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General => Armed Forces => Topic started by: suzyf on Saturday 03 June 06 18:22 BST (UK)
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Farrington Walter No 5183 +R/30610
What can I find out about his service?
We have his daughter's birth certificate,stamped at Winchester barracks in 1911.There is a WW1 medal record card for Victory,British + 14Star.Where does that mean he served? Medals and ? Clasp were amended in 1921 +1923 to read sargeant.On SWB list what does this mean?
He was not a soldier when he married in Manchester in Jan 1911,age 25 and his family continued to live there.
Would the posting about men transferring from The Manchesters/Territorials to the Rifles have any relevence to his service?
Later in life he always wore a patch on one eye,presumably a war wound
Photos attached are probably him.
Can anybody identify the regiment and were he's likely to be on the one abroad ?
Suzy F
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Hi Suzy,
Without actually seeing the medal card I'm only going on what you've mentioned here, but there's 3 medals, 1914 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal and it also mentions a clasp.
The only clasp that it can be in that context is the so-called "Mons" clasp for the 1914 Star. The wording on the clasp is actually "5th Aug. - 22nd Nov. 1914".
The 1914 Star was awarded to all those in France/Belgium between those dates. The clasp was awarded to those under fire during that period. The majority of the recipients were men of the prewar Army who landed in France soon after the outbreak (the Old Contemptibles) and took part in the retreat from Mons, hence the Mons Star.
Neil
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firstly don't worry about the other thread (manchesters to rifle brigade) walter wasn't any of those
he was a soldier before the war, no doubt, in the Kings Royal Rifle Corp ( my grandfathers regiment)
the first picture is taken abroad, he's in tropical uniform with a wolsley helmet, black buttons ( rifle regiment) , good conduct stripe ( or is long service?) the swagger stick is just for show ;)
in the second picture i'd say he has to be the soldier on the right, he may well have a problem with his left eye, and if you notice he has black buttons again...rifle uniform, i can't make out the cap badge but it should be a maltese cross
winchester was the regimental base for the KRRC, fits right with his daugthers BC
1st Battalion in August 1914 was in Aldershot. 11 August 1914 : moved to France, landing at Le Havre, he would have been involved the 'retreat from Mons' and would have the 'clasp with roses' along with his 1914 star
the 1st battalion were part of the 2nd division, there's a potted history of them on the long, long trail site here
http://www.1914-1918.net/2div.htm
the SWB is the silver war/wound badge, awarded to soldiers who were so badly wounded they couldn't serve any further
(http://www.1914-1918.net/PIX/swb_badge.JPG)
hope this helps...he was obviously a brave man, he has two wound stripes on his arm as well!
cheers
chris
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His left hand in the first picture looks like a prosthesis to me !
I agree 2 wound stripes and I can't see the badge either ! it looks like a cap badge with something else underneath .... ::)
Annie
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His left hand in the first picture looks like a prosthesis to me !
my first thought was, i doubt that annie, probably just a funny angle...can't see him being in the front line in ww1 with that ( the pic is from 1900's i thnk) but it doesn't look right in the second ???
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ohh! no puttees in the second pic?
and medal ribbon!
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I noticed the puttees and medal ribbon too ... and it looks like all three guys have different cap badges .... !
but his has what looks like - pins underneath !! the kind people collect :-\ :-\ :-\ is that just my eyes .... ?? and what are those boys doing there ?
Annie ::)
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pins ( little badges?)
under his cap badge?...hmmm don't think even an nco would get away with that
probably a scuff on the pic
suzy.... can you do a high res scan of the cap and the medal ribbon (left brest) please
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This is the only way I can do it Chris .... you know me techno duck !! .......
http://static.flickr.com/56/159639051_8b7feceba7_o.jpg
doesn't look like a scuff to me !!
Annie :)
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ok...it does look funny
but wtf are they ???
all yours.....i'm off to bed!
night all ;D
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Thanks all for the info about Walter Farrington.--My husband's grandfather--
Any suggestions where he would have been abroad ? and would it have been before WW1 ?
I've scanned the Photo slightly higher resolution .The original is a really bad condition postcard type with no indication of when and where it is .Other picture may be a red herring or could be him younger,definitely a different cap badge.
And the Winchester stamp is on his marriage cert and dated April 1912 .He had a child later that year and his wife put his occupation as carter.Was that an Army occupation ?
Suzy
His grandchildren don't know any thing about his arm,didn't even know he was called Walter.
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Suzy
the first picture was taken abroad, he's in tropical kit, i would say 90% chance it was taken in India, before the war. during the war he would have fought in flanders and france
i think you may be right about the second pic being a red herring, the soldier there looks much too young to have served before the war
carter wasn't an army occupation, i think if he'd have still been in army, it would have been rifleman, however he probably still was in the reserves
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His card says Kings Royal Rifle Corps !!
Medal card of Farrington, Walter
1st King's Royal Rifle Corps
5183
Lance Corporal
1st King's Royal Rifle Corps
5183
Private
1st King's Royal Rifle Corps
R/30610
Serjeant
Date
1914-1920
Annie :)
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Quite right Annie and the cap badge on the young soldier aint the KRRC! ;)
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Thanks both of you .What regiment does the "youngster's" look like .I thought it might be Walter as a boy soldier and then he rejoined as a rifleman
Can I find out online if his army record survived ? I've got a copy or his medal card.
Sue
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there were 'youngsters' in every regiment, he probably joined the KRRC as a boy soldier
you can't find out if his records survived on line, you will need a visit to Kew or a researcher to do it for you
chris
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Thanks Chris.
Sue