WW1 Leicestershire Regiment - photographs?

[fek33]

My great grandfather, James Fletcher 203860,  served as a Private in the 7th Batallion of the Leicestershire Regiment.  Unfortunately he was killed in action in 1918.

I know I probably sound thick but did all Regiments take photographs of soldiers / regiments? 

Would anyone have any ideas on how to attempt to find a photograph of him?

Thanks.

[CuriousDiana]

Your best chance of obtaining a photo is by questioning family members, but I guess you have already tried this!  So I suggest you contact the Royal Leicestershire Regiment Museum in Leicester, just on the offchance they have a photo of the 7th Batt in their archives.

[fek33]

Thanks for that, I will get in touch with them.

  FEK

[harribobs]

i think your best chance of getting a photo is to search the archives of your local paper for the period after his death, there may well be an obituary plus a photo

mack will be able to give you an idea of the timescale as he's done a lot of work

as for battalion pics...well, they may well have done a group photo when the battallion went off to war but you have to remember the whole make up/personnel would have changed many times during the course of the war, having said that the 7th batt was a territorial force unit, if you GGF was a member prior to the war it may well be worth finding out where it's records now are kept

[manchester regt]

the 7th batt was a service battalion,your rellies number is a territorial number,james was born and lived in wymeswold,the local paper from his hometown will be your best chance of a picture,you need to check the papers at least a week after his death,casualty lists appeared weeks later,but wounded soldiers returning home, sometimes gave the papers info of their mates being killed or wounded,good luck,mack

[fek33]

Hi thanks for the information.  We didn't realise he was in the territorials.

I live near Wymeswold and am aware of which local paper it may be in - I will have a look when I next visit the Library.

Do you think the photograph in the local paper would show him in his uniform?  Or would it be a photo that a relative had given them?

We do have one photo of him taken before he went to war - but we didn't know if we could get one of him in uniform.   (Perhaps it is silly but we feel very proud of him and after seeing some photographs of other soldiers, would like one of him if possible).

Sorry if I sound thick but I don't know much about the military. 

Thank you.   

[harribobs]

Hi thanks for the information.  We didn't realise he was in the territorials.

we didn't say that  , the battalion (the 7th) was originally a territorial battalion, but most of the men then volunteered for service overseas, if he had been an original member of the battalion, he would have been classed as a terrier but drafts from every spectrum would have come in later in the war

do you have his medal card? does it have his entitlement date on it?

the paper would usually use a picture in uniform, most families had such pictures

you have every right to be proud of him, the world would have been a different place without him and his mates

[fek33]

  Whoops! - I warned you I know nothing of the military!

I haven't his medal card and was thinking of ordering a copy of one, but was unsure of what it would tell me.

Thanks FEK 

[harribobs]

it might not tell you any more than you already know, the card seems to hard to read as they have not completed his number  when it was transcibed. as there is only the one number i suspect he was late into the unit, possibly 1917 ( this is a guess at this point) that was when the service numbers in his battalion changed to six figure numbers

Description     
Medal card of Fletcher, James
Corps   Regiment No   Rank
Leicestershire Regiment    20386 (incomplete)    Private
Date    1914-1920
Catalogue reference    WO 372/7

click this link for the download page at the NA

http://www.rootschat.com/links/0s6/

here's his 'soldiers died' entry as well

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