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General => The Common Room => Topic started by: Rosemary Fielder on Saturday 10 November 18 22:45 GMT (UK)

Title: Tracing where my grandfather served in WW1
Post by: Rosemary Fielder on Saturday 10 November 18 22:45 GMT (UK)
Please can anyone offer advice where to start. My grandfather survived WW1 but my mother is desperate to know where her served as he would never talk about it.   I found this site after trying to find the credibility of forces war records and read that they were not much use?!  I have his name, date of birth and I think his service number but I am not sure if it is correct.   Many thanks for any advice that anyone can offer
Title: Re: Tracing where my grandfather served in WW1
Post by: CaroleW on Saturday 10 November 18 22:55 GMT (UK)
Welcome to Rootschat

Can you give us what details you have please?  Over 60% of WW1 service records were burnt during the WW2 blitz but there are records available
Title: Re: Tracing where my grandfather served in WW1
Post by: whiteout7 on Sunday 11 November 18 02:04 GMT (UK)
See if he has a medal card

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/british-army-medal-index-cards-1914-1920/

My Gr.Grandads war records did not survive but his medal card told me of his first theatre of battle ....
Title: Re: Tracing where my grandfather served in WW1
Post by: Rosemary Fielder on Sunday 11 November 18 16:12 GMT (UK)
His name is Frederick Charles Agar, he came home at the end of the war.  His date of birth was 10/5/1892  I believe (but trying to validate) that his service number was 3403, he was a Lance Corporal in the Queens Regiment   He lived in Frimley in Surrey
Many thanks for all your help

Just literally heard from one of my cousins and updated the information - apologies for the misinformation which another cousin had got on line
Title: Re: Tracing where my grandfather served in WW1
Post by: CaroleW on Sunday 11 November 18 16:20 GMT (UK)
There is a Medal Roll Index entry for that name and number but not with his details

Frederick C Agar   a private in the Prince of Wales's Own (West Yorkshire) Regiment  Regimental Number    235483

He was awarded the British and Victory medals but no indication he served abroad

It doesn't look as though his WW1 service record has survived


EDIT - you appear to have edited the regimental number since I posted

The Frederick C Agar shown above died in 1917 aged 19yrs per www.cwgc.org
Title: Re: Tracing where my grandfather served in WW1
Post by: CaroleW on Sunday 11 November 18 16:29 GMT (UK)
From your edited info but without a middle name

Frederick Agar  Lance Corporal Queen's (Royal West Surrey) Regiment, Army Service Corps
Regimental Number    3403,T/444030

Awarded the British/Victory/15 star medals

Theatre of war entered 21.1.15 but country not shown
Title: Re: Tracing where my grandfather served in WW1
Post by: CaroleW on Sunday 11 November 18 16:33 GMT (UK)
Quote
His date of birth was 10/5/1892  I believe (but trying to validate) that his service number was 3403, he was a Lance Corporal in the Queens Regiment   He lived in Frimley in Surrey

Frederick Charles Agar was b Hampshire June qtr 1893

There is no birth matching the birthdate you have given - although he lived in Surrey - where was he actually born?
Title: Re: Tracing where my grandfather served in WW1
Post by: CaroleW on Sunday 11 November 18 16:36 GMT (UK)
Is this his death registration?

Frederick C Agar aged 66   March 1960   Surrey North Western  Vol 5g  Page    819
Title: Re: Tracing where my grandfather served in WW1
Post by: CaroleW on Sunday 11 November 18 16:38 GMT (UK)
Did he marry Elsie Greaves in Surrey in 1924?

That Frederick Charles Agar was born 10.5.1893 - not 1892 and is therefore the one born in Hampshire

Births June qtr 1893   
Frederick Charles Agar     Hartley Wintney  2c   183

Father Charles Agar - mother Fanny Maria Hardiman who married 1893 Hartley Wintney
Title: Re: Tracing where my grandfather served in WW1
Post by: AntonyMMM on Sunday 11 November 18 16:42 GMT (UK)
The medal card show he entered Theatre of War "1", which is France/Flanders.

The medal roll (RASC 101B/295) shows he was in the 1st battalion of the Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regiment) .... checking the war diary (WO 95/1350/3)  should track his movements from the day he entered the war but will be complicated by him moving to the ASC (Army Service Corps) which may have been because of wounds/injury affecting his fitness to fight.

