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Me too please Joda if you don't mind. I'm 99% certain my grandfather was on the ship, but survived.

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Maureen
If you can't fight, wear a big 'at

Can we have his name, Portia?



Kath.

He was Pte William Albert Tickle RAMC. He told my mother about being torpedoed and spending a long time in the water, clinging to a piece of wood. By the time he was rescued his underarms were raw. I've seen a postcard he sent home (the picture is of Valetta but it's not clear where it ws posted) and it talks about being torpedoed and having lost 1000 men.
My mother couldn't remember the name of the ship until today when I asked her if it was the Royal Edward. Ironic really, my sister and I have been trying to find out which ship it was for quite a while then suddenly up popped this thread.

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Maureen
If you can't fight, wear a big 'at

Hi, Portia.

William Albert Tickle RAMC Regimental No. 451
Before I do some hoovering, here's a website you may not know:

http://www.ramc-ww1.com/index.html


and a book about Burnley RAMC 2nd. (reserve) East Lancashire Field Ambulance men & the Royal Edward.
http://www.burnleyinthegreatwar.info/ro ... rdbook.htm

I'll try to find W. A. Tickle's unit as he is not in the book. It gives a good picture of the event.

Kath.

Thanks Kath. I already know his unit - it was the 1st/ 3rd East Lancashire Field Ambulance.
He wasn't a Burnley man - he was from Ardwick Manchester - which makes it all the more amazing that I found the information I'd been looking for on the Briercliffe forum.
His military records appear to be amongst the many that were destroyed in WW2 so we're just piecing together what we can from wherever we can.

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Maureen
If you can't fight, wear a big 'at

Thanks for responses I will scan and send copy of letter when I have worked out how to. IT and me not very compatable!!!!!!!!!

http://briercliffesociety.co.uk/Photo%2 ... %20Own.htm

http://briercliffesociety.co.uk/Photo%2 ... ulance.htm

Mosiefish kindly sent the linked images to me last week. Apologies for the delay in adding them

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Mel

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Absolutely great!

Thank you.

Kath.

Joda has kindly sent me a copy of the letter. I will be transcribing it and adding it to the site tomorrow.

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Mel

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I have now added the letter, it can be viewed at this link

http://briercliffesociety.co.uk/Photo%2 ... uttard.htm

Many thanks to Joda for sharing this with us.

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Mel

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Reading the letter again, it must have been an horrendous few hours not knowing if you would survive and be resuced. I would how many others followed a similar path to Hartley Stuttard and were not rescued in time?

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Mel

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Thankyou for putting that on, cannot imagine what they went through, or what state of mind they had when they came back home.

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Gloria

I'd be dangerous with a brain.

Does anyone know how or if one can get hold of the original letters. My grandmother was told that grandads letter had been censored and rewritten but that the original had been kept for records.

Interesting I haven't heard of that. I suppose you could contact the War Office and ask the question.

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Gloria

I'd be dangerous with a brain.

I don't have much knowledge of war records.
Gloria, you said that his record was on Ancestry, what was the original source. I would assume, as it is not with his records on Ancestry, that it is kept elsewhere but maybe the starting point to ask questions would be where his records are kept?

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Mel

Searching for lost relatives? Win the Lottery!