American Expeditionary Force WW1 - ALICE

[Bill Downes]

In a 25p box I came across 7 postcards sent by Alice to her sister in Beckenham in 1919. They were all of them war damage cards  and it sounds as though she was on a Battlefield Tour !! I then found the attached card in my album which pre-dates these cards and I would appreciate advice as to the inscription at the top of this card of Tours which is not a war damage card and how did she manage to send it through the American Expeditionary Force system. i am now going to try and attach the detals and lets hope it works .

[katkin]

I found this:
http://warships1discussionboards.yuku.com/reply/558395/deck-Pentration#.WSXx3MaP5RM
see post#61

This Forum may help you.
Best for G.R.S. = Grave Registration Service?

Kath.

[akennedy]

AVK could be Alice V Knights ?

More info perhaps in census or other records?

Alistair Kennedy

[Michael Dobbs]

Alistair - many thanks for your suggestion - I was trying to identify a military abbreviation AVK !  Your response was quite sensible !

As the addressee was in Beckenham (now part of the London Borough of Bromley - my local authority) I decided to go along to the archives section at the Bromley Central Library to see if I could identify the addressee and sender, given your suggestion.  I have found out that I can access Ancestry free of charge through my Library access.  I discovered the following in the 1911 census return:

A Miss Alice Vera Knight and Miss Mildred Irene Knight were two of three daughters of Daniel Jesse Knight and Julia Knight of 61 Birkbeck Road, Beckenham, Kent.  At the time of the census Alice (AVK) was aged 23 and a Dressmakers Assistant whilst Mildred was aged 17 and an Assistant School Teacher.  The address was different to that given on the postcard, but still in Beckenham and they could have moved in the intervening eight years.  Also one possibly major difference - they card is in the name of Mildred Irene Knight[u]s[/u] whereas the 1911 Census is simply Knight - an error on the census (but that is filled in my the family I think ?)

Nevertheless I feel we have the right family and, thanks to Alistair's suggestion, the answer to the abbreviation AVK and thanks to Kathryn's suggestion, the abbreviation GRS - now is the GRS American or British and was she using the US APO simply for convenience ?  Or, was she working for the American GRS ?

Mike  8)

[Michael Dobbs]

Bill

Keep digging and surely you'll find the answer sooner or later on the web !

I think I have found Alice Vera Knight - go to website:
http://calmview.bham.ac.uk/GetDocument.ashx?db=Catalog&fname=MS843.pdf

This is a document held in Cadbury Research Library: Special Collections, University of Birmingham.

This states:  [color=maroon]A section of the papers of Alice Knight relate to her work in different government departments during, and after, the First World War as a shorthand typist with the Postal Censorship branch of the War Office (M.I.9), and later with the Clearing Office (Enemy Debts) [of the Board of Trade].    Alice's letters home to her parents and sisters Dorothy and Mildred relate to her experiences living in France whilst working with the American Expeditionary Force in the aftermath of the First World War.[/color]

Should be sufficient information here to write up the postcards as an interesting social history item - you appear to have postcards not held by the Cadbury Research Library !  Look forward to viewing your display in due course !

Regards, Mike  ;D

[Michael Dobbs]

Looking at the postcard again I think that Alistair made the error in placing an 's' at the end of Knight, it is clearly a Knight and not Knights so ignore anything I have said about the spelling of the surname ! Must look closer at the original next time !!

Mike  ;D ;D

[Bill Downes]

Thank you all for this information. Had computer trouble and have now taken over my wife's Apple Mac and I am now trying to get to grips with new systems, so apologies for the delay in replying. The later cards dated 3/8/19 to 21/11/19/are all war damage cards. The one above I found in my collection of APO cancellations cards. I have sent them all to Mark Wingham of Picture Postcard Monthly and he is going to put them in the magazine with some other items that are similar, I will now send him this additional information which has been of great help and would explain how she was in France so long which confused me. I will let you know which month it will appear.
Thanks once again and I am sorry I will not be there on the 10th as it clashes with the Canterbury , Wetgate Hall, Collectors Fair.
When I get them back I will bring them to the next meeting. I am intending to try to get to more meetings.
Incidentally Michael I have quite a large collection of FPO & APO markings with numerous dates and would appreciate you advice as to how to get them in some sort of order so I can trace items etc.
Regards. Bill

[akennedy]

An interesting story!

Alistair