bts1970 Posted 12 August , 2008 Share Posted 12 August , 2008 Evening all Another of the lads yet to research deeper R/7558 Rifleman ALBERT JAMES PARSONS. 1st Battalion, King's Royal Rifle Corps. Enlisted in Chester. Killed in action aged 21on the 27th December 1915. Son of Lilly Susan Parsons, of Station Rd. Buried in BETHUNE TOWN CEMETERY, Grave Reference: IV. G. 59. Can anyone shed light on the Units actions around the given date Best Regards Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bts1970 Posted 15 April , 2010 Author Share Posted 15 April , 2010 Just bumping this up the line as i had no response back in 2008 Best regards Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grantowi Posted 15 April , 2010 Share Posted 15 April , 2010 Bob, There's an A J Parsons listed on the GWR ROH Working in the Loco and Carriage Dept in Chester In 1911 he is a labourer in Swindon GWR Works, lodging with Thomas (GWR Diller) and Ellen MILES at Station Road Purton Wiltshire - He's also a Visitor with the same people in the 1901 census Grant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Verrico2009 Posted 15 April , 2010 Share Posted 15 April , 2010 SDGW gives DoW:- Name: Albert Parsons Birth Place: Chester Residence: Purton, Wilts Death Date: 27 Dec 1915 Enlistment Location: Fulham, Middx. Rank: Rifleman Regiment: King's Royal Rifle Corps Battalion: 1st Battalion. Number: R/7558 Type of Casualty: Died of wounds Theatre of War: France & Flanders I can't find an MIC for him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grantowi Posted 15 April , 2010 Share Posted 15 April , 2010 SDGW (FMP ver): Birthplace: Purton, Wilts Enlisted: Chester Residence: Fulham, Middx. Census says born Purton GWR ROH says worked in Chester CWGC sys Mum lived in Fulham (+ Native of Purton) Grant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Verrico2009 Posted 15 April , 2010 Share Posted 15 April , 2010 Ah - I assumed the usual "switch" had taken place. I stand corrected. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grantowi Posted 15 April , 2010 Share Posted 15 April , 2010 Was that another Ancestry record ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Verrico2009 Posted 15 April , 2010 Share Posted 15 April , 2010 Yes - perhaps they've sorted that "glitch". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grantowi Posted 15 April , 2010 Share Posted 15 April , 2010 Doubt it, too busy collecting pennies to make corrections At least with FMP, if you find an error, they do correct it Grant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bts1970 Posted 15 April , 2010 Author Share Posted 15 April , 2010 Verrico, Grant many thanks for the details posted, hopefully we will have a KRRC expert to add some more detail Best regards Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MBrockway Posted 16 April , 2010 Share Posted 16 April , 2010 Bob, It's added to my To Do List, but afraid I'm busy until after the weekend! I'll look up the 27 Dec 1915 in the Battalion War Record in the KRRC Chronicle so should at least be able to give you a rough location, though as he Died of Wounds, it'll be difficult to pin down the exact incident where he was wounded. I'll see what else I've got too. Do you have any more info on the Chester angle? Sorry can't do this sooner. Other Pals have the KRRC Chronicles so you may get help elsewhere before I get time Cheers, Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bts1970 Posted 16 April , 2010 Author Share Posted 16 April , 2010 Mark Many thanks for your intrest, apart from the Great Western Railway angle no further details available as yet. I appreciate that as he died of wounds its not as straight forward to get a definate location etc but any info would be something to look deeper into. Many thanks again The killed in action detail (in post 1) was lifted from the Memorial book in the village Church, unfortunately i have driven more holes through it than you may find in a bullet riddled bucket, the details available when the book was written in 1920 were obviously word of moth & incomplete detail that i am slowly sorting out, unfortunately the great and good of the village don`t seem that impressed with my version of some of the village history 1914-18 but thats research & my findings i am trying to confirm using at least 2 sources.. Best regards Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MBrockway Posted 18 April , 2010 Share Posted 18 April , 2010 I can't find an MIC for him. I couldn't find an MIC for him via Ancestry either - and I tried all the usual KRRC typos! - but his MIC is here on the National Archive: National Archive results for Rfn Parsons R/7558 Cheers, Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MBrockway Posted 18 April , 2010 Share Posted 18 April , 2010 ... The killed in action detail (in post 1) was lifted from the Memorial book in the village Church, unfortunately i have driven more holes through it than you may find in a bullet riddled bucket ... Bob Bob, