Cheshire Regiment in India

[wilcoxon]

I have Edward Smith 7264 in Cheshire Regiments. I found his records on Anc,

He  joined 2nd Battalion Cheshire Regiment on 4 Dec 1903
He joined the 1st Battalion Cheshire Regiment on 13 Feb 1906.

Where would have been in India.

Home 28/10/03 to 19/9/04 . 329 days.
India 20/9/04 to 22/2/06. 1 year 329 days
Home 13/2/06 to 12?/8/14
Ex force France 14/8/1914
Prisoner of war 24/8/14 to 2/1/19 Captured at Mons on 24 August.
Home 7/1/19

Also I have him in 1911 with his wife and one son.
When he married in 1909 he was a marine fireman.
In 1911 he is a general labourer.

How can be he in the army and still have jobs,
His real name wasn`t Edward, but his family also knew him as  Ted.
It`s definitely the same man as his wife with maiden name  and sons are listed in his army records. Also some addresses are known to be correct.
His records are quite interesting 

A little confusing 

[Gwil]

If you look at his attestation form at the top you'll see he signed up for 12years they being 3 yrs with Colours, 9 years on Reserve.
So, in 1909 and 1911 he is an Army Reservist.

When war broke out he was mobilised as an Army Reservist.

[jim1]

If was 1/Cheshires he was lucky to get out alive.
They were one of the Batts. left behind to fight a rearguard action so the rest of the army could withdraw.
The Batt. lost 800 men.

[Gwil]

Image 59719  has a line down the bottom stating he's gone to Reserves Class B  on 27/10/06

See here for Class B Reserve
http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/soldiers/a-soldiers-life-1914-1918/enlisting-into-the-army/british-army-reserves-and-reservists/

[MaxD]

India service dates looks like 2nd Battalion in Madras (they went in 04).

Brief addition to Gwil's explanations - his reserve service would have run out in 1915 if the war hadn't intervened and thus he was one of the many recalled right at the start.

maxD

[wilcoxon]

Thanks everyone.  I found this site , it looks like it might be the same Regiments. Do you think it`s relevant to my search for info.
http://www.grandadswar.co.uk/pre1914.html

I spotted Wellington on the Army papers but thought it was Shropshire 

Do you think he would have had a pension or something for being a prisoner of war (apart from his life) I can`t seem to find anything else.
I did find him in the Prisoner of war index and also his medal index.
His youngest son was born December 1913 when he was a timber porter, and his wife was left with the baby and  another child born 1910.

Hard times .

[MaxD]

Totally relevant and a lucky find (it is battalions of the one regiment to be boringly pedantic).  It looks very much as if your Edward travelled with this Grandad having transferred from the 1st Battalion to the 2nd in order to serve in India.  What he says about India 1904/06 would apply to Edward although note that specific locations within the Madras Presidency were not easy to determine.

See http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/hay-festival/10861012/First-World-War-PoWs-why-has-history-forgotten-them.html regarding pensions (or the lack of them)

maxD

[wilcoxon]

http://www.prisonersofwar1914-1918documents.com/downloads---section-1.php

This is all very interesting, I found this site which states that -
For example, good camps were considered to be Friedrichsfeld, Parchim, Soltau, Dulman, Wahn, Wunsdorf and a number of other parent camps. The contrast between the above camps and those at Minden, Limberg, Wittenberg, Schneidemuhl, Langensalzen and others was, said a camp inspector, "the difference between day and night, between heaven, relatively, and hell absolutely."

 Edward was in Soltau.

[MaxD]

Postcard home from a French POW:

http://www.akpool.co.uk/postcards/24010880-foto-ak-soltau-kriegsgefangenenlager-1917-fussball

Google images search kriegsgefangenenlager soltau brings up a number of pics (careful, not all are Soltau).

maxD