Tunneller

[brad somerset]

Hi,
I am trying to find details of my wife's cousin William Henry Casson AKA Harry Casson.
We have been told he served in the war as a tunneller but can find no record of him
Born 1885 Cleater Moor Died 1987 Salisbury S Rhodesia
Thank you

[jim1]

Hello & welcome
Tunnelling Coys. were part of the Royal Engineers so that is the Regt. he would have been in.
As these men (usually miners) were drawn from the ranks he may have been in another Regt. prior to this.
I'll have a look & see what I can find.

[jim1]

OK. There appears to be just 1 William Casson (no middle initial) RE.
His rank was Sapper meaning he had skills (tunnellers were Sappers).
Attested as 6735 into the RE Territorial Force.
Transferred to the Labour Corps as 337108 ( the LC wasn't formed until early 1917 so after this date).
Back to the RE as 432592 (the TF were re-numbered in 1917 hence the new number).
His new 6 digit RE number was in a batch allocated to the W. Lancs. Signals Coy.
I can't see a service record which isn't surprising as around 70% were destroyed during the blitz.

[jim1]

Are you sure about the name William?
There isn't one born Cumberland 1884-6.
There is a Henry Casson b. 1885 in the Whitehaven Reg. District which is the correct place for Cleator Moor & this Henry appears in 1911 as a mining engineer.
Is this him?
This man appears to be Lt. Henry Casson Border Regt. attached to the RE.
As a mining engineer he would have been a shoe-in for a tunnelling Coy.
This man applied for his medals in 1921 & gave his address as 2 Myrtle Bank Seascale Cumberland.
If you think this might be your man his service record can be downloaded from TNA:
http://www.rootschat.com/links/01n39/
In addition this man was made up from Pte. to 2/Lt. 14/11/14 serving in the 5th. (Cumberland Batt.) 8th. Border Regt. (sic)
9/1/15 made 1/Lt.
Most interestingly on 13/1/16 attached to a Tunnelling Coy. R.E.

[brad somerset]

Thank you Jim.
Yes that is the man Henry Casson. He was christened William Henry
He lived in Seascale in 1911
I was told he was awarded the MC for getting his men out of the tunnel after a mine explosion but no other information.
I will try the Archives
Thanks
Brad

[brad somerset]

Just tried the NA Jim.
All I got was a catalogue description.
How do I find out about him and his promotion and attachment as you have intimated?
Sorry to be a nuisance but I am new at this!!
Brad

[jim1]

3 entries: forget the last one.
http://www.rootschat.com/links/01n3a/
You need to get his service record from the link I gave earlier. This will give you everything you need to know, hopefully including the Tunnelling Coy. he was attached to. We can then look for their war diary.

[pb_devon]

Just tried the NA Jim.
All I got was a catalogue description.
How do I find out about him and his promotion and attachment as you have intimated?
Sorry to be a nuisance but I am new at this!!
Brad

Click on the catalogue description. Then on the right is 'request a copy', click there then full instructions are given.  It hasn't been scanned so you'll need to get a quote.

[jim1]

That's his service record. The Gazette entries re his promotion are as above.