George Elsey West Riding Reg

[Coxon]

Hello,
I have known about George Elsey for sometime now - mainly as a one legged traction driver and while I have been able to fill in his civilian details up until now I haven't been able to find any military details. I think he lost his leg during WW1 and the fact he got a pension bares out the fact he was injured.

This is what I have found so far -
WO329_636897_0831_00184
Roll of Individuals entitled to “War Badge”
Reg No.7356 Pte George Elsey West Yorks  Prince of Wale’s Own,No. Badge 89267 enlisted 4.1.1904 Discharge 31.12.1914 Wounds Para 392 (XVI) served overseas-YES

Pension Record
G. Elsey  Pte Yorks  Discharge Date 31.12.1914  Service Record: 7350  Reg.: West Yorkshire   Ref 4/ME/ No. 222D   married living at Wheldrake
Date commencement of Pension 1.1.15

Medal Rolls Index Card
Elsey George 1W.Yorks Reg. Private  7356
Medal      Roll    Page
Victory   0/2/104B7  777
British   o/2/104B7  777
14 Star 0/2/3  39      Discharged    SWB list  0/179  Qualifying Date: 8.9.14

Medals & Awards
George Elsey  1914 Star   Prince of Wale’s Own/West Yorks    Reg. No. 7356  1st Battalion    Disembarkation:8.9.1914    Discharged

As you can see I have put his reg. no. in red and it changes by one digit from 7356 to 7350. I think this must have been an admin error as the discharge dates and regiments are the same. It says he joined the army in 1904 but he was married and living in Wheldrake in 1911 and described as an agricultural labourer. My questions are-

Do you think I am correct in assuming an admin error for the difference in the reg. no.? Or do you think I have two different men?

Do you think the 1904 should have read 1914 and would there be any way of finding out?
 I know a lot of the WW1 papers burned but 1904 is pre-war,did they also burn? Also if he didn't join until 1914 he was sent to France quickly I have great Uncles that signed up in 1914 and didn't go to France until 1915.

Is there any way I can find out how he was injured?

What should I look up in the war diaries? I looked up West Yorkshire and then the drop down box asked for a division.
Thank you
Louise

[philipsearching]

Do you think the 1904 should have read 1914 and would there be any way of finding out?

(MODIFIED DUE TO ERROR - REVISED DETAILS ABOVE)
I find this site very useful for pre-WW1 service numbers:
http://armyservicenumbers.blogspot.com
Duke of Wellington's (West Riding) Regiment: 7361 joined 22 Jan 1903.
So, George's army number suggests a joining date around early-mid January 1903.

As George is a civilian on the 1911 Census, it is most probable that he was recalled from the Reserve when war broke out.  I don't know the precise regulations in 1904, but George would have signed on for (probably) 12 years - 7 years active service followed by 5 years in the reserve.

I would have no problem with 7350/7356 being a clerical error.  Also, it is quite likely that the Silver War Badge Roll date of 1904 is a clerical error (or due to faulty memory).

Philip

[Coxon]

Hi, That was a quick reply. George was born in 1888, in Nettleton in Lincolnshire. In 1901 he was living in Nettleton, Lincs with his mother and is described as an agricultural labourer. He moved to Wheldrake in Yorkshire around 1907. He married in York in 1910 and is living in Wheldrake on the 1911 census with his wife. He is described as an agricultural labourer. I will click on the link you have given me.
Thank you
Louise

[MaxD]

His medal record shows he was in 1st Battalion West Yorks, his date of entry to France was 8 Sep 1914 (which is when the battalion went) so clearly already serving or a recalled reservist.


The war diary is on Ancestry
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/interactive/60779/43112_1616_0-00000?backurl=https%3a%2f%2fsearch.ancestry.co.uk%2fsearch%2fdb.aspx%3fdbid%3d60779%26path%3d&ssrc=&backlabel=ReturnBrowsing#?imageId=43112_1618_0-00002

starts at image 234.

The link that Philip has given is for the Duke of Wellington's West Riding Regiment.  Your man was in the Prince of Wales Own West Yorkshire, numbers here:
regimenthttp://armyservicenumbers.blogspot.com/2009/09/west-yorkshire-regiment-1st-2nd.html

MaxD

[philipsearching]

The link that Philip has given is for the Duke of Wellington's West Riding Regiment.  Your man was in the Prince of Wales Own West Yorkshire, numbers here:
regimenthttp://armyservicenumbers.blogspot.com/2009/09/west-yorkshire-regiment-1st-2nd.html

Dammit! - that's what happens when I read the title without checking the text!    - MaxD is right.
West Yorks Regt 6624 joined 7 Jan 1903, 7705 joined 1 Nov 1904.  So a joining date of January 1904 would fit.

Philip

[Coxon]

Hi, Thank you to both of you. I will click on the link to the war diaries. Louise

[MaxD]

You will find that, as is normal, the names of other ranks who became casualties were not recorded so precisely when he was wounded cannot really be determined.  However, a discharge on 31 December 1914 would indicate being wounded perhaps as early as the last week of September. He would have been taken through a number of steps in the casualty evacuation chain in the battle area, then back to UK perhaps via a hospital in France and treatment until a final medical would assess him unfit to carry on with his service.
The battalion had a pretty torrid time of it during the battle of the Aisne, with some 600 men becoming casualties on 20 September alone..  Perhaps a little more readable than the war diary is the short history of 6th Division in whose 18 Brigade the battalion fought, read or download here:
https://ia902702.us.archive.org/11/items/hist6thdivision00marduoft/hist6thdivision00marduoft.pdf

MaxD

[Coxon]

Thank you I will try that link. I like to know where my relatives were, roughly and I find the Battalions and Divisions confusing. We went to France last year to follow another relation. I think I have been spoilt as he was named in a War Diary. He was a driver who's 4.7 gun exploded. I also found one injury recorded for yet another relation (he had 5 injuries before he was killed!). As you have given me a link to finding reg.no. for West Yorks I will also use it to find when other members of my family joined up. Louise