Yorks and Lancs Regiment

[JeannieR]

Hi There........

I have JUST come upon my grandfather's attestation papers !!

I am absolutely thrilled , but do not know where tp go next. This is my paternal grandfather, who is somewhat of an enigma. I know when he was born , when he was married ....but no idea whwn he died . My grandmother re-married in 1938....but I can't be sure it was legal !!

Grandad enlisted

3rd battery/ battalion Yorks and Lancashire regiment in late 1908. At Leeds

Name: Joseph Maurice Harrison
Age : 17 years . 11 months
No : 9160

How do I find out when he was discharged ?
How do I find out his service history ?

Anyone know what this Regiment did 1908 -1915ish

Grandad was Iron rivetter , working on the railways , and subsequently at Kirkstall Forge in Leeds

Thank you

JeannieR

[liverpool annie]

Hi Girlfriend ! 

I checked the medal index cards ... but couldn't find him .... I checked the Leeds Absent Voters List 1914-18 War ... but couldn't find him ....

http://www.leeds.gov.uk/page.aspx?pageidentifier=fcc07d76-c701-49c3-acc3-4384d38390b3

Then I checked A* ...... did you see all the pages ?

It said that he was discharged having been found medically unfit for further service 10/12/1910 because of Chronic nephritis !

Chronic nephritis is a chronic inflammation of the tissues of the kidney.It is caused by a wide variety of etiological factors. The disease is frequently associated with a slow, progressive loss of kidney function. It is usually discovered accidentally, either by routine urinalysis (tests done to check kidney function) or during a routine physical checkup when anemia, hypertension, or laboratory findings (elevated serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen) are discovered. Its course is long and the prognosis (expectancy of cure) is poor

Annie x

[km1971]

Hi Jeannie

It will be 3rd Battalion of the Yorks and Lancs Regiment. But he was not joining them in April 1908. He was enlisting as a Regular (1st and 2nd Battalions) and was stating his previous military experience.

The 3rd Battalion were Militia. They differed from the Volunteer Battalions/Territorial Force in that you did 6 - 8 weeks full-time once a year, being paid the pay of a Regular. The VBs/TF were once a week; a few weekends a year and an annual two-week camp. They were un-paid, and some elite outfits (such as the Liverpool Scottish) actually charged a membership fee.

Men often joined the Militia/VB to see if they would like life as a full-time soldier. Or men would join the Militia for the few months of regular pay.You could join the Militia at the age of 17, while it was 18 for a Regular. So I think you will find that his 18th birthday would have been a few days after he enlisted. He would have had to obtain the permission of his Militia CO to leave. But it was always granted as providing recruits to the regular army was a main reason for the Militia’s existence.

There is a statement by a Captain in the 3rd Bn giving his Militia number as ?423 and stating that his character was Good, and that he was eligible to enlist as a Regular. There is also a reference from a Mr Swainson, a Fish dealer, when he joined the Militia in November 1907.

On the third page (page 21102 on Ancestry) the “2  232” is the 2 years 232 days of his service. This he spent at the depot and then with the 2nd Battalion. On the extreme right are a few officer’s initials. If you look between the headings on the left, additional comments have been added, including that his address on discharge was to be c/o Mrs Harrison.

There doesn’t appear to be any WW1 documents so these 1908 -1910 papers have either been miss-filed – they should be in the section for men discharged between 1900 and 1913 -  or there were some WW1 papers and they have been lost. He may have re-enlisted for WW1, but his bad health led to him being discharged without going overseas. Hence the lack of a medal card. He would have been given a different number if he did re-enlist for WW1.

I suggest you download copies from another soldier that are less burnt, to show you the design of the forms.

Ken

[JeannieR]

Annie.....

You never cease to amaze me !!

I can't believe that you found all that out, so quickly . I had only just found his papers, and no , I obviously did not see the rest of them. Will do so next.

If he had such a horrible desease, it do's explain why he died young . He married my gran in 1918 , my dad was born 1920 , and a sister in 1927. I have searched and searched for his death, over the years, but found nothing at all, but with a name like Harrison, it is not easy.

Thank you again , cuz....I am on a real high.

Ken, What can I say ?

The information , that you and Annie have given me, has really put meat, onto a man I never knew,  apart from the fact that he was my grandfather, had no information about,other than birth and marriage. All my grandparents had died before I was born in the '40s. My dad also died very young, so there has never been anyone to ask........

Once again, I am so grateful to you

Kind regards

Jeannie