6th Manchester Regt

[Pendlewitch67]

Good afternoon

Please forgive me if I have posted in the wrong forum but I am used to the county forums.

I have just found my ancestor's attestation record for Robert Layfield. The date is recorded as 21 April 1903. His regiment was 6th Manchester.

I know he was killed much later having been injured presumably invalided out and then signing up again under another name with the Scottish Cameroons.

I believe 1903 was just after the Boer War. Would he have been signing up for that conflict and what did the 6th regiment do, please?

Any informative would be brilliant, thank you.

Kindest regards
Amanda

[jim1]

Wasn't the 6th. a Territorial Battalion ? ie. part-timers. 1903 they would have been called Voluteers.

[MaxD]

It was indeed a militia battalion (its a militia attestation form) so he was signing up for a bit of extra money while continuing his civilian job.  In the event, he served the introductory 76 days training (doe or drills on enlistment) when he first joined but there is no record of any further service in any subsequent year or of any service where he was injured.

MaxD

[Pendlewitch67]

It was indeed a militia battalion (its a militia attestation form) so he was signing up for a bit of extra money while continuing his civilian job.  In the event, he served the introductory 76 days training (doe or drills on enlistment) when he first joined but there is no record of any further service in any subsequent year.

MaxD

Thanks, MaxD

A great start to my search. I'll need to have a dig around to find out what he did next. He served four years in India with the  4th King's Own Royal Lancashire regiment.

http://www.burnleyinthegreatwar.info/burnleyrollofhonourmenl/layfieldrobert.htm

Kind regards
Amanda

[MaxD]

I am not sure our friends in Burnley have got his pre-war regiment title correct which makes that period a bit uncertain.  There was The King's Own Royal (Lancaster) Regiment (title from 1881 to 1921) but that didn't have a 4th Battalion until the outbreak of the Great War, then there were 1st/4th and 2nd/4th, only the former served overseas and that was in France so we are going to have to find him in some other Lancashire regiment I think.  Can you find any more on him?

See next post

You might like to download the war diary of the 10th Battalion Cameronians from the National Archives at http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C7352816 for £3.50.  He lost his life on day one of the battle of Loos.  The diary describes the day in detail.  There are also a number of Google hits for "cameronians at Loos".  The action that day took place to the east and north of Loos.  On the link below, if you hover over the squares 31, 32, 25 and 26 towards the bottom of the left hand map, the right hand map will show what it looks like today.   http://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/side-by-side/#zoom=15&lat=50.4660&lon=2.8077&layers=101465011&right=BingHyb

MaxD

[MaxD]

Got him - they got the battalion in India wrong.  Its on Findmypast which has free access this weekend.  Went from the militia, served 1903-1910 (four years active, 8 years reserve) invalided out 1910.  2nd and then 1st Battalions.

MaxD

[Pendlewitch67]

Got him - they got the battalion in India wrong.  Its on Findmypast which has free access this weekend.  Went from the militia, served 1903-1910 (four years active, 8 years reserve) invalided out 1910.  2nd and then 1st Battalions.

MaxD
[/quote

Thank you so much. I have been looking at Find My Past but I missed some of the transcripts.

Kindest regards
Amanda

[jim1]

Well done MaxD. Looked at the diary earlier but can't pinpoint hill 70. Any ideas?
Could it be the rise middle of 31,32.

[MaxD]

Looking at the contours and the Canadian depiction at http://www.hill70.ca/Battle-of-Hill-70.aspx I'd say it should be called Hill 68.4 at 32 c 0 5 which is exactly where you put it.

Max