I am reading through the JMOs for Regiment d'Infanterie Territoriale and have seen the acronym R.A.T, can someone tell me what this means please?
 
Also, does anyone know which unit of the 55e RIT was sent to Greece/Salonique?
 
Thanks/Merci
Martin  

Hi Martin,
 
RAT meens "Réserve de l'Armée Territoriale". Men were categorized according to their age. Older were in the RAT (42 to 47 year old) and take place in RIT.
 
Are you sure that a unit of the 55e RIT was sent to Greece/Salonique ? No trace of this in the Historique of the 55e RIT. http://www.genemilassoc.fr/charge.php?f=MTUwOA==
 
Regards  
Arnaud

Arnaud,
 
Thanks for your reply about the RAT - it makes sense now.
 
I read that a company was in Salonique in a JMO for an etapes company of the 84e RIT that had been on Moudros after being at Gallipoli.
 
I have a bigger question about the 55e RIT. When the French Ship 'Gallia' was sunk in October 1916- on the way to Greece/Salonique I understand - it had detachments from the 55e, 59e and 113e RITs on it. I would like know if these were Etapes companies or battalions isolees.
 
I understand that a unit of the 113e RIT was also at Gallipoli.        
 
Thanks/Merci,
Martin

Martin,
 
I have take a look at the 55th RIT JMO's and discovered nothing. No words about a detachment in Orient. Nothing. The three battalions of the 55th RIT stay in France too 1918 when they were disolved.
But these soldiers were in this boat. Many of them were old...
http://pages14-18.mesdiscussions.n [...] .htm#t8971
Il search for registre matricule of the two soldiers from Ain department.
Grosfilley Jules Eugène
http://ad01.vtech.fr/visu2/visu.ht [...] ne15361893
 
Clapot Jean-Marie
http://ad01.vtech.fr/visu2/visu.ht [...] rie7741893
Nothing...
Maybe they were in a "depot", not in a fighting unit. A tranfert for an "etape company" in an other unit... Il don't know, I'm sorry.
I hope somebody could help you.
Regards,
Arnaud

Good evening Martin,
 
I've had a look at the two major sources regarding the 55th Territorial, i.e. Souvenirs d'Alsace, by Major Fleutiaux, and Dix-Sept Mois de Campagne, by Doctor Brizard.
 
Fleutiaux mentions no stay abroad, and according to him, the 3rd battalion of his regiment was disactivated on January 3rd, 1917, at Clefcy, in the Vosges. Moreover, after checking the list of the regiment's KIA, no mention of a man killed abroad either.
 
As for Brizard, he only details the disactivation of the 3rd battalion -which was his own, by the way- indicating that it started on January 4th and was completed by February 9th, 1917. But there again, nothing is to be found in his testimony about a stay abroad concerning any fraction of the 55th Territorial.
 
Best regards,
Eric Mansuy