10308: Army Service Corps to 16th Royal Scots - Thomas Renner
Creators: name: Project Team, Lest We Forget
Publisher: name: University of Oxford
Year: 2024
Subjects: classificationCode: 430304
subject: British history
classificationCode: 430308
subject: European history (excl. British, classical Greek and Roman)
classificationCode: 430316
subject: International history

description: Several years ago my Grandad, George Renner gifted to me, his father Thomas William Renner's First World War Royal Scots tam o' shanter, 2 picture postcards, a painting and his New Testament Bible. Having never even known about my Great Grandad's WW1 service I was fascinated and begun to research everything I could about him.

 I discovered that Thomas was born 1892, near Alnwick in Northumberland and was living at Chillingham near Wooler at the outbreak of War on his father, Thomas James Renner's farm. He was 1 of 4 brothers and 3 sisters and was part of a large farming family. He enlisted on the 21st Aug 1915 into the Territorial Force 3/1st Northumbrian Divisional Train as a Driver with service no. T/2250 and was later transferred to the regular Army Service Corp (A.S.C), 663 Coy, No. 1 Horse Transport Depot, Park Royal in July 1916 with a new service no. of T/4/210470.

 He was later "combed out" and transferred to the infantry, and having initially been due to join the 12th Royal Scots, was instead transferred to the 16th Royal Scots in Sept 1917 after they had suffered high casualties inflicted at recent action at Hargincourt. He served with them until been wounded in the Spring Offensive in Apr 1918, with the 16th Royal Scots suffering 13 out of 17 officers and 554 out of 785 Other Ranks as casualties between the 9th and 19th of April 1918.

 He was transferred back home for recovery and my Grandad believes to a hospital near Dundee. He was discharged on the 22 Feb 1919 and from the Silver War Badge Roll, badge no. B325461, he was discharged under Kings Regulations 392 (xvi)a - (Wounds) he was 26 years old.

 The tam o' shanter has his 16th Royal Scots service no. "49109" stamped on the inside and the front page of his Bible reads "T Renner, Royal Scots". This Bible was a gift from the National Bible Society of Scotland who issued them to Scottish troops or in this case an Englishman serving with Scottish troops.

 The painting of him in his T.F. /A.S.C. uniform is taken from one of the two photograph postcards. The original photo was taken at J H Bayley Studio in Ripon and shows him as a Driver with bandolier, riding crop and spurs. Unfortunately no pictures remain of him in his Royal Scots uniform.

 His 3 older sisters, the oldest Isabella would later marry Thomas John Nicholson Faill and Annie would later marry Christopher Hewetson who both served during the War. Margaret never married having lost her "Sweetheart and the only person she would ever marry" during the War.

 His younger brother David attested in late 1915 under the Derby Scheme and served at home for the duration of the War until late 1919 with the A.S.C. M.T, working on traction engines. After the War, Thomas and David travelled around the local farms, working for a contractor in Wooler, with a traction engine and threshing machine, perhaps due to David's experience gained whilst working on traction engines whilst based at Aldershot with the A.S.C. The family remained working on several farms and David would later become Thomas's Best Man when he married in 1924 to Georgina Waugh.

 My Grandad and Judith, daughter of David, remember Thomas who suffered a limp throughout his life due to the injury he received during WW1 and who lost a son David in 1935 and his wife Georgina in 1945, who both died from Tuberculosis, as a quiet but helpful and friendly man. Sadly he died in 1967 and is buried at Chatton in Northumberland.

 I never got to meet any of the people mentioned above as they had all passed before I was born, but I am grateful for my Late Grandad for passing on his Fathers items to me as they may have been lost along with his story. This begun my interest in Family History and I now spend most of my free time researching and sharing with my family further information on our family tree. I am now pleased that they will be forever remembered thanks to the organisers and volunteers who have recorded and digitised the items and stories for the Lest We Forget Project.