Shropshire Star

Soldiers thought married life was boss's cup of tea

On the occasion of his marriage during the Great War, one S. Buckley enjoyed an outpouring of affection from his men. They gave him a tea pot.

Published
A close up of the inscription

But what is the story behind that tea pot - or is it a coffee pot? That is something Les Hall of Highley would like to know.

"I have owned this silver tea pot for a number of years," says Les.

"I bought it local to Highley from a man who did a house clearance."

Apart from that, the only information he has to give any clues is the engraving on the tea pot. It reads: "Presented to S. Buckley, As a token of esteem on his Marriage by N.C.O. & Men of his Section, No 9 Ammu Sub Park, 132 Coy M.T., A.S.C. France, 1917."

Translated, that would be 9 Ammunition Sub Park, 132 Company, Mechanical Transport, Army Service Corps.

Les said: "You could say it was a little bit of comfort with so much carnage around him.

"I do not know anything about him. I do not have a computer, so I cannot do any research. He might have descendants locally, but I don't know."

Well, we do have a computer, and one Great War website, called The Long Long Trail, says: "The MT Companies called Ammunition Parks operated dumps, or stores, of ammunition. This included the larger calibres of artillery shells which required special handling equipment, smaller shells, mortar rounds, grenades and small arms ammunition too."

The website lists various Companies - but not 132.

As for S. Buckley, as the tea pot came from a house clearance local to Highley, presumably he or his descendants lived in that area.

Can anybody shed light on the riddle? Drop us a line if you can. And if you crack the case we promise to raise a cuppa in a toast to you.