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General => Armed Forces => World War One => Topic started by: Paul520 on Wednesday 01 November 17 20:52 GMT (UK)
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I would much appreciate any information about the military service of my grandfather Thomas Ernest (“Ernie”) Roberts, b.1889 in Ipswich. He was reluctant to talk about the war and we have only a little information from my father’s recollection, as follows. He was at Gallipoli with the Royal Engineers and later in Palestine under Allenby. He contracted dysentery and was in hospital for 6 months in Alexandria. A good footballer, he claimed to have played for the RE although at what level we don’t know. Presumably his is one of the many Burnt Records as I can't find any other information.
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Hello & welcome
Do you have a service number for him ?
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No, sorry, there are very few details. Most of the family possessions were lost in a house fire following bombing in WW2, so we have only my father's recollections.
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There are 5 Thomas E Roberts RE & more Thomas Roberts in the RE than you can shake a stick at.
Difficult to proceed without anything else to go on.
If he was involved in the Gallipoli campaign (1915) he will be a 15 Star recipient which may narrow the field a bit.
Will look a bit more but whatever's out there will only be a best guess.
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Many thanks indeed for your efforts! He always used the name Ernie, but whether his proper name would definitely have been required for military records I don't know.
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Having looked at all the Thomas Roberts RE I can place only 1 man in the region in 1915:
Cpl. 62291 later CQMS.British War & Victory Medals + 15 Star (Egypt) + MM.
No record exists for this man either.
Unfortunately no way of knowing if it's him.
Your best bet is the 1918/19 Absent Voter's list which may state a service number.
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Much appreciated! I'll check with my father too to see if this was perhaps his rank. I'm with Ancestry at present but will need to try FindMyPast.