3rd Royal Scots WW1

[MaxD]

The Silver War Badge card and detail referred to earlier by CaroleW can be downloaded from here:
https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D5459300
although if you look at the preview image, zoom in on the 6 cards shown, bottom left is the card which records the award of the Silver War Badge because of illness.  The pension would have resulted from his illness discharge, again whether overseas or not as long as it was attributable to his army service.

There may be a pension record for him although it will tell you no more than you know already

Essentially, although he was in the army, "on the books" of 3rd Battalion, as a Class W soldier he was more use to the country in his trade as a miner so that is what he would have been doing.  I'd guess it would have been one of the typical mining illnesses that he suffered from.

MaxD

[Tara Claire]

Thank you so much all of you who have helped clear up this puzzle for us. I am so grateful for your time and assistance for some one you dont know

[CaroleW]

Hi Tara

It’s posts like yours that keeps Rootschat going and helps feed our addiction to Family History - so thank YOU

[Tara Claire]

Would you good people mind answering a related question? Do you know if Edward's widow was likely to receive his army pension after his death? Also do you know if the pension was payable when the soldier was in hospital? The reason I ask is because Edward was in hospital for a year before he died, although the wife registered his death, we can not find a burial record and I am really worried in case he was buried in a common grave in the grounds of the hospital. If he did receive his pension when in hospital then surely there should have been enough money to bury him?

[MaxD]

I don't believe there is a straightforward answer.  His pension may have been time limited for example, you need to see the record.

Luckily there are 2 pension records on Fold3 https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/categories/mil_pension/?name=_sweeney&keyword=52162&location=3257.3250&priority=English

These though can only be accessed through Ancestry by paying an additional subscription.  It can also be seen on the Western Front Association website but you need to be a member.  Copyright rules mean that someone who does have access is not allowed to publicly hand the details on (I don't have access).

There may be a library in your area that has Fold3 access.  You could try posting on the county board for the part of UK where you live asking if anyone local to you knows of a library that does have Fold3 access.  Now and again Ancestry give free access at significant anniversaries for example such as 11 November.  A local Family History Society may be able to help.

Frustrating I know, can only wish you good luck, the answer is very likely to be in those records.

MaxD

[Tara Claire]

Thanks so much for this I didnt even have the record of his pension although I am on Ancestry and have searched many times. Its interesting that there is two records one with Mary and one without. I wonder what that is about. Although they were still married they had different addresses so I think they were estranged, I am not sure if she would still get the pension then. I will e mail my local family history group and see if they have access to fold3. I can't thank you enough 

[MaxD]

The two records are in all probability the pension card and the ledger, lots of info about them here:

http://www.westernfrontassociation.com/world-war-i-articles/pension-records-famous-infamous-extraordinary-and-ordinary/

MaxD