew hugely in number and scale throughout the war. Most of the hospitals moved very rarely until the larger movements of the armies in 1918. Some hospitals moved into the Rhine bridgehead in Germany and many were operating in France well into 1919. Most hospitals were assisted by voluntary organisations, most notably the British Red Cross

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(8) Ministry of Pensions

SIR
I am directed by the Minister of Pensions to inform you of the undermentioned decision in the case of a man whose discharge documents have been recently received with the view to having the claim to pension considered.
I am, Sir,
Your obedient Servant
(unreadable signature)
Director,
Soldiers Awards Branch.

This document is covered in cryptic references, initials and date stamps giving dates of 26th, 27th and 29th Oct 1919

Rank (for pension) Gunner regimental No 90917  
Name (surname first) FOULSTON Ernest James
Regiment or Corps RGA 1/1 High ??
Date of Discharge 27.9.19 Age on Discharge 34 Marital Status Married
Address on Discharge 78 Dumont Rd. Stoke Newington N.16
Damaged unreadable Ampt Rt Leg
State whether attributable Attrb
aggrevated, or  
non-attributable  

The remainder of the form is too damaged to read except the bottom right hand corner.

Nature of Award Condl

Condl presumably means 'conditional', but upon what?

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(9) Company Conduct Sheet ?

Its difficult to make any sense of this document.

Offence Name of Witnesses
Certified No Entry  
Dover For O.C. i/c R.G.A. Record
30.9.19  

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