My Family History: Wartime Roots on My Father's Side
Not long after my nan passed away last year, she had left a lot of family history behind, including the amount of keepsakes she kept. This gave my mother a good excuse to make good use of her Ancestry subscription that me and my sisters bought her for her birthday.
We already knew that my paternal great grandfather was a construction worker and his family owned and ran a construction business in the heart of my borough; my father once drove us around the neighbourhood he helped to build pre-WW1, or at some point in the very early Edwardian era. After beginning a long process of clearing out my nan’s house, he brought home his equestrian trophies and rosettes, we did already know he was a keen horse rider, as well as a construction worker, as my father looked into his family history a quite a while ago. There was also a business directory of all the local public services and businesses, which did include my great grandfather’s construction company which was located next to one of the local train stations, which has now been demolished and now a bike locker.
When my father looked into his family history years before my nan passed away, he showed me a photo of my paternal great grandmother wearing a long trench coat and cap, carrying a gas mask in a wooden box and a tin Brodie helmet. It looked like she was an air raid warden during WW2; I could hear some cockney screaming “PUT THAT LIGHT OUT”. He soon showed me another photo of her wearing a tweed coat and hat, quite literally the fashion on the ration during the 1940s. On the back was written WWII Ambulance Driver. My great grandmother, Minnie Coulter, was an ambulance driver for the Civil Defence; although typically the CD were air raid wardens (ARP’s), it also included first aid and the ambulance service, firefighting (supporting the AFS, which is what my maternal great grandfather did for the war effort in the Home Guard as an electrician), rescue, intelligence and welfare.
I soon colourised the photo of my great grandmother, her uniform happened to be blue, almost exactly like in the CD recruitment poster asking for volunteers to join up: https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/31793. She was an ambulance driver!
.jpg)
That side of the family lived in Orpington, in the London Borough of Bromley; (Bromley was historically Kent, but gained London Borough status in 1965). I wanted to research further into the Orpington Civil Defence units, but I have not found a lot on the ambulance service. The local library suggested researching records of Farnborough Hospital where I read a maternity unit opened during the war; my parents looked at having me there, but they were not impressed with the condition! (What would Florence Nightingale say?) When I was talking to my mother about what I had read, she said that could explain why they weren't impressed, because it had not been updated since the 1940s! It was rebuilt and reopened in the mid 2000's and renamed Princess Royal University Hospital with great improvements to its delivery of healthcare.
More here: The Lost Hospitals of London.
My great grandfather joined the Royal Army Service Corps in 1942 and was based at a camp in Marden, Kent. The Royal Army Service Corps were suppliers and providers, rather than a fighting or weaponry unit of the British Army, considering that he was a construction worker.
In the early hours of the morning of 3rd July 1944, a V1 'Doodlebug' flying bomb fell onto the army camp, killing 11 soldiers - including my great grandfather, Private George Bruce Coulter (S/14280692) aged 36.
Commonwealth War Graves Record for Pvt. G. B. Coulter
Epitaph reads: 'IN PRECIOUS MEMORY YOURS STILL, YOU MINE. TO WHERE I WAIT COME GENTLY ON'
Learning that he was killed in service brought a real mix of emotions; pride, guilt, sympathy, sadness and anger. The rest of the family would have been devastated and heartbroken, as well as being sensitive to the fact my nan would have been 2 or 3 at the time which is way too young to lose a parent. This would explain why she was very sentimental and kept lots of family heirlooms, including his medals.
My nan also kept the family’s ration book and his army pay book:
A particular photo I liked of him on his last leave from the army before he was killed in service; it was him and his horse, Cherry, taking my then 2 year old nan for a ride. It was sadly the last time she would see her father (pictured below).
George Bruce Coulter was awarded 2 medals; the Defence Medal (the green and orange stripes) and the war service medal (red, white and blue), as well as a service certificate.
George Bruce Coulter also has a record in a Marden History Group publication: THE FALLEN OF MARDEN 1939-1945 - Commemorating WW2 dead, which also includes commemorations of local villagers of Marden killed in action elsewhere.
I wrote to them as I wanted to learn more about my great grandfather's army service; they said that there is an acrylic plaque on the road where the R.A.S.C camp was based, where there is now an industrial estate. When me and my mother drove to Marden to visit a plant specialist, we drove down the road where the plaque is located; despite keeping a good eye out I never spotted it.
I visited a second time by coming to Marden just to find that plaque; so I went for another look. I had reached the last of the industrial estate units and almost gave up, until I spotted it attached to some railings.
This is not the only memorial my great grandfather is recorded on, he is also recorded on the following memorials on the Imperial War Museum War Memorial Register and War Memorials Online:
WMO - Orpington (image of inscribed name)
Bromley County Boys Grammar School (now The Ravensbourne School)
I want to learn more about my past, as well as learn about wartime service in my mother’s side of the family. This has been a remarkable journey and feel ever so proud of my ancestors.
Comments
Post a Comment