On the day he entered France (21/1/1915) the battalion were at Chocques, near Bethune and the diary records the arrival of the re-reinforcements.

Title: Re: Tracing where my grandfather served in WW1
Post by: janan on Sunday 11 November 18 16:54 GMT (UK)
The medal roll shows that he transferred to the RASC on 1/11/18, so very near the end of the war.

Jan
Title: Re: Tracing where my grandfather served in WW1
Post by: Rosemary Fielder on Sunday 11 November 18 16:58 GMT (UK)
Carole & Anthony, You are the most fabulous people, yes he was married to Elsie Geaves (my grandmother) - Hartley Witney is right on the Surrey / Hampshire border and mum's maths (working out his dob could easily be slightly wrong.  My cousin literally found and posted some information at the same time I was asking questions - hence the updates.  I will phone mumnow and tell her what you have found, she will be thrilled as she wanted to know where he served but he would never talk about it.  She does remember talk of him being wounded so that might explain his change to Army Service Corp
So, so grateful
Title: Re: Tracing where my grandfather served in WW1
Post by: AntonyMMM on Sunday 11 November 18 17:00 GMT (UK)
The medal roll shows that he transferred to the RASC on 1/11/18, so very near the end of the war.

Jan

Well spotted ....

The battalion war diary will allow you to follow him through the war, although exactly when/where he may have been wounded (if he was) is unlikely to be recorded. If he transferred to the ASC in Nov 18, he might have been wounded some time before that.
Title: Re: Tracing where my grandfather served in WW1
Post by: Rosemary Fielder on Sunday 11 November 18 17:14 GMT (UK)
Just spoken to mum, she was in tears having all this information relayed.  She remembers him being injured (leg) and that was why he couldn't serve in WW2 and was in the ARP 35-45.  He died shorthly before I was born so the date of death is correct. 
Title: Re: Tracing where my grandfather served in WW1
Post by: CaroleW on Sunday 11 November 18 18:01 GMT (UK)
I know the main purpose of your post was his WW1 service but it may be of interest to see the 1901 entry for him with his parents and siblings at that time - there may be more by 1911

It looks as though somebody else is researching the family as a mis-transcription has been notified

The Green - Frimley

Charles Agar 30 builders carter b Cove Hampshire
Fanny  31 b Basingstoke
Frederick C  7 b Farnborough
Leonard E  5 b Frimley Green
Edith W  1       ditto
John Leigh 31 boarder - mechanical engineer b Manchester
RG13 Piece 609 Folio 133 Page 23




Title: Re: Tracing where my grandfather served in WW1
Post by: jonw65 on Sunday 11 November 18 18:11 GMT (UK)
Frederick Agar, 3403, attested 16 November 1914
age 21 years 6 months
(Queen's Royal West Surrey Regiment Rough Register Of Recruits 1914-1917)
Title: Re: Tracing where my grandfather served in WW1
Post by: cath151 on Sunday 11 November 18 18:15 GMT (UK)
Wounded soldiers lists
F Agar
Resided town Frimley Green
Incident date 15/08/1916
Pte. 3403 Royal west Surrey Regiment
Listed as "wounded" on Casualty Lists by the War Office

Cathy
Title: Re: Tracing where my grandfather served in WW1
Post by: jonw65 on Sunday 11 November 18 18:25 GMT (UK)
Surrey Advertiser, 12 August 1916
Lance-Corpl. F. Agar, The Queen’s, eldest son of Mr. and Mrs. C. Agar, Mulford Cottage, Frimley Green, has recently been wounded, and is now in Norfolk Military Hospital. Lance-Corpl. Agar has served in France for nineteen months.
Title: Re: Tracing where my grandfather served in WW1
Post by: jonw65 on Sunday 11 November 18 18:35 GMT (UK)
He is also reported as wounded among the Surrey men listed in the Advertiser edition of 14 August 1916

Incident date 15/08/1916

Don't understand that date!
Title: Re: Tracing where my grandfather served in WW1
Post by: cath151 on Sunday 11 November 18 18:50 GMT (UK)
Hmmm will check
Cathy
That's what the transcribed record says,  actual record not available