This image of my Grandfather, is the only tangible record of him, his name Corporal Ronald Fredrick Rowley.
My Aunt (101yrs) is most insistent that he was a rough rider and Grandad and his Sgt Bert Brookes rescued a group of horses from a burning barn. They were up for comendation but we dont know if this happend.

MH

There doesn't appear to be a picture.

Garth

Cant figure out how to upload the photo

Cant figure out how to upload the photo

Sounds like your image might be too large 100KB maximum,try reducing the image size!
Then we'll try & help you.

The image was to large

The Cap Badge is Royal Artillery{RFA/RGA/RHA}
The Sleeve badge is a "Skill @ Driving" Badge
[Crowned Whips Crossed & Spur] granted for Best Driver In the Battery Prize for Horse Driving
[Ref: #25C;British Army Proficiency Badges~by our own illustrious Grumpy]

The Medal Index Cards indicate L/416 Corporal Ronald Rowley Royal Field Artillery{"L" indicates a "Local" enlistment,similar to the "Pals" Battalions for the Infantry I believe,& were formed into Local Batteries}
A super Photo!!

The CWGC site has:

Name: ROWLEY
Initials: R F
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Serjeant
Regiment/Service: Royal Warwickshire Regiment
Unit Text: 11th Bn.
Date of Death: 27/10/1915
Service No: 9869
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: III. A. 2.
Cemetery: BIENVILLERS MILITARY CEMETERY

Could that be him? What part of the country was he from?

Allie

Hmmm, well if that's the case, there's a Reginald Frederick Rowley on the CWGC who was with the Royal Field Artillery. But he's the son of a Sir and Lady - and you'd think there might be more details about someone like that! (not to mention the chap in the photo look older than 21)

Name: ROWLEY, REGINALD FREDERICK
Initials: R F
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Lieutenant
Regiment/Service: Royal Field Artillery
Unit Text: 462nd Bty.
Age: 21
Date of Death: 21/03/1918
Additional information: Son of the late Lt. Col. Sir George Charles Erskine Rowley, 3rd Bart., and of Lady Rowley, of Aldersey Cottage, London Rd., Guildford.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: IX. A. 5.
Cemetery: GRAND-SERAUCOURT BRITISH CEMETERY

Then we have:

Name: ROWLEY, ROLAND
Initials: R
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Private
Regiment/Service: North Staffordshire Regiment
Unit Text: 1st/5th Bn.
Date of Death: 13/10/1915
Service No: 3442
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: Panel 103 to 105.
Memorial: LOOS MEMORIAL

(But that isn't the Artillery)


Name: ROWLEY
Initials: R
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Gunner
Regiment/Service: Royal Field Artillery
Unit Text: "A" Bty. 243rd Bde.
Date of Death: 21/08/1916
Service No: 295
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: I. C. 20.
Cemetery: BLIGHTY VALLEY CEMETERY, AUTHUILE WOOD

That's Artillery but wrong rank...

Allie

[ My Aunt (101yrs) is most insistent that he was a rough rider]

Hi MH and welcome to the forum.

Chums, excuse my ignorance, but what is a rough rider........

John

Rough rider was/is the official army term for what others might call 'Assistant Instructor, equitation' [no ranks below officer were other than 'assistant' instructors of whatever]. The badge was a spur.

Unlike the driving prize badges, it was a badge of appointment and thus worn upper right sleeve.

Madam Hooch,

My Great Grandfather was a Driver RFA. He carried out his 'rough rider training' [the very words used by my Thomas McCluskey to describe his horsemanship training] near Edinburgh. Which incidentally was the place he had to report to should he be called up again. He also described some kind of leather stiffened gaiter device, worn on the lower leg, used for driving the horses.

The badge on Corporal Ronald Fredrick Rowley's lower left arm is that of a 1st Prize Driver.

It is almost likely that Corporal Ronald Fredrick Rowley is RFA or RHA due to the percentage of drivers with these units in comparison to the RGA (who used horses, steam traction units, eventually some tracked vehicles, or were static).

Hope this helps

Tom McC

Thanks everyone, but Grandad was a Corporal and I know he was at the Somme and survived, he died age 52 before WWII started.

MH

Oh, sorry. I thought because you said the photo was 'the only tangible record' of him that he must have died in the war. Although 52 is certainly young to die as well!

Allie

Yes 52 is young he was gassed and died of cancer.

I suppose when you really think about it there is quite alot of relevant information, and I can now remember my Aunt saying he had won a prize and this is evident now with the insignia on the sleeve of his jacket has been dentified.



Another question, how can I find out more information re his military history?

MH

Well, first stop is the National Archives at Kew. As Harry showed above, his medal card is there and lists his service number. It'll cost you £3.50 to order a digital copy online.

Medal Card link

Next step is the pension records - is it possible that since he was gassed that he was on a war pension? As you probably know, a huge percentage of WW1 files were destroyed in the blitz (about 70% of them), leaving most people with only the medal index files to work from. However, if the soldier in question was pensioned, the files were kept in a separate place (Ministry of Pensions or some such) - which wasn't bombed in the blitz. So those records exist. I don't know where they're kept, though. Maybe also at the National Archives? Although your Granddad shows up as only having a medal card at the National Archives, as far as I can tell.

Someone else may be able to point you in the right place for those.

Allie

Hi All,

A picture of a Bombardier Rough Rider, and an excerpt from Clothing Regulations 1914, Page 117:

Aye


Tom McC

Hi all,

Along with an indication of Corps and appointment, badges of Instruction are also worn on the upper right arm.

hope this helps

Tom McC

That is a nice image
I have made some interesting discoveries, but how do you access records in Kew when you live in NZ? I tried to search pensions still trying!

MH

Ah, had no idea you were another kiwi. And a Harry Potter fan at that.

I'm lucky to have Big Sis living in London. If I send her pineapple lumps, I get searches.

You can pay a researcher to do go to Kew for you. I've not done that, so you'll have to rely on someone else to tell you how to go about it.

Allie

Yes pineapple lumps will do it every time Thanks for everyones help so far

MH