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General => Armed Forces => World War One => Topic started by: Angela_Lawrie on Tuesday 15 August 17 18:26 BST (UK)
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Hi,
I was hoping someone could tell me if they know what a W6 Telegram is?
On my gt grandfathers military papers the following is noted "W6 telegram B(?) 1125/ a g f(?)
d/ 20-12-16" He survived the war, so I know the telegram doesn't relate to his death, am wondering if perhaps one of his sons or brothers was KIA?
any help or pointers on where to find help would be great.
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Could you scan the note and the area around it, the context in which it appears often holds the vital clue!
If you wanted to check whether the sons or brothers was kia then have a look here first.http://www.cwgc.org/
MaxD
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here is the note
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It would relate to him rather than a family member. Was he wounded or posted missing in action?
I don't think it's a 6 after the W - look at the 6 on the next line. Possibly a C or a G, or even an O (War Office?)
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Hi Shaun, Hi Max
I thought maybe G, but O makes more sense.. as far as i am aware, he was never seriously wounded or reported MIA.. yet another mystery to annoy me, lol..EDIT>>> WC war cabinet... d'oh!
Thanks for the link Max, i shall go delve around and see if i can get any hints.
many thanks
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Angela
Even if the note was totally clear, on its own it is simply a reference to a document, in this case a telegram, that would have occasioned some other entry on the record somewhere. That is why I suggested you scan the note with more of the record, ideally the whole page. Very often, one has even to look at other pages of a record to find the clues that add up to the answer.
ShaunJ is right that it would not have related to another family member although it may have been an instruction applicable to him and to all others in his formation. Telegrams were used for purposes other than notifying casualties and the word sometimes relates to messages sent in the field by telegraph.
As this is a Great War record and presumably on line, could you post his name and number and I can see if I can find it.
MaxD
PS While it won't help, was he in the Welsh Guards?
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Hi Max,
I have posted more of the document, but not in it's entirety.. Private Patrick Kerr 41597 was in the HLI then labour corps, no mention of the Welsh Guards.. Could he have received a new posting/transfer by telegram perhaps? ???
hope you can glean a few clues for me, many thanks
A
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Found his service record under his Labour Corp number of 630611.
Brave fellow, got a military medal late in the war.
It seems he was home 26 Nov 1915 to 1 Jan 1917. Maybe the telegram 20 Dec 1916 was to advise him to report back for service in France.
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It seems he was home 26 Nov 1915 to 1 Jan 1917. Maybe the telegram 20 Dec 1916 was to advise him to report back for service in France.
Possibly that, and his transfer to 3 Battalion effective 2 January 1917. The issue of the telegram is noted directly below that entry.
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"Home" meant he was serving in UK not that he was on leave and had to be recalled so I would agree with ShaunJ that the telegram is related to the transfer but it was from the 3rd Battalion rather than to it, it was the 3rd that published the Part 2 Order. At the end of the reference are the letters/number AG 2 which is a sure sign it was related to a posting.
His service in UK 26 Nov 15 to 1 Jan 17 is, apart from the note about proficency pay in 1916, not well documented but there are clues (context is all!!). He was with 5th Battalion HLI on Gallipoli but the date of leaving that theatre, 25 Nov 15, is about 6 weeks before the battalion was evacuated. On his Statement as to Disability, part of his discharge papers, we see him treated at No2 Australian hospital on Mudros for dysentery (very common among the Gallipoli men). I would suggest that he had been evacuated there before the end of the campaign and was further evacuated to UK where he served with the 3rd (Reserve) Battalion during the Nov 15 to Dec 16 period. I then suggest that the document getting him to France to the 17th Battalion which was already there was the W 6 etc etc.
He then went on to fight with 15th battalion being awarded a Military Medal on the way (not clear with which battalion as the LG entry would be well after the recommendation) until compulsorily transferred in Sep 18 to 144 Prisoner of War Company Labour Corps until demob in 1919.
MaxD
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Wow..Thank you both so much. really informative and interesting. I have been able to find his medal index card. he was awarded the 1915 Star, the military medal and the victory medal. Was the military medal for bravery or did all soldiers receive it? now off to find out more about Gallipoli...
once again many, many thanks :-D
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https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/30768/supplement/7592 is the record of the MM award which was given for bravery and devotion to duty. It is all but impossible to find out the reason but I'll see what I can find.
As to Gallipoli, the war diaries are not digitised for the period but there is a book, Fifth Battalion Highland Light Infantry 1914-1918 you can read for free https://archive.org/details/5thbattalionHLI00fiftuoft (click the pages to turn them). You have the dates he was with the Battalion, Nov 14 to Nov 15.
There will be diaries for the rest of his service in France, I'll have a look to see if I can see anything about the MM.
More later
MaxD
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Angela
More luck coming your way! There is also a book on 17 HLI which Patrick Kerr served in from Jan 17 to Feb 18. Readable on line like the other one https://archive.org/details/seventeenthhighl00arthiala
You will see that it records the disbandment of the battalion in Feb 1918 which explains his posting to 15 Battalion at that time (their war diary records the arrival of a large draft of men from 17 HLI in early Feb).
I find nothing specific in the 17 HLI war diary or the book that points directly to the MM award (it would have been with this battalion given that it took time for awards to be published). However, as you will see from the book, the battalion were heavily involved in late 1917 and it would not be fanciful to say that his medal recognised his bravery during some part of this series of battles.
MaxD
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You are absolutely brilliant! I can't thank you enough. I started this research as a 90th birthday project for my great aunt. She will be thrilled (as will the rest of my family) at all the info I can forward from you. Large virtual bunch of flowers and my heartfelt thanks.
xxx
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Hi,
My first thought when I saw the posted clip was that it was the letters WG. Could it not be something as regards a war gratuity?
The telegram dated 13th Nov 1925 could be informing him of such a gratuity, changed from previous info he may have originally received on 20th Dec 1916.
These were introduced in 1918 for soldiers who had served overseas but had at sometime during their service also done some service in the UK.
Some info as regards War Gratuities here: https://wargratuity.wordpress.com/category/war-gratuity/page/2/
Hope this helps, apologies if wide of the mark!
Kind regards
David
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David
Forgive me but what you are reading as a November 1925 date is simply the file reference, in full B 1125-/AG2 d (for dated) 2-12-16. Note the clear difference between the 6 of W6 and the G of Granted and AG (stands for Adjutant General) and a later posting reference DAG. W6 and the file reference would have meant something in a posting office filing system, we will never know exactly what.
MaxD
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Hi MaxD,
Ah okay, my mistake, many thanks for the clarification, much appreciated.
Kind regards
David
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David
Always best to input!
Best wishes
MaxD