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General => Armed Forces => Topic started by: jess5athome on Thursday 06 December 12 22:13 GMT (UK)

Title: Is he the machine gunner? help needed please
Post by: jess5athome on Thursday 06 December 12 22:13 GMT (UK)
Hi, Family talk has always said that William Isles Ridsdale was a machine gunner in the first world war and  suffered from the effects of being exposed to gas in the trenches.
He was born in Airmyn in abt 1897 and died in 1932 at the young age of 35, I have found a on line medal index card for a William Ridsdale with the following details:-
E.R of York Y. Reg no 151 (is this the regiment?)
M.G.C Reg no 150184. (would this be "Machine Gun Corp?)
Theatre of W "3"
Date of entry 10-11-15.
What I would like to know is, is there any way that I could prove that the William Ridsdale in my wife's family is the same person shown on the medal index card I have come across,
as always any help and advice would be greatly appreciated
Kindest regards always,
jess5athome
Title: Re: Is he the machine gunner? help needed please
Post by: GrahamSimons on Thursday 06 December 12 22:14 GMT (UK)
MGC is certainly Machine Gun Corps.
Title: Re: Is he the machine gunner? help needed please
Post by: GrahamSimons on Thursday 06 December 12 22:26 GMT (UK)
I've found a William Ridsdale 5 Bn MGC. Number 67631, which clashes with your info; enlisted 4/6/1915 aged 17; Lance Cpl 4/12/1915; Cpl 21/9/1917.

The difficulty is that only about 30% of service records survived enemy action in WW2, so there may have been service records of other William Ridsdales ......
Title: Re: Is he the machine gunner? help needed please
Post by: jess5athome on Thursday 06 December 12 22:34 GMT (UK)
Hi, yes I thought that may be the case, I think I will have to try to find out if "our" William Ridsdale enlisted, he would be about 17 years of age at the onset of the war and would have probably enlisted where he lived at Airmyn/Goole area.
Regards always,
jess5athome  :)
Title: Re: Is he the machine gunner? help needed please
Post by: MaureeninNY on Thursday 06 December 12 22:37 GMT (UK)
I think his service records are listed on A*try as:William H Ridsdal.

Maureen
Title: Re: Is he the machine gunner? help needed please
Post by: MaureeninNY on Thursday 06 December 12 22:56 GMT (UK)
Just to add that his medal record is:William I Ridsdal
Regiment or Corps:   Machine Gun Corps
Regimental Number:   67631

Maureen
Title: Re: Is he the machine gunner? help needed please
Post by: jess5athome on Thursday 06 December 12 22:58 GMT (UK)
Hi MaureeninNY,
Absolutely stunning is what you are!
Thankyou so much for that information, that's him but he looks to have signed to the 3 /5 Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, (do you know what 3 /5 means?) and not the m/c gun corps tho` I suppose he could have transferred at some point. he signed the paper William Isles Ridsdale and signed in Rawcliffe which is about a mile from Airmyn.
Thanks to you I killed two birds with one stone as the other person shown on that site (Stanley Ridsdale) who also signed up at Rawcliffe is the elder brother of William. :) :) :)
Many many thanks
jess5athome
Title: Re: Is he the machine gunner? help needed please
Post by: GrahamSimons on Thursday 06 December 12 23:03 GMT (UK)
From my slight memory, many transferred to the MGC from other regiments, so that would make sense. The record I found was indeed visible in Ancestry.
Title: Re: Is he the machine gunner? help needed please
Post by: km1971 on Thursday 06 December 12 23:22 GMT (UK)
The MGC was created after his enlisted. So he was transferred to the MGC from the Yorkshire Light Infantry.

In other parts of the record it looks like 3/4th. Both the 4th and 5th Battalions of the KOYLI were territorials before WW1. When the war started they quickly filled their battalion, and created a 'second-line' - 2nd/4th and 2nd/5th - to act as a training unit. When that filled up they created third line - hence 3/4th and 3/5th. As they were self standing regiments within regiments it is easier to think of them as 3rd Battalion 4th (or 5th) KOYLI.

NOTE: although Ancestry says there are 14 images there are in fact closer to 34. Ancestry have this bad habit of linking to the attestation page when there are (in this case) about another 21 images before this page. You can go to the beginning by going straight to image 42701.

In this section it says he was awarded the Military Medal and that it was posted on the London Gazette on 28 July 1819.

Ken
Title: Re: Is he the machine gunner? help needed please
Post by: jess5athome on Thursday 06 December 12 23:26 GMT (UK)
Hi Graham, many thanks for that, as you say it would make sense and his death at 35 years could well have been contributed to by being gassed which is the other part of family belief.
I find it sad that he died at a young age possibly due to injuries caused in that awful conflict, as many more young men of his age did, but on a happier note his elder brother who signed up at the same time in Rawcliffe survived the war and lived to the age of 75.
Regards always,
jess5athome
Title: Re: Is he the machine gunner? help needed please
Post by: GrahamSimons on Thursday 06 December 12 23:36 GMT (UK)
his death at 35 years could well have been contributed to by being gassed which is the other part of family belief.

