Help! - A Meeting of Minds

P'ter · Apr 10 2018, 11:34 AM

Please: can anybody out there help me with translating some info about a Belgian WW1 casualty?

He was Andre Paul Marcel Vanderkindere and is described as "Soldaat 2kl OV". Which I guess means Soldier 2nd Class, but the OV bit?

His unit is given as "Transmissietroepen". Transport Troop?

***Hans*** · Apr 10 2018, 04:43 PM

Peter,

O.V. stands for Oorlogs Vrijwilliger which litterally translates into War Volunteer, so he was a volunteer soldier (not conscripted).
You are correct as the snd class is concerned, 2e klasse in Dutch

Transmissietroepen mean Communication forces.
The Belgian batallion of "Transmissietroepen" could also be called signalforces, it consisted out of (radio)telegraphists and other communication related ranks.

If you have more questions you can also mail me direct.

P'ter · Apr 11 2018, 09:02 AM

Thank you for the information and offer. I'm compiling a database of all the people (staff and students) involved with WW1 who had any role at University of Birmingham: about 1070 in total. Van der Kindere was a Belgian student who went and fought. He transferred to the Belgian Army after a short spell in our Royal Sussex Regiment.

We also had a number of German students and lecturers!

***Hans*** · Apr 11 2018, 02:29 PM

Good job and worthy of the year, being 100 years after the end of the Great War.

P'ter · Apr 11 2018, 04:31 PM

It started as a collection of biographies of the 175 names on the University WW1 memorial.

A future development is to find the women who dropped their studies to go nursing.

Apr 10 2018, 11:34 AM	#1
P'ter Crafter Craftmaster Join Date: May 2006 Location: Wolverhampton Gender: M Fan of: Favorite? Now Reading: avidly	Help! Please: can anybody out there help me with translating some info about a Belgian WW1 casualty? He was Andre Paul Marcel Vanderkindere and is described as "Soldaat 2kl OV". Which I guess means Soldier 2nd Class, but the OV bit? His unit is given as "Transmissietroepen". Transport Troop? __________________ "Truth is stranger than fiction: fiction has to make sense." Leo Rosten. "When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up." C. S. Lewis "I find television very educational. Whenever somebody switches it on I go in the other room and read a book." (attributed to Groucho Marx) The Pedants are revolting! (against bad grammar)

Apr 10 2018, 04:43 PM	#2
*Hans* Master Archivist Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: The Netherlands Gender: M Fan of: Pern!	Re: Help! Peter, O.V. stands for Oorlogs Vrijwilliger which litterally translates into War Volunteer, so he was a volunteer soldier (not conscripted). You are correct as the snd class is concerned, 2e klasse in Dutch Transmissietroepen mean Communication forces. The Belgian batallion of "Transmissietroepen" could also be called signalforces, it consisted out of (radio)telegraphists and other communication related ranks. If you have more questions you can also mail me direct. __________________ Hans, also known as Elrhan, Master Archivist Visit The Pern Museum & Archives for all your Pern and Anne McCaffrey News and Resources! The Pern Museum & Archives is the home of the Pern Encyclopedia and the Pern Bloodlines.

Apr 11 2018, 09:02 AM	#3
P'ter Crafter Craftmaster Join Date: May 2006 Location: Wolverhampton Gender: M Fan of: Favorite? Now Reading: avidly	Re: Help! Thank you for the information and offer. I'm compiling a database of all the people (staff and students) involved with WW1 who had any role at University of Birmingham: about 1070 in total. Van der Kindere was a Belgian student who went and fought. He transferred to the Belgian Army after a short spell in our Royal Sussex Regiment. We also had a number of German students and lecturers! __________________ "Truth is stranger than fiction: fiction has to make sense." Leo Rosten. "When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up." C. S. Lewis "I find television very educational. Whenever somebody switches it on I go in the other room and read a book." (attributed to Groucho Marx) The Pedants are revolting! (against bad grammar)

Apr 11 2018, 02:29 PM	#4
*Hans* Master Archivist Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: The Netherlands Gender: M Fan of: Pern!	Re: Help! Good job and worthy of the year, being 100 years after the end of the Great War. __________________ Hans, also known as Elrhan, Master Archivist Visit The Pern Museum & Archives for all your Pern and Anne McCaffrey News and Resources! The Pern Museum & Archives is the home of the Pern Encyclopedia and the Pern Bloodlines.

Apr 11 2018, 04:31 PM	#5
P'ter Crafter Craftmaster Join Date: May 2006 Location: Wolverhampton Gender: M Fan of: Favorite? Now Reading: avidly	Re: Help! It started as a collection of biographies of the 175 names on the University WW1 memorial. A future development is to find the women who dropped their studies to go nursing. __________________ "Truth is stranger than fiction: fiction has to make sense." Leo Rosten. "When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up." C. S. Lewis "I find television very educational. Whenever somebody switches it on I go in the other room and read a book." (attributed to Groucho Marx) The Pedants are revolting! (against bad grammar)