Thomas Harp Cheshire regiment

[Wendi]

Hi all!

Just wanted to add - if you have a specific inquiry regarding military stuff don't forget the Armed Forces section of Rootshat 

Also this might help with POW's

http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,188285.0.html

Much luck with your research all

Wendi 

[liverpool annie]

You might try here too !

http://www.1914-1918.net/POW/index.php

Annie 

[Certacito]

I am not 100% sure but didn't the war only start in August 1914?  Must have been one unlucky guy to have been caught so quickly. Perhaps in the light of later events he was one of the lucky ones?

I wouldn't have thought he would have got much in the way of medals because he was caught so early but as he was perhaps he was a regular before the war and had medals from earlier conflicts? Boer war maybe?

The first war is a problem area in a lot of cases due to the fact that many men enlisted under false names and lots of them gave a false date of birth as they were too young. A few years back a good friend of mine actually got the CWGC to change a headstone because it had his great uncles assumed name on it.  Now it reads something like Pte ****** formerly known as ******

[Terance Jonathan Payne]

Hey thanks for that, yes there are records of medal cards for Thomas so he proberbly was in the Boar war with George Harp his Brother.

[Certacito]

Hi Terry,

I've been in touch with a friend of mine who is a bit of an expert on the Cheshire regt. He said that Thomas Harp's service number meant that he was a regular army chap. The 1st Battalion Cheshire's were in France from the start and fought a rear guard action in Mons.  They lost a lot of men at the time. It is possible that Thomas was with the 1st Battalion but that is not gospel.

He said if you look at the medal card and see something that says Qualifying date then that will give you the date that the Battalion arrived in France. Hope that helps a bit?

[manmack]

Hi Terry,

I've been in touch with a friend of mine who is a bit of an expert on the Cheshire regt. He said that Thomas Harp's service number meant that he was a regular army chap. The 1st Battalion Cheshire's were in France from the start and fought a rear guard action in Mons.  They lost a lot of men at the time. It is possible that Thomas was with the 1st Battalion but that is not gospel.

He said if you look at the medal card and see something that says Qualifying date then that will give you the date that the Battalion arrived in France. Hope that helps a bit?

certacio is right,thomas was in the 1st battalion,cheshire regt,he landed at havre on 16-8-1914,his battalion had been stationed in londonderry and was mobilised on the outbreak and sent straight to france,they were in action at mons in late aug 1914,many men were killed,wounded and captured during the fighting there,mack

[Terance Jonathan Payne]

Thanks once again for the info certacito, it helps clear up yet again a bit more of the family history.