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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Cheshire => Topic started by: Terance Jonathan Payne on Friday 12 January 07 06:10 GMT (UK)
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I have Thomas Harps Medal card He was a private ( 8012 )
He is listed as P of W ( prisoner of war ? ). I think he was the son of Thomas Harp 1866 and Elizabeth Emery 1868.
The date of entry on the card is 16/08/1914. please help.
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Terry,
What information are you looking for?
Regards,
Josephine
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I wish to know more about him, it says he was a prisoner
of war, but where did he serve ?where was he captured ?
CWGC has no record of him being a casualty or any record of a grave, so i assume he survived the war and made it home. If so where did he die ? where buried / Children ?
Desendants ? sorry but i am just curious.
Thanks for any help in advance.
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Terry,
This is not my area of expertise so I hope others will chime in.
My husband's grandfather served in the Cheshire Regiment during the First World War. My husband's father tried to find the records on a trip to England years ago but was told they were destroyed by bombing during the Second World War.
Looking at the National Archives website, it seems that some records survived and are available on microfilm at the archives. I can't find a way of requesting a records search; if that's possible, I hope someone will let us both know. :)
Cheshire BMD has a marriage for a Thomas Harp in 1907 but of course I don't know if it's him:
http://www.cheshirebmd.org.uk/
Have you got them in the 1901 census?
There's a Thomas H. Harp with wife Elizabeth A. but there's no son named Thomas with them. When and where was Thomas (the son) born?
Regards,
Josephine
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Hi Jo, I am going to ask the regimental historian, and i will let you know, Terry
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Thanks, Terry!
Regards,
Josephine
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Hi Josephine If all else fails,- the LDS website has Military records by surname for the British Army for WW1. I am just about to order one for myself from the local LDS library.
Go to www.familysearch.org/
and do a search of the catalogue.
Regards
Shirley
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Thank you, Shirley!
My difficulty is that I don't have an LDS centre that is close enough for me to get to by public transit. :'(
Regards,
Josephine
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Hi Jo whats an LDS center, is there some thing i can do to help ?
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Hi, Terry!
Here's my understanding of an LDS FHC.
It's a Family History Centre run by the Church of the Latter Day Saints (Mormons).
They have a website that you've probably seen:
www.familysearch.org
Their main repository is in Utah. They have millions (I think) of records on microfilm.
They have Family History Centres in various cities throughout the world. I've been told the FHCs have indexes. You can search through their indexes and then, if you find something that you want, you ask them to order the microfilm of the actual records from Utah. When the microfilm comes in, they phone you, and you go to their centre to view it and print a copy.
The website has lists of the records they have on microfilm.
If you go to their website, click on the "Library" tab (at the top of the screen), then click on "Family History Centers", you can find the one nearest you. While still in the "Library", click on "Family History Library Catalog" to see what kinds of records they have.
Regards,
Josephine
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Ok now i know, er tell you what there must be some-one out there who lives by one. I am in Manchester UK.
As i said i will try the regimental historian, cant think of any-thing else at the moment but Thomas could not have just disapeared.
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Terry,
It looks like the Cheshire Military Museum will conduct a search for a fee:
http://www.chester.ac.uk/militarymuseum/archives.html
Regards,
Josephine
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Hello Terry,
I have been in to the Military Museum in Chester very often and there is nothing more they like than to help people such as yourself.
There is a researcher with 30 years experience there on a Saturday, his name is Geoff Crump. Can pass on the telephone number if you want it. He will be able to tell you if there is any possibility of finding information on your relative.
AK
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AK,
Would you please PM me with the phone number, too? My husband might like to call just in case there might be anything available on his grandfather (although we know it's highly unlikely).
Thank you!
Regards,
Josephine
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Apologies for perhaps widening the discussion Terry;Is this possibly the Thomas Harp who married Winifred Rogers at Chester in 1907,and is the Father of the Evelyn Harp in my Tree?
Regards
William Russell Jones
Cefn Mawr
Wrexham.
