Can you find Bugler Brown?

[Annie65115]

I have a handwritten letter sent by Bugler E Brown to my grandmother in the summer 1918. At that time, Brown was in the 7th KSLI, in France, and makes reference to having previously been with the South Lancs regiment in Belgium in 1914-15, then to have spent a time back in the UK before being sent back to action. He joined the Shropshires in 1916. His brother (no name given) was killed on the Somme in 1916.

The only other info is that the numbers 8122 are on the first page, and that the author signed himself “Bugler E Brown, Rainhill”.

Can this soldier be identified from this? Did he make it to the end of the war?

Thanks for any help.

[crisane]

This looks like his Medal Roll Index Card
Edgar Brown    
Prince of Wales's Volunteers (South Lancashire) Regiment, regiment number 1874
Shropshire Light Infantry regiment number  8122

Be aware that 60% plus of WW1 service records were destroyed by bombing/fire in WW11 so if his didn't survive it may be difficult to identify him
You could search the CWGC site for a death using these details.

[crisane]

Findmypast have a 2 page record called Receipts for a Soldier's Documents but these don't even give his first name just the initial and no other relevant information. This is the only record for a Brown, E Brown, Edgar brown showing for me on Findmypast.
His Medal Roll Index Card is on ancestry but I don't have a sub so can't access it. ancestry also has two service records for an Edgar Brown but without access i don't know if one (or both) is your man.
I can't see a death for him on CWGC

[Annie65115]

Thanks for the replies.

The medal card doesn’t give any further info and I can’t find him on the CWGC site either, so maybe that is good news!

[crisane]

Rainhill is a large village and civil parish within the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens, in Merseyside, England according to google maps so I searched FreeBMD for births in St Helens - none. But in Liverpool anytime anyplace there were four. 1842, 1897, 1927 and 1931.
So 1897 is the one if he was born in the area and not just living there at the time of writing the letter
After looking at the censuses there is an Edgar Brown with his parents William and Rebecca (nee Johnson) His parents married in March 1/4 1881. It is a large family and the father william James is a Restaurant Proprietor on 1901. There are 3 brothers on this census, William, George and John C

[Annie65115]

That makes sense; the S Lancs regiment was based in Warrington and St Helens

[MaxD]

His SR prefix to his number indicates he was a member of the Special Reserve which means he was already serving in a reserve capacity pre-war and was mobilised at the outbreak of war.  The special reservists were administered usually by the 3rd Reserve Battalion which in the case of the S Lancs was in Warrington (as Annie85115 notes).
His medal card shows he went to France on 12 Dec 1914 and the medal roll entry confirms that was with 2nd Battalion S Lancs.  He was still committed to the Special Reserve at the end of the war but without his records we don't know how long for. 
A 1918 absent voters' list for the area if there is one may link him with Crisane's suggestion?

MaxD

[Annie65115]

From his letter, he clearly served with my grandfather (as per MaxD's post above)

[Annie65115]

Re Edgar Brown, son of William and Rebecca; I’ve been in touch with someone from this family and it seems that this is not the correct Edgar. Thinking more, if Bugler Brown was a reservist by 1914, he was unlikely to have been born in 1897 wasn’t he? What age could people join up?