In another thread there was a question about loaner cards given out by railroad watch inspectors, digging through my collection I found an interesting card, the I thought I would start a new gallery with. It is from the 12th Division U.S. Army Time Inspection Service dated November 2, 1918, nine days before the end of World War I. It is issued to P.A. Smith for a Hamilton 16 size, Grade 969, Serial No.313596 the Hamilton Ledgers indicate this watch was finished April 27, 1904 and was sold November 2, 1918 to the Norris Alister Ball Co. Maybe Tom Brown could find out some more information on Mr. Smith.

Reverse side of card, I know there were railway operating battalions in World War I, my grandfather Augustin, who was a section foreman on the Canadian Northern railway, and his oldest son George served in the Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan Battalion, they would be active in rebuilding rail lines that were bombed during the war. If anybody has any other interesting Time Service ephemera please feel free to add it to this thread.

No luck on Mr. Smith, just too common a last name, with no first name or location there are just too many records to search through.

Thanks for trying Tom, does anybody know any history about the 12th U.S. Army?

Larry
I wonder if that might actually be the 12th Engineers (Light Railway). This link will take you to a US Army Historical Foundation page that gives a history of the 12th Engineers in the US & Europe.

http://www.armyhistory.org/ahf...7&id=216&exCompID=56

Larry, this is a great idea, having a place for these inspector cards.I'm sure there's a whole slew of them out there, I think a lot of us enjoy seeing them.They're a big part of railroad watch history.Take care and thanks, Ted.

ocean born,I sea things differently, Lance Corporal P.S.Smith,HQ,12th div.

Thanks Ted for your encouragement, more examples coming. And thank you Tom for answering part of the riddle as to the rank of Mr. Smith, and Tom the link to the 12th U.S. Army Battalion of Light Engineers answered a lot of questions, I believe this would be the background of the watch card, somewhere around here in my collection. I haven't World War I Medal of one of the railway cars that the serviceman, and their horses traveled in, that was referred to on the website.

Larry