You might find evidence to support this on his death certificate, or if you can find an obituary in the local paper. It's the local paper that told me about gas being a contributory factor in my great-uncle's death in 1925, although he was significantly older, being 59 when he died.
Title: Re: Is he the machine gunner? help needed please
Post by: GrahamSimons on Thursday 06 December 12 23:51 GMT (UK)
I find it sad that he died at a young age possibly due to injuries caused in that awful conflict, as many more young men of his age did

One fact that still shocks me, if I have it right:

Since the start of the 20th century there was only one year – 1968 – in which British soldiers have not been killed in action.
Title: Re: Is he the machine gunner? help needed please
Post by: jess5athome on Friday 07 December 12 08:46 GMT (UK)
Hi Ken, many thanks for that information, I think that could be the wrong William regarding the Military Medal as the date for the London Gazette is far to early, (1819) unless it should read 1918.
Best regards, jess5athome
Title: Re: Is he the machine gunner? help needed please
Post by: macintosh on Friday 07 December 12 09:40 GMT (UK)
Your first question-  E.R of York Y Reg No 151 ( is this the regiment?)
It may be the East Riding of Yorkshire Yeomanry
Theatre of War 3 was Egypt. from Nov. 1914 to October 1918

See the wikipedia entry for East Riding of Yorkshire Yeomanry.

James
Title: Re: Is he the machine gunner? help needed please
Post by: jess5athome on Friday 07 December 12 10:22 GMT (UK)
Hi, thanks James, the Wiki page is fascinating, thank you for that.
jess5athome
Title: Re: Is he the machine gunner? help needed please
Post by: jess5athome on Friday 07 December 12 13:07 GMT (UK)
Hi all, just to bring my search up to speed, I have found Williams "Attestation" signed on the 27th of July 1915 at Goole along with that of his elder brother Stanley and Hopefully this should help in my search of his time in the first world war.
Ken could you tell me how to get to that information you mentioned about "Image 42701".
Best regards.
jess5athome
Title: Re: Is he the machine gunner? help needed please
Post by: jess5athome on Friday 07 December 12 13:26 GMT (UK)

"You might find evidence to support this on his death certificate, or if you can find an obituary in the local paper. It's the local paper that told me about gas being a contributory factor in my great-uncle's death in 1925, although he was significantly older, being 59 when he died."

Hi Grahamsimons, thank you for that, you have a point there I will certainly order it to have a look.
Regards always,
jess5athome
Title: Re: Is he the machine gunner? help needed please
Post by: km1971 on Friday 07 December 12 13:35 GMT (UK)
Ken could you tell me how to get to that information you mentioned about "Image 42701".

If you follow Maureen's suggestion on Ancestry you get to http://search.ancestry.co.uk/iexec?htx=View&r=5538&dbid=1219&iid=30974_186787-00386&fn=William+H&ln=Ridsdal&st=r&ssrc=&pid=1689921

You can either press the previous button until you get back to the start of the record, or replace the image number with 42701.

Ken

Title: Re: Is he the machine gunner? help needed please
Post by: apwright on Friday 21 December 12 12:58 GMT (UK)
His MM was promulgated in the Supplement to the LG of 23 July 1919:
http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/31469/supplements/9388 (halfway down the righthand column)
The heading for this section (way back on page 9349 - it's a huge list!) says "His Majesty the KING has been graciously pleased to approve of the award of the Military Medal for bravery in the field to the undermentioned Warrant Officers, Non-Commissioned Officers and Men:"

Adrian

P.S. Ooops, sorry! Mean to post this on your other thread. Will do so forthwith!
Title: Re: Is he the machine gunner? help needed please COMPLETED.
Post by: jess5athome on Friday 21 December 12 23:11 GMT (UK)
Hi, many thanks to each and every one of you who have taken the time to read this post.
I can now safely assume that William was in the Machine Gun Corps. I have learned that he was even awarded the Military Medal for bravery in the field and this has come as a total surprise to everyone in the family both near and far.
Many thanks again to you all and as always my very best regards.
jess5athome
Title: Re: Is he the machine gunner? help needed please
Post by: DLRidsdale on Wednesday 15 November 17 17:37 GMT (UK)
Hi,

I know this is an old post but I am curious whether you found out any additional information regarding William Isles Ridsdale. It turns out that he is a direct descendant of mine and I am trying to gather any information I can about him and other ancestors.

Regards,

D. Ridsdale.
Title: Re: Is he the machine gunner? help needed please
Post by: jess5athome on Wednesday 15 November 17 18:07 GMT (UK)
Hi DLRidsdale, I am just about to go out so will be in touch later, I have quite a lot of information regarding William and the Ridsdale family.

William Isles Ridsdale was my Wife's paternal Grandfather  :)

Speak soon.
Frank.
Title: Re: Is he the machine gunner? help needed please
Post by: jess5athome on Wednesday 15 November 17 20:37 GMT (UK)
Hi DLRidsdale, If you make 3 posts on RootsChat you can then send "Private Messages", just make 2 more replies and the ability to send them will kick in, Which Ridsdale family member are you descended from?

Regards always
Frank.