World War 1 KIA

[liverpool annie]

Thought you may like this  !! 

[cheshiremog]

Dear John & Lizzie,

I am absolutely speechless - I can't tell you what this means to me. I can now see in my head what he did and where he went and why.  It is not just writing on a form anymore.  I was so lucky to get his burnt record from Kew as so few survived and it was a revelation in itself.  Several extra dependent children were listed on his record which we knew nothing about.

I never knew my grandfather - there was a huge age gap.  He was born in 1873 and I was born in 1957 - an age gap of 84 years.  My mother spoke about him endlessly and it was the stories I heard about him that really first started me in genealogy.
I have never seen a photograph of him in uniform - maybe he never had one done - no one in the family seems to have one. And I do not know what medals he had - I don't think I found his medal card - I must re-visit that!

Lizzie - thank you so much for the postcard of the ship - I collect postcards too - but that is going to be a very special one - looks like a paddle steamer to me - perhaps used for coastal excursions previously ?  Or was it bigger than that ?  France wasn't far away after all - I heard they could hear the guns on the frontline in France -  in Dover on a clear day.

From what John says - I have looked at the record again and there is a number crossed out on the top - 27848 ?  Could this be his Berkshire's Number ?  There is another number S.H. 12498 I wonder what this means ?
I will post photos of the records so you can see.

[liverpool annie]

Here's a bit of padding !! 

http://www.isle-of-man.com/manxnotebook/fulltext/mf1923/p31.htm

Annie 

[cheshiremog]

Again to John
I am surprised that he enlisted under the Derby scheme - although you must be right - but he was actually aged 42 years and 9 months - in Dec 1915 - but obviously lied.
He died in 1951 in Paignton, Devon so was not a casualty of the war - but received some kind of small pension due to his injury.

There are other abbreviations on his record - HSSGT ?

You are very welcome to a copy of his service record if the Royal Berks are interested - or any other information.

Also please let me know how I make a donation to the museum.

I also found a publication online by Lyell - speech by Sir John Purser Griffiths - about Zeneghem & Audruicq. I think they went to help re-build the ammunition depots which were bombed by hostile aircraft in July 1916. But this time they built them to a new plan - spacing the ammo sheds further apart and adding overhead sandbag cover- fascinating. I was in the RAF and worked in a missile dump. The buildings had super thick walls but thinner ceilings so that if a missile went off the blast went up.  Not so clever when you are being bombed from above.

[cheshiremog]

Here is the HSSGT annotation ?

[cheshiremog]

Other attachments
Didn't work first time ?

[cheshiremog]

Dear Annie (sorry I meant Annie above not Lizzie!!)

Very interesting - more padding or more paddling ?

I will look out for the Mona's Queen at my next postcard fair !

[johnmiles]

Yes Mog

I eventually found his Royal Berks number - it was 27848 - the reason I couldnt find it at first was that the National Archives have him as Cliff rather than Clift

The HSSSG is actually HSS 69 which I thinks stands for Home Service Supply - they were based at Portsmouth

I think the SS Mona's Queen was one of the steamers which plied between England (probably Liverpool) and the Isle of Man - Almost all the ferries had been requisitioned for service between England and France. - I look forward to what Annie will find - the picture was great.

regards

John

[cheshiremog]

Thanks John
I have really looked at these records now with new eyes and a different level of understanding
I really appreciate it