Machine Gun Corps Help please

[Nickna]

Evening everyone

I’m currently researching my great grandfather who I believe was in the machine gun corps during ww1.

My mother, who very sadly is not enjoying the best of health, has always been desperate to know whether the family story we have always been told about my great grandfather losing a leg as a train ran over it is true or, alternatively, whether something else had happened to cause him to lose his leg.

I am desperately searching for information in the hope that I can tell tell my lovely mum the true story behind her grandfather’s injury and hopefully a little about his service.

Following his discharge my great grandfather went on to marry my great grandmother and had 9 (!) children, of whom 8 survived childhood.

I have no information about my great grandfather’s service, but I have uncovered some information which I have to confess I’m struggling to understand as it’s my first adventure into military history.

I would be so very grateful for any help / pointers.

The information I have available is as follows:

William David Gray
DoB 15 November 1897
Place of birth Chiswick
Regimental number 141 412
Date of enlistment 24 April 1915
Date of discharge 28 June 1919
Silver war medal number B28633

I have also inserted a screenshot of the official sources I have located (although embarrassingly I’m struggling a little to understand). The photo I have of his silver war star entry is too large to be attached.

Thank you in advance for any help anyone is able to offer (particularly about the missing leg!).

[CaroleW]

What you have is his Medal Roll Index showing the period he served.  Para 392 etc means he was released early due to permanent physical illness

Unfortunately over 60% of WW1 service records were burnt during the WW2 blitz.  Those that survived are on the subscription sites but I can't find anything for him.

If he lost his leg as a result of a war injury he would have received a War Pension but I can't see any documentation to support that

Some of our RC military experts may be able to interprete the other annotations for you

[JGDavies]

Under Reason for Discharge could it say something like "Para[graph] 302 [clause] xvi KR [Kings Regulations] Sick" and perhaps such a regulation says two legs are needed? or loss of one is reason to be discharged?

[CaroleW]

Para 392 explained above as per Google

https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/silver-war-badge-and-kings-certificate-of-discharge

[Nickna]

Hi both

Thanks so much for your responses.

Yes I had assume that he was medically retired out due to the loss of leg and subsequently received the silver star.

What a shame on the records. It sounds  as if it’s going to be one of those stories we may never get to the bottom of.

Hopefully someone might be able to point me in the right direction regiment / battalion wise so I could at least tell mum what he got up to.

Appreciate your posts

[Andy J2022]

The other significant piece of information on the index card is that he was previously in the 7th battalion of the London Regiment with the regimental number 3906. My guess is that this was the unit he joined on 24 April 1915.The Machine Gun Corps was formed in October 1915 and initially took men from the infantry battalions who had machine gun experience, so this is possibly why he was transferred. The London Regiment was exclusively made up of Territorial Force men. There was no Regular battalion.

He was awarded the Victory Medal and the British War Medal based on the medal roll MGC/101/B88  List /782 submitted to the Warl Office by the MGC.

[Andy J2022]

More on the activities of the Machine Gun Corps here: http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/regiments-and-corps/machine-gun-corps-in-the-first-world-war/

[willyam]

There is a pension record in Fold3 (via Ancestry) - found by searching via his soldier no. 3906.

[ShaunJ]

There is a surviving army medical progress report from 72 Gen H (General Hospital?) Trouville which lists his condition as "Amp L. Thigh" and "Dangerously Ill" as at 2 September 1918.

https://search.findmypast.co.uk/record?id=GBM%2FWO363-4%2F007407525%2F00426&parentid=GBM%2FWO363-4%2FSUPP%2F548772