Frederick Pyne - b 1894 North Staffs Regiment

[MaxD]

The 1st Battalion were stationed in Buttevant Co Cork  Ireland (part of the UK then) when war broke out.  They had moved there from Shorncliffe in Kent in January 1912.  Chances are, after training at the depot in Lichfield when he joined in September, he then joined the battalion in Ireland so his pre-war years would have been training and exercising in run of the mill peace-time activities.  The beginning of the first part of the war diary details the preparations made for deployment to France and the arrival there on 12 September 1914.

MaxD

[Jeremy Pyne]

Many thanks Max - if joining in 1912, would that have meant he would have travelled to Lichfield to sign up - or might he have signed up in London where he lived. Given the level of poverty is was surrounded by in Camberwell (been getting some grim descriptions from Booths Poverty map of his addresses at the turn of the century) I'm not surprised that the army might have been a more attractive escape  even if it meant travelling up country....

[MaxD]

Most likely to have joined up in London and been encouraged (by fair means or foul) to join the N Staffs who may have been short of men at the time.  His service number 9786 is consistent with joining the N Staffs in 1912 (9702 joined 14 March 1912) so not an enlistment to another regiment then transfer.

MaxD