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Hi Everyone,

Trying to find descendants of many AIF lads with origins in the UK, and with military service in Australian Army, who fell at Fromelles in July 1916. 

from this thread  http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,379339.0.html 
Robert Courtney GREEN   Regimental number   1274
Place of birth   London, England   School   Edwinstown School, Nottinghamshire, England
Age on arrival in Australia   22   Religion   Church of England   Occupation   Farmer
Address   Toodyay, Western Australia   Marital status   Single   Age at embarkation   29
Height   6' 0.75"   Weight   187 lbs   Next of kin   Mother, Mrs Jane Green, Dorset, England
Previous military service   Nil   Enlistment date   21 July 1915
Date of enlistment from Nominal Roll   14 July 1915   Place of enlistment Perth, Western Australia
Rank on enlistment   Lance Corporal   Unit name   32nd Battalion, D Company
AWM Embarkation Roll number   23/49/1
Embarkation details   Unit embarked from Adelaide, South Australia, on board HMAT A2 Geelong on 18 November 1915
The 32nd Bn (Headquarters, Signallers, A, B, C, and D Companies) embarked from Adelaide, South Australia, on two ships, HMAT A2 'Geelong', on 18 November 1915, and HMAT A13 'Katuna', on 24 November 1915. The Embarkation Roll does not distinguish between these ships, and it is therefore not possible from the Embarkation Roll to ascertain on which ship an individual embarked. Those who enlisted in Western Australia embarked at Fremantle (date not recorded).
Rank from Nominal Roll   Corporal  Unit from Nominal Roll   32nd Battalion  Fate   Killed in Action 20 July 1916    Place of death or wounding   Fleurbaix, France (Battle of Fromelles)  Age at death   30
Age at death from cemetery records   30  Place of burial   No known grave
Commemoration details   V.C. Corner (Panel No 4), Australian Cemetery Memorial, Fromelles, France
Panel number, Roll of Honour,   Australian War Memorial   120   Miscellaneous information from cemetery records Parents: Augustus and Jane GREEN, 168 Ashley Road, Upper Parkestone, Dorset, England. Native of London
Other details   War service: Egypt, Western Front  Embarked Adelaide, 18 November 1915; disembarked Suez, 18 December 1915.  Promoted Corporal, Ferry Post, 26 May 1916.  Embarked Alexandria to join the British Expeditionary Force, 17 June 1916; disembarked Marseilles, France, 23 June 1916.  Missing, 20 July 1916.
Identification disc received from Germany (German Death List, 4 November 1916). No particulars were afforded except that soldier is deceased. To be reported as KILLED IN ACTION 20/7/16.
Red Cross File No 1210606 has statement from 1261 Sergeant W.R.FLINDELL, 32nd Bn (patient, 35th General Hospital, Calais), 7 November 1916: 'He was lying wounded next to Bennett in the German 2nd line which we attacked from Fromelles. He was "pretty bad". I spoke to him and gave him a drink. I think he was hit in the shoulder.'
Second statement, Lt A.C. SINCLAIR, 32nd Bn (patient, 3rd London General Hospital, Wandsworth, England), 5 January 1917 [file states 1916: clearly in error]: 'Informant states that on 19th July at Fleurbaix Cpl. Green was wounded by shrapnel in the chest when in German 3rd line trench. He was alive on the 20th when our men had to fall back, without being able to evacuate their wounded.'
Third statement, Lt S.E. MILLS, D Company, 32nd Bn, 22 January 1917: 'He was in my platoon and was wounded pretty severely on night of 19/20 July. With the help of two other men we carried him to a place of comparative safety and dressed his wound. This was 200 yards behind the German first line and it was found impossible to get stretcher bearers through the barrage. When the order to retire was given it was a matter of charging through the two lines of Germans and so impossible to carry two badly wounded men. Green was left with some twenty or thirty others some of whom have since been reported as prisoners. It is my opinion that Green died of his wound although he was alive when I saw him last.'
Fourth statement (Red Cross File No 1210708), 1219 L. BRAMBLES, 5th Pioneers Bn (formerly 32nd Bn) (patient, 1st Australian Auxiliary hospital, Harefield, England), 27, 30 October 1916: 'During our advance to the 2nd. trench of the German line at Fleurbaix, I saw him lying wounded far out in No Man's Land, it was on the 19th July. After taking the trench the German guns blew us out of it and we retired back to our own line, and I saw no more of the Corporal. He was too far out to get in either by stretcher bearers or by himself and he is certainly either dead or a prisoner - I think the former.'
Medals: 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal
http://www.aif.adfa.edu.au:8080/showPerson?pid=118331

