Alexander Masterton

Private Alexander Masterton

386366, 1/1st Northumbrian Field Ambulance
Royal Army Medical Corps

died 27th May 1918


aged 29


Soissons Memorial


Son of James Masterton and Joan Kinnear
Park Road, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England

Genealogy

Alexander Masterton was born in Sunderland, Co. Durham, England in 1889, the third of eight children and second of two sons born to James Bowman Masterton, ship rivetter, and Joan Kinnear who married in 1883 in Dundee. His father James died in December 1917 in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. In 1911 Alexander, then aged 21, was living with the family in 289 Westmoreland Road, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, working as an apprentice plater in a shipyard.

Further details of Alexander, and the extended family of Mastertons that moved to Newcastle area from Dundee can be found at the following link.

His War

Alexander Masterton's Service Record shows that he volunteered and attested to join the Royal Army Medical Corps, 1/1st Northumbrian Field Ambulance, on 5 January 1915 and was allocated service number 1841. He served at home until joining the British Expeditionary Force in Boulogne on 23rd September 1916. He was 5ft 3 inches tall, only just tall enough to be recruited into the British Army at that time.

The 1/1st Northumbrian Field Ambulance was formed in 1908 as a unit of the Territorial Force and served with the 50th (Northumbrian) Division, on the Western Front from April 1915, seeing action at Second Ypres and the Somme. Alexander's arrival at Boulogne in September 1916 suggests he may have joined the division in time for their action at the Battle of Transloy Ridge, part of the first Battle of the Somme. In 1917, they fought in the Battles of Arras, and Third Ypres (Passchendaele). In 1918, they bore the brunt of the German Spring Offensive in March and April of 1918.

At the end of April 1918, five divisions of Commonwealth forces (IX Corps) were posted to the French 6th Army on the River Aisne to rest and refit following the German offensives on the Somme and Lys. Here, at the end of May, they found themselves facing another overwhelming German attack which, despite fierce opposition, pushed the Allies back across the Aisne to the Marne.

There were field ambulance posts named Monaco, Aurousseau and Vendee, at any one of which Alexander may have been based, and he was reported missing and wounded on 27th May 1918, and later presumed dead from wounds received in action. A repatriated prisoner-of-war added to the story of his last hours, confirming that he had been taken prisoner-of-war by the Germans, but died from his wounds.

The release of Army Pension Record Ledgers reveal that Mrs Caroline Brawell was a beneficiary as the mother of his illegitimate child.

Alexander's name is on the Soissons Memorial, Aisne, France. The Soissons Memorial commemorates almost 4,000 officers and men of the United Kingdom forces who died during the Battles of the Aisne and the Marne in 1918 and who have no known grave. The memorial was designed by G.H. Holt and V.O. Rees, with sculpture by Eric Kennington. It was unveiled by Sir Alexander Hamilton-Gordon on 22 July 1928.

Unit War Diary: 1/1st Northumbrian Field Ambulance, Royal Army Medical Corps

1 May - 5 May 1918: COULONGES CAMP

6 May 1918 - 7 May 1918: VENTELAY

8 May 1918: MONACO
26 May 1918: Received information from the ADMS that the enemy was expected to attack on the front held by the Division early on the morning of the 27th. All posts were immediately doubled in Staff, extra bearers being sent up by the 2/2 NFA with one Officer and by the 1/3 NFA. Horse Transport warned by Capt ERRINGTON, who also prepared to receive large numbers of gassed cases. Capt K. ATKIN sent to AUROUSSEAU & Lieut SILVER to VENDEE posts. All preparations made at MONACO for the reception of large numbers of casualties.

