SWEET, Stanley Griffen

[mareanna]

Born 1892 in Hanham, Gloucestershire (no father's name on birth certificate), Stanley seems to have been discharged after bouts of asthma.  The papers that I can see from one site say "Marked SB" by Medical Board, deformed chest.  That was in early 1916.  The next he is dead, KIA 13 December 1917, France or Belgium.  His name is on the Cambrai Memorial, presumably because there was no body.  The register of soldiers' effect names his mother as Elizabeth Ann Sweet, although she often went by the name of Lily.
Would his regiment (The Gloucesters) be the only source of information as to how he managed to go back to war??
His name is missing from the Hanham War Memorial, and I would like to be pretty sure of my facts before pursuing having his name added

[philipsearching]

Greetings.

Which site are the papers you found on?

Philip

(EDITED - found them on Anc)

[MaxD]

Post deleted - same question (the SB papers)

MaxD

[philipsearching]

My reading of the papers on Anc are that Stanley wasn't discharged due to ill health, but because he had completed his term of service and declined to re-enlist.

If (as happened) he was put on the Reserve list he could have been recalled at any time.

Philip

[mareanna]

Which site are the papers you found on

His enlistment in 1911 (food and lodgings a big attraction, I guess) then basic service papers noting his medical episodes.  A paper headed "declaration to be made by a soldier of the territorial force on re-engagement for the period of the war" with an note that says "declines to re-engage" in January 1916.  The next he is on the CWG site and an image of returned items
All are from Ancestry.co.uk
I can't see how he went back

[MaxD]

He was not medically discharged, he had served out the time for which he had engaged (4 years which would become 5 if war broke out).  Although he declined to re-engage and despite his asthma he obviously did join up and sadly didn't make it.  His papers for the re-enlistment haven't survived.  I have no doubt this is the same chap - good for him.

MaxD

[Finley 1]

So many brave people lost

xin

[MaxD]

His service numbers follow a clear pattern.  1224 in 1/4th Bn when he first served.  Second number 6134 in 2/4th on re-enlistment became 202166 in the 1917 renumbering.

His war gratuity of £13 indicates service of 34 months (thank you Craig) which would add up with his initial Aug 14 to Jan 16 giving 16 months first spell and then another 18 to Dec 17 which indicates re enlistment in the latter half of 1916.

MaxD

[mareanna]

I can't even begin to understand why, having seen the horrors of war, he went back.  Perhaps he hadn't seen the worst, perhaps peer pressure gave him no other option, perhaps what he had come back to in 1916 was so desperate. 

Then his name was not on even the memorial

I can't track his mother after 1917, she used both Lily and Elizabeth Ann, and there are a few possible local marriages.

Thank you for the explanation of the details in in the papers