LEST WE FORGET

Hi All,

I wonder if anyone can please explain to me

a) what the button "#" is on these text boxes.  (It is labelled 'insert code')
b) what is its purpose
c) why is it there
d) how to use it please
e) any other things I ought to know about it.

Please keep answers simple cause I'm ummm derrrrr blonde with grey flecks and having a long senior moment trying to figure out "#" when its here at Rootschat.  I thought it meant "hash" as in adding up and arriving at a sum total etc.

Just Moi, getting muddled - yet again, or still!

Hi all,

I have also posted similar message on Cambridgeshire message board, http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,375362.0.html

A George Smith christened 10 Mar 1832 at Kingston, Cams, son of John Smith and Martha, went on when aged 21 to marry at Kingston 28 July 1853 to Caroline White, then aged 18, and a daughter of Jonathan White.  (3b, page 671)

This couple with several children arrived in NSW Australia ex the Nimrod on 7 April 1859.  The passenger list indicates these children were: James, son, aged 5, William, son aged 2 1/2, and a baby girl born while vessel was inside Sydney harbour but had not yet tied up at docks. 

And I note that a George Smith may have settled on 50 acres on outskirts of Sydney, just west of the then future Prospect Reservoir.  I have details about that exact 50 acres, but do not know if that is same George Smith as born 1832 Kington Cams. 

I am posting this message  in hope that someone may know further details about George Smith, his parents (John/Martha) his wife Caroline (White, d of Jonathan), and/or of any possible connection to my brickwall, John (Ellington) Smith born Ely abt 1840, and who by abt 1885 was working in NSW on the construction of the dam wall for that same Prospect Reservoir, and several of his children were born at a farm owned by a George Smith, farm named "La Retreat" and in same area as Prospect Reservoir.
 
I have many other postings on many mailing lists, forums etc.  Its just that there's  the  usual "John Smith" brickwall syndrome!  so I am trying to get past him (my great grandfather, whose death reg in 1928 in NSW shows him as son of John Smith and Ann Ellington). 

I thank everyone who has tried to help breakdown this brickwall, and hope that I am not side-tracking myself by trying to figure out info about this George Smith born in Kingston Cams nearly 180 years ago.  My John (Ellington) Smith was born at Ely, Cams, nearly 170 years ago.  But both Geo and John had father named John Smith.  

Cheers, MA

Hi All,

I have many postings on various mailing lists, message boards and etc.  The surname of my great grandfather was SMITH, and his first name was John, with possible middle name of Ellington.   He was most likely born abt 1840, Ely England, and managed to get to NZ by some means at some time before he then got to NSW by 1883 (we continue to search passenger lists into NZ and also into NSW etc).  I have been trying to check for any births for perhaps a female child born to him, as the earliest NSW birth for a child indicates that he had a daughter who preceded that Nov 1883 birth, but that earlier lass had not survived. 

That infant birth/death may have occured in NZ or in NSW, and we (my cousins and I) have been diligent and perhaps have enough NSW transcripts to paste up an entire wall.

My questions relate to the New Zealand online bdm site, and clues please for searching for births, deaths or marriages in periods before say Nov 1883.  I have figured out how to search for say just one day, or for a week etc.  But tis still very much needle in many haystacks with seeking info on a John and Mary Smith !!! 

I am not asking for chatters to do the trawling, but rather I am asking for any clues/comments so us here in NSW can do the trawling online. 

Cheers, all, MA