Denis Lowe, Royal Engineers, 3/Royal Munster Fusiliers, 9/King's Royal Rifles

[ccmmgr]

Hello,

I would like to better understand my great-great grandfather's military service during WW1 and perhaps before - where he went, what theatres of war he experienced and what kind of actions he may have participated in.

Below are a few extracts from his records. It seems as though between 1916-1919 before he was disabled, he was registered at Richborough Barracks, as a Sapper between 29/07/1916-06/02/1919 under Major Blom*?

I would like to understand what his "Distinctive Marks" might mean, and how I could get more information about his time in previous regiments - I think what is written here means he served in 3rd Battalion Royal Munster Fusiliers and 9th Battalion King’s Royal Rifles, but there are no dates so it's hard to know what this means.

I have also attached an excerpt from his pensions record. I can't tell whether "Other actions" here refers to clerical/bureaucratic matters as the word "audit" comes up or whether this might be about his service.

I would also appreciate a second pair of eyes understanding what his trade might have been as I'm struggling with the writing here.

Any and all help appreciated as ever; while I've done a lot of genealogical research this is my first time really getting to grips with military records.

Thank you very much!

[ccmmgr]

Updating excerpt as it was unhelpfully truncated.

[MaxD]

A starter.

Distinctive Marks is where the clerk should put tattoos, moles, scars etc.  You'll find info often put in the "wrong place".  Here they have put what looks like his medical category which looks like  A 2 and what follows is the Army Council Instruction of 1916, the regulation relating to the categories.

The R Munster Fusiliers and the KRRC are regiments he had served in prior to joining this time(Boer War perhaps - more work needed)

Other actions are doubtless bureaucratic actions related to his post service pension.

He was a (railway) plate layer

He served throughout with the Royal Engineers Inland Waterways and Docks at Richborough Kent which was the depot but also the main dock for army equipment going to France.


MaxD

[alan o]

9th KRR was a WW1 raised battalion so his service with them would be 1914 at the earliest.

[ccmmgr]

A starter.

Distinctive Marks is where the clerk should put tattoos, moles, scars etc.  You'll find info often put in the "wrong place".  Here they have put what looks like his medical category which looks like  A 2 and what follows is the Army Council Instruction of 1916, the regulation relating to the categories.

Ah, thank you! This is very helpful - he was discharged aged 55 for a "30%" disability that was aggravated by his service according to the rest of his records, will see what the A2 category throws up.

The R Munster Fusiliers and the KRRC are regiments he had served in prior to joining this time(Boer War perhaps - more work needed)

Thought the Boer War may have been involved but not sure where I can look for more information about whether he did serve there or not, sadly there don't seem to be many records pre-dating the Great War. I have heard stories about one of the men in the family having crossed the river Jordan twice but that may have been his son at a later date...

Other actions are doubtless bureaucratic actions related to his post service pension.

Good to clear that up, thank you!

He was a (railway) plate layer

He served throughout with the Royal Engineers Inland Waterways and Docks at Richborough Kent which was the depot but also the main dock for army equipment going to France.

This is all really useful to know, thank you so much - I had wondered given that he attested for WWI aged 46 what kind of work he would have been put to - good to have something to go on.

[ccmmgr]

9th KRR was a WW1 raised battalion so his service with them would be 1914 at the earliest.

This is really useful to know - I wonder how I can find out why he would have left the other battalion for the Royal Engineers...

[MaxD]

Apart from the insertion of 9 KRR and 3 R Munster Fus (a reserve/training battalion) in the previous service bit of his July 1916 attestation when he  was immediately posting to RW IWT, his record has nothing about that previous service.  I find no other record for a possible earlier attestation.

 However, it may be among the  60% or so of service records that did not survive.   It may be that he served for a short time and was discharged.  He was after all 50 (his age varies a bit!) when the war started so he may have fibbed about his age and then been found out?  Speculation only with no record apparent - signs on in Ireland where he lived, sent to 3 R M Fus in Ireland, trained, sent to 9 KRR, they decide he is to old and discharge him,  Has another go in 1916.


MaxD


MaxD

[ccmmgr]

Apart from the insertion of 9 KRR and 3 R Munster Fus (a reserve/training battalion) in the previous service bit of his July 1916 attestation when he  was immediately posting to RW IWT, his record has nothing about that previous service.  I find no other record for a possible earlier attestation.

 However, it may be among the  60% or so of service records that did not survive.   It may be that he served for a short time and was discharged.  He was after all 50 (his age varies a bit!) when the war started so he may have fibbed about his age and then been found out?  Speculation only with no record apparent - signs on in Ireland where he lived, sent to 3 R M Fus in Ireland, trained, sent to 9 KRR, they decide he is to old and discharge him,  Has another go in 1916.


MaxD


MaxD

Yes - he wasn't in very easy circumstances and needed the work from what I can gather from other records - as you'll see he had been recently widowed and had many mouths to feed at home so an army wage and pension would have seemed like a big break for him at the time, I'm sure!

I had wondered about the 3RMF - I'd noted that they were a reserve battalion but some were sent to South Africa aboard the SS Sumatra from what I've read so I'm not sure how strict that sense of reserve was.

Thank you so much for your interpretation

[MaxD]

Time frame.  3 Battalion (then the South Cork Militia) were in the Boer war time frame the militia battalion of the Munsters and as with other militia battalions, sent men to South Africa to bolster the 1st Battalion and later the 2nd Battalion.  In 1908 they became, like other militia, part of the new Territorial Army and became reserve/training.

I have looked at the Boer War medal roll without result.

MaxD