John Bond Symes of Tunbridge Wells,Kent

[Smokey807]

I am looking for any information about John Bond Symes between after the 1901 census up to the time of his death in France in WWi with the London Regiment (Royal Fusiliers)on May 3,1917. He was a captain at the time of his death. He is on the CWG site and recorded as The Tank Cemetery Guemappe at Pas de Calais France. He and his brother Edward Douglas Symes are both recorded on the Tunbridge Wells War Memorial and on a plaque at St James Church.

John Bond Symes birth was reg. 2nd qtr 1891 at Epson,Surrey. Christened May 28,1891 at Ewell St Mary, Surrey, son of Edward and Catherine Symes. The 1891 census taken in Ewell,Surrey gave John Bond Symes, age 1mth with five siblings and parents Edward, a farmer, and mother Catherine.

the 1901 census has John B. Symes at Ramsgate Kent, born 1891 Ewell, living as a boarder with the Edwin Langley family. Then he disappears as no 1911 census found.

I did find a passenger list for a John Bond Symes who departed from Liverpool April 5,1910 on the ship Caronia. He was given as a single man, a farmer, born in England, sailed 2nd class and arrived in New York. I wonder if this is the same man?

Any information about John Bond Symes would be appreciated. I could not find any military records for him other than that from the CWG site and the war memorial/church plaques which match the CWG site information.

[*Sandra*]

Also posted on USA

http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=719593.msg5633457#new

and Canada

http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=719595.msg5633503#new

Sandra

[Christine53]

As an officer his service record should be with TNA ( you know he didn't serve after the War so the record won't be with MOD ).

I found this possibility , but the record hasn't been digitized so you would need to get a quote or go to TNA to view free :

http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C736907

Unfortunately there is no information regarding Regiment etc. to make identification more certain.

[Christine53]

I did find a passenger list for a John Bond Symes who departed from Liverpool April 5,1910 on the ship Caronia. He was given as a single man, a farmer, born in England, sailed 2nd class and arrived in New York. I wonder if this is the same man?

On his arrival in New York he gives the address of his nearest relative , his father Edward Symes of 9 Calverley Park Gardens , Tunbridge Wells - this is the address of Edward and Catherine Symes in 1911.

[Smokey807]

I want to thank all of you for the great work. The mystery is now solved. John Bond Symes of Tunbridge Wells son of Edward and Catherine Symes is the same man given in Canadian military records as John Barnes Symes. He left England arriving in New York in 1910 and for a time lived as John B. Symes (1910 census at Virginia) with the Johnson family. It turns out that Johns mother Catherine had been married twice and had children from both marriages.She first married Frank Johnson who must have died before her second marriage to Edward Symes in 1883.

Somehow John Bond Symes moved to Canada and served with the Royal North West Mounted police for two years sometime after 1904 and before 1914. In the obituary for John Bond Symes (T.Wells Courier) it is stated he was the son of alderman Edward Symes and that he was killed May 3,1916 in France and that he had been in Canada for several years when war broke out. His father asked him to either sign up in Canada or come back to England and join the same unit as his brother. John signed up in Calgary but for some strange reason his attestation papers are in the name of John Barnes Symes. When he arrived in England he was promoted from private-transferred to the London Regiment eventually obtaining the rank of captain.And so it is also true that he was part of the Fay Expedition through the Rockies in the latter half of 1914.

[grandarog]

Hi Smokey 807.
I happened to take photos of the War Memorial on Wednesday 29 just gone.

[Dave Jones]

The Kent & Sussex Courier of 18th May 1917 has a photograph of your John Bond Symes.
There is also a photograph of his brother Edward Douglas Symes in the issue dated 17th November 1916.

The newspaper articles they were attached to  also give details of their military careers (also in issue dated 24th August 1917)

[Smokey807]

To Dave Jones

Yes thank you for the reference. I now have the articles

[ronsta]

This may add to a bit of the story. The cenotaph in Jasper Alberta Canada has his name on it. Which by the things that I have found he may have been living here at that time of enlistment?