Assuming a volunteer enlistment before conscription in 1916 then the army did allow the man's choice to have some bearing on the regiment he joined, see:
.https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/soldiers/a-soldiers-life-1914-1918/enlisting-into-the-army/
MaxD
Thanks for that. I was wondering if perhaps they put family members together but seeing as Michael was in the Machine Gun Corps and Herbert the 14th Battalion Rifle Brigade I guess not. He had 3 other brothers who were old enough to serve, I think 1 was in the Navy though, I’m just trying to think if there are any other ways of identifying his regiment.
As I understand it, Thomas Cole survived the war so there would be no entry in the Effects Register or in Soldiers died....
You are right - I missed that! (note to self - pay attention, Philip!)
Unless there was a 'hun atrocity' story in the local papers I don't know what else to suggest. (possibly on FindMyPest, but I don't have a sub at the moment).
Philip
This is what I was thinking; surely something like this made the papers but then my opinion is based on today’s standards, maybe this wasn’t an outrage during times of war? maybe it wasn’t picked up? maybe it was surpressed? maybe there’s more or less to the story?
I don’t know enough about the time to judge, the sort of circumstances that could lead to one soldier being chained up, shot and left for dead or how to go about searching for records of something that took place over 100 years ago. Everyone on here seems so helpful and knowledgable (as you all have been) that I thought I’d try taping some of that knowledge.
I’ve tried FindMyPest in the past and found it to be one of the most infuriating websites ever and still didn’t have any luck finding any matches.
Field punishment no.1 springs to mind. This was carried out following a Court Martial (British Army).
One man's account:
"When on parade for rifle inspection, after opening the bolts and closing them again the second time as it did not suit the officer the first time, I accidentally let off a round. I had to go before the CO and got No. 1 Field Punishment. I was tied up against a wagon by ankles and wrists for two hours a day, 1 hour in the morning and 1 in the afternoon in the middle of winter and under shellfire."
Yes that’s the kind of thing I was thinking (but my god that’s brutal) but my Mum is certain it wasn’t “us”, he was captured by the Germans and they shot him.
All I can think of is they either shot him because they’d captured him and then caught him trying to escape or when they captured him maybe he’d become detached from his unit somehow and was alone and rather than guard him or march him back to wherever they were keeping the other prisoners they decided to forgo the hassle and shoot him?