27 May 1918: 1.am: Heavy enemy bombardment of MONACO commenced, both H.E. & Gas. One of the first shells into the Camp made a direct hit on the Orderly Room & wrecked it. Bearers & Capt ROBERTSON from 2/2 NFA arrived & bearers from 1/3 NFA - in Motor Ambulances.
4.30 am: Lieut Col GOVER left to make his way to FONTAINE-AU-VIVIER to try & establish a dressing station there as MONACO is becoming untenable. Bombardment has been very heavy all this time & a large amount of gas shells used.
6.30 am: All eight motor ambulances at MONACO were by now destroyed. All the entrances but one to the dressing room blocked by debris & the roads into & running past MONACO almost obliterated.
7.45 am: Direct hit obtained on the actual dressing room which was wrecked. One case was actually being dressed at the time. Only one man wounded. Most of the bearers and personnel still staying in the rooms were cleared out with instructions to make their way to FONTAINE-AU-VIVIER.
8.30 am: Major JW CRAVEN was the last to leave after seeing that all cases & personnel were away. Five stretcher cases with one NCO (Sergt HASWELL 1/1 NFA) & one man (Pte PERRY 1/1 NFA) were left behind. The Q.M. stores were set on fire & also the wrecked cars. When Major CRAVEN left, Capt ATKIN, Lieut SILVER, Sgt COWANS & a few men only had returned to MONACO. On the way to FONTAINE-AU-VIVIER the last party came under heavy machine gun fire.

FONTAINE-AU-VIVIER: From 1am - 8.30 am this station was bombarded by H.E. & gas. The party here under Capt R. ERRINGTON dressed & evacuated a large number of wounded.
Lieut-Col GOVER arrived about 4.45 am. Major J.W. CRAVEN arrived about 8.50 am & received instructions to proceed with the party then leaving to MAZY. It was impossible to cross by the main bridge, owing to shell fire & the near approach of the enemy with machine guns. A relay post of 1 Cpl & 4 men was left on the roadside in a dug-out. On the way five of the party were killed or wounded by shell fire.
On reaching MAZY it was found impossible to enter owing to shell fire & gas so the party went on towards GLENNES, only to be told near there to push on to FISMES. Eventually most of them arrived at VILLETTE, run by the 2/2 NFA.
Lieut-Col J.M. GOVER & Capt ERRINGTON with the remaining small party made their way to MUSCOURT, where the former took over a dressing station from the 1/2 NFA. Capt ERRINGTON went to MAZY to find Major CRAVEN, not finding MAZY tenable, he proceeded to BASLIEUX to find Div Hqrs. Then he went to ROMAIN, where he took over from the 1/3 NFA who took away as many cases as possible with them, but left 40 stretcher cases & 20 sitting cases for him to evacuate.

ROMAINE: The last stretcher cases were got away by 3.30 am - no British troops being then in the village, which was burning in places. Capt ERRINGTON made his way with two Sergts & two men to BREUIL across the VESLE River to VANDEUIL where he bivouacked for the remaining hours of darkness. The he got in touch with the 149th Brigade Transport at CRUGNY & remained with them attending to their casualties till he rejoined his Unit on the 30th May. Lieut-Col GOVER left ROMAIN with a party of RAMC carrying stretcher cases & proceeded in the direction of COURLANDON (Time unknown).

VILLETTE, ST GILLES, ARCIS-LE-PONSART: 28 May 1918: Capt H SHIELD, Capt ATKIN, Lieut SILVER & Lieut KANE with a party proceeded from VILLETTE to ST GILLES - from there when it was shelled to ARCIS-LE-PONSART where they were rejoined by Lieut-Col GOVER.

IGNY-LE-JARD: 29 May 1918: The Unit moved into the neighbourhood of VILLERS-ARGON & from there to CUISLES & from there to IGNY-LE-JARD. Lieut-Col GOVER had by then become A/ADMS & Major JW CRAVEN took over command.

MAREUIL: 30 May 1918: The Unit moved to MAREUIL, having already been joined by Capt ERRINGTON. The remainder of the Horse Transport turned up here.

AULNIZEUX: 31 May 1918: The Unit moved at 10am to AULNIZEUX. Roll call taken & found to be One Officer QM & Lt T. BARRADELL, 85 O.R., 4 large motor ambulances, one Ford, 4 G.S. Wagons, 3 Limber G.S. Wagons, 2 Ambulance Wagons, 2 Water Carts, 1 ? ?, 2 H.D. Horses, 2 Mules, 3 Riders, the whole of the Medical & Surgical equipment & most of the personnel equipment short. All records also being missing.

JW Craven, Major, Commanding 1/1st Northumbrian Field Ambulance.

National Archives
Kew, London
WO 95/2824/1
1/1 Northumbrian Field Ambulance, 50th Division
Apr 1915 - June 1919

Other Sources

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