Wanting to know more before Nov 11th

[jason 20]

Hi all,

With the 100th anniversary approaching, i realise i know little about my x2 great grandfathers, i have read the service records but to be honest i'm not clued up on military history so still am not much the wiser. I was wondering if anyone with the knowledge would be kind enough to look up the records of my great grandfathers, both of whom survived the war and give me some insight into what they did, where they went and their roles withing the war, it would mean no end. they were

Herbert Prestidge born Newbold on Avon 1894 son of Daniel
Thomas Gilliver born 1895 Nuneaton, reg number 19610

Many thanks in anticipation

[MaxD]

Thomas Gilliver joined up on 1 Sep 1914 and was initially assigned to the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry.  He served in UK with them until transferred in April 1915 to the Wiltshire Regiment joining their 1st Battalion in France on 3 May 1915.  He was wounded in action in Jun 1915 and evacuated back to UK.  He went back to France a year later in Jun 1916 again to 1st Wilts.  In August 1916 he was wounded again and returned to UK after a spell in hospital in France.  He remained at the Wilshire's training battalion until August 1917 when he was transferred to the Royal Engineers Inland Waterways and Docks serving on the docks in Bristol until November 1918 when he was discharged.

There is more detail of all this but I've run out of time.  If no one else runs with this I'll return.

MaxD

[CaroleW]

Over 60% of WW1 service records were burnt in the WW2 blitz.  Herbert's has not survived but Thomas's has (see MaxD's reply above)

He served with Duke of Edinburgh's (Wiltshire) Regiment service number 19610

Enlisted 1914 aged 19

There are a number of images which you can view at your local main library if they have Ancestry access

There are Medal Roll Index entries as follows

Herbert Prestidge  Royal Field Artillery  Regimental Number 10598.  Theatre of war Egypt entry 17.7.1915
He was awarded the British, Victory and 15 star medals

Thomas Gilliver - lots more numbers

Duke of Edinburgh's (Wilthsire) Regiment, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, Labour Corps, Royal Engineers, Royal Engineers
Regimental Numbers    19656, 116111, 342321, 317646, WR/341354

Theatre of war = France 15.5.15  He was awarded the British, Victory and 15 star medals

[jason 20]

Thank you both for this , is there any way of telling more precisely where they were in France, the nature of the injury? are these not Herbert's records?

Many thanks

Jason

[MaxD]

Herbert Prestidge

The record you have seems to be your man, age and place of residence match.  He served at Gallipoli and in France.  He was wounded on 1 October 1915 and seems to have remained at duty.  He served throughout with C Battery 58 Brigade Royal Field Artillery. 

Thomas Gilliver

He was wounded on 9 Jun 1915 and on 25 August 1916.  The Wardrobe Museum has the war diaries for 1st Wilts which you can look at here:
http://www.thewardrobe.org.uk/research/war-diaries/search

Both Ancestry and Findmypast have free access this weekend so you should be able to find your men's records plus their medal records that CaroleW has already pointed to. The war diaries are also to be found on Ancestry.  FindMyPast has in addition some medical records for Gilliver.  May I suggest you cast around for what you can find and come back with specific queries.  There is a lot to be put together for these two men and as you have Herberts I would want to avoid duplicating effort!

MaxD

[CaroleW]

Does the image you have posted have any identifying details as there is nothing on Ancestry for Herbert that I can see apart from the Medal Index

[MaxD]

https://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=1114&h=564452&tid=&pid=&usePUB=true&_phsrc=MvA881&_phstart=successSource

MaxD

[MaxD]

Thomas Gilliver was first wounded on 6 June 1915 (not 9th, I mis read it) when the battalion was at Hooge to the east of Ypres.  Recorded as gunshot wound to the cheek although the medics didn't distinguish between a bullet wound and a shell fragment wound.  looking at the diary it was probably the latter as they were being shelled.
His record says the second time was on 25 August 1916 but I'd suggest it was 24th when the battalion carried out an attack on the Leipzig Salient during the course of the Battle of the Somme.  The diary records heavy casualties, 320 in the attack and shelling afterwards.  This time he was wounded in the head.

Herbert Prestidge was wounded (no further description) on 1 October. The war diary has nothing about it and as he was not evacuated it was probably not serious.

MaxD

[CaroleW]

Thanks Max

I was only looking at Service Records - not Pension Records.  That'll teach me!!