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Hey W.J nice to hear from you again where you been hiding ? up a mountain or what ??? ;D ;D.
The only info i have on this Thomas is his medal card
Date of entry 16-8-1914. Private 8012 Harp Thomas Cheshire reg. It also says he was a POW, Prisoner Of War.
It is this fact that intrigue's me. Apart from that it could be
Thomas son of William and Annie Ridge, brother of Annie 1891,Ethel 1892,William 1894, Harold date unknown,Minnie date unknown,Hilda date unknown,Annie ? date unknown, and Samual Date unknown,also aunty and uncles incude,John 1854,Maria 1855,Samual 1857,Thomas 1866,William 1869,James 1871,Joseph 1874 who wed Florence Ekin. :o
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Thanks AK, we went last year on a visit to Overliegh and called at the regimental chapel in the Cathedral, i showed Rosie ( daughter ) George Harps Name in the Roll of Honour book, i had to ask one of the curate's to move the OAK leaves and turn the page for us to see i got a lovely photo of Rosie pointing at George's name, it was truly moving to link to the past i guess thats one reason why we take such an interest in our family history, when you meet one of your distant relitive's and shake their hand it is like bridging the past and making your ancester's life have meaning. See there i go again !!!!! :)
Hello Terry,
I have been in to the Military Museum in Chester very often and there is nothing more they like than to help people such as yourself.
There is a researcher with 30 years experience there on a Saturday, his name is Geoff Crump. Can pass on the telephone number if you want it. He will be able to tell you if there is any possibility of finding information on your relative.
AK
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As someone was saying earlier,there don't seem to be many possibles in the 1901 Census.
Regards
William Russell Jones
Cefn Mawr
Wrexham.
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Hi all!
Just wanted to add - if you have a specific inquiry regarding military stuff don't forget the Armed Forces section of Rootshat :D
Also this might help with POW's
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,188285.0.html
Much luck with your research all
Wendi :)
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You might try here too !
http://www.1914-1918.net/POW/index.php
Annie :)
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I am not 100% sure but didn't the war only start in August 1914? Must have been one unlucky guy to have been caught so quickly. Perhaps in the light of later events he was one of the lucky ones?
I wouldn't have thought he would have got much in the way of medals because he was caught so early but as he was perhaps he was a regular before the war and had medals from earlier conflicts? Boer war maybe?
The first war is a problem area in a lot of cases due to the fact that many men enlisted under false names and lots of them gave a false date of birth as they were too young. A few years back a good friend of mine actually got the CWGC to change a headstone because it had his great uncles assumed name on it. Now it reads something like Pte ****** formerly known as ******
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Hey thanks for that, yes there are records of medal cards for Thomas so he proberbly was in the Boar war with George Harp his Brother.
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Hi Terry,
I've been in touch with a friend of mine who is a bit of an expert on the Cheshire regt. He said that Thomas Harp's service number meant that he was a regular army chap. The 1st Battalion Cheshire's were in France from the start and fought a rear guard action in Mons. They lost a lot of men at the time. It is possible that Thomas was with the 1st Battalion but that is not gospel.
He said if you look at the medal card and see something that says Qualifying date then that will give you the date that the Battalion arrived in France. Hope that helps a bit?
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Hi Terry,
I've been in touch with a friend of mine who is a bit of an expert on the Cheshire regt. He said that Thomas Harp's service number meant that he was a regular army chap. The 1st Battalion Cheshire's were in France from the start and fought a rear guard action in Mons. They lost a lot of men at the time. It is possible that Thomas was with the 1st Battalion but that is not gospel.
He said if you look at the medal card and see something that says Qualifying date then that will give you the date that the Battalion arrived in France. Hope that helps a bit?
certacio is right,thomas was in the 1st battalion,cheshire regt,he landed at havre on 16-8-1914,his battalion had been stationed in londonderry and was mobilised on the outbreak and sent straight to france,they were in action at mons in late aug 1914,many men were killed,wounded and captured during the fighting there,mack
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Thanks once again for the info certacito, it helps clear up yet again a bit more of the family history.