Grandad's Wound

Taking advantage of last weekend's free access to FindMyPast, I found an entry in the weekly War Office casualty for January 1919, in which Grandad Walter is listed. This proves that he was indeed wounded, as suspected, probably during the Battle of the Sambre.

It usually took quite a while for such events to appear in the casualty lists, so it's not always easy to pinpoint the actual date of occurrence, but once again Pte. Henry Atcherley, whose records we have already used to help date Grandad's war service, comes to our assistance as he is also listed.

Atcherley's pension and medical records still exist, which show that he was wounded by shrapnel around the 7th or 8th November 1918, during the aforementioned battle. Considering that shrapnel was later found in Grandad's leg, it's reasonable to assume that he was similarly wounded at that time.

I've updated Grandad's entry accordingly.

Grandad's KSLI connection borne out

I'm extremely lucky to have been given an original list of members of the Home Guard for Withington (which I hope to transcribe and put online).

Grandad is listed in this book, which gives his previous military experience as 'KSLI, Great War' (although the year of his birth is incorrect).

This provides us with more proof that Grandad was with the KSLI at some point in WW1, and I have updated his page accordingly.

Grandad - major questions answered!

A visit to the Herefordshire Archives and Records Centre has yielded some fantastic results in the shape of the Absent Voters Lists!

The lists for 1918-1919 confirm that Grandad was indeed conscripted into the 3rd KSLI, that he was posted to the Devonshires at the end of October 1918, and that he was subsequently posted to the 1/5th DCLI after the Armistice - demobbing November 1919.

Grandad's page has been updated as a result.

(Note that, while this latest update answers a lot of questions, I have still detailed the research I carried out beforehand in the hope that it will be of use to other amateur researchers!)

Grandad - Starred.

Another trawl of the Herefordshire History website has revealed that Grandad was originally in a 'starred' occupation - basically, as a skilled agricultural worker (a wagoner in his case), he was initially exempt from being called-up.

This was to change with the introduction of conscription in 1916, and the removal of his 'starred' status in April 1916.

Cross referencing

Of the approximately 150 men who I believe to have transferred to the 9th Devonshire Regiment, only one service record survives. However it is still possible to view their entries on the medal rolls, and the smattering of Silver War Badge entries. Additionally, one among their number subsequently joined the RAF, and has some service details also available to view online.

Cross referencing this gives us a little more information, but also throws into question my assumption that Grandad was initially in the KSLI before being transferred to the Devonshires. I have factored all this into his entry.

Grandad - More Information Comes to Light!

Thanks to the newly launched Herefordshire History website, I have found some important information on my Grandad's military service which confirms the fact that he was conscripted no earlier than 1st September 1917.

I have also discovered where he was working at the time, and what his job was, and have edited his page (see the right hand panel) accordingly!

Grandad at the Sambre

After downloading the war diary of the 7th Brigade from the National Archives, I've found a map of their section of the Battle of the Sambre, 4-8th November 1918, which shows the dispositions of the battalions (including the 9th Devonshires).

Comparing this with the 9th Devonshires' war diary gives us a better idea of their part in the battle, so I've put a copy up on to Grandad's page.

Grandad Updated

I've now updated grandad's entry on this blog, adding all the new information I have come across.

Grandad's Medals

These are the medals that started me off on this journey, Grandad Walter's medals: the Victory Medal (left) and the British Medal (right).

And here is the box they came in!

Thanks to some laborious cross referencing of medal index cards and the fine folk at the Great War Forum I now know roughly when Walter was posted overseas to join the 9th Devonshires, and also the regiment he originally enlisted in.

I also have a copy of the war diary for the 9th Devonshires, which gives a date for when he transferred to the DCLI.

I will rewrite Grandad's entry soon, and am also in the process of writing something for his brother, John Lee Price.