English army regiments in India WW1

[maxdog]

Hello everyone

I am afraid I am v ignorant about everything to do with the army so can anyone help me out here please?

My grandfather was in the army in WW1 and spent some? most of? the time in India.

Is that possible?  Were any English soldiers in India for the duration of WW1?

His name was Harry Hale, originally from Berkshire but in London in 1914, he would have been 30 at outbreak of war BUT he may already have been a soldier? I don't know. Assuming that he did not volunteer, he was a married father of two in 1914 so would he have been conscripted in 1914 or called up later than that?

Sorry for such scant information, I would be grateful for any reply.

[Gwil]

Hi Max

First of all a stern lecture from the Colonies ( Wales). Harry would have served most probably in the BRITISH Army. As far as I know there was no English Army.


I have newspaper accounts of men returned from the 'East' having been there for most of the War. They would undoubtedly have been 8th Royal Welsh Fusiliers men who served in Mesopotamia (Iraq). I believe that they went to India for their R +R etc. A dip into the Cemeteries Section of the CWGC site would show British Units buried/commemorated in Indian cemeteries/memorials. Unfortunately it's off line till tomorrow.

Can I take it that the objective is to identify Harry's war experience? If so then possibly the first thing to consider is what his full 'official' name is. The reason I say this is that I have many instances where Harry and Henry are used for the same man.

Medal Index Roll has 28 Harry Hales  and 68 Henry Hale

Here are the Harrys
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/search-results.asp?searchtype=browserefine&query=first_name%3dharry%7clast_name%3dhale&catid=10&pagenumber=1&querytype=1&mediaarray=*



Gwil

[neil1821]

There were plenty of British soldiers of many regiments in India for the duration of the war.
After all, the Empire still had to be garrisoned, war or no war.

So yes, it's perfectly possible he spent 1914-18 just in India.
As Gwil says, he really need his full name. Of the 28 Harry's and 68 Henry's, you can discount some on middle name or initial.

A man who served just in India would more than likely be entitled to the British War Medal, no Victory & no Star. India wasn't a theatre of war.

[maxdog]

My thanks to you both, gwil and neil and my apologies for ignorance of miltary matters, especially as I am nee Jones and should know better; I will in future. Put it down to being sent to all girl schools throughout my tender years;can make a good cake though.

Harry's name was just that, Harry Hale, no middle name, and not Henry. Just what he was up to in the years between 1914 and 1922 is not clear but my mother told me he was in the army, in India and that he had enough time to father a family  there which, I believe, he abandoned on his return to England. On his return to his wife and children here, he stayed long enough to take the savings accumulated during his absence before legging it to a new life in London with a nubile young woman from Reading, abandoning that family too. So - I am a tad short of reliable info on that period of his life.  As you  guess, I am not looking for amazing feats of military heroism - I feel that is most unlikely given the rest of the story - but simply some filling for that period of his life.

Can either of you - or someone else - tell me whether the army listings for WW1 are complete? Is it likely that he will be one of the Harry HALEs listed at the Nat Archives? Did all who served receive a medal? Don't recall it ever being seen or mentioned?

Thanks for your help, I am v grateful.

[neil1821]

Did all who served receive a medal?

All who served abroad in WW1, including India, received at least one medal.

Is it likely that he will be one of the Harry HALEs listed at the Nat Archives?

If he was in India during these years, then yes virtually certain rather than likely.

Ok, so 28 MICs for Harry Hale's.
13 have middle initials/names, so that leaves 15
4 more died in the war which leaves 11:

353716 7th/19th London Regt
3863 Middlesex Regt
2302 Sgt, Essex/Liverpool Regt
SWSR/04380 RASC
4370 Sussex/Devon Regt
103460 Royal Engineers
17598 Devon Regt/Labour Corps
1600 Royal Engineers
14086 2nd Lincs Regt
M/316445 ASC
T/422922 ASC

Edit: if the India story is true you can straight away discount the 7th/19th London Regiments and the 2nd Lincs, who were definitely in France & Flanders.
So that leaves 9 

[maxdog]

That is very helpful indeed, Neil, thank you. If I may I ask a couple more questions, did people choose their regiments or were they allocated to them? Harry was a tailor - would that have been of any use in the army? Also what are ASC and RASC? My thanks if you find time to answer these q's.

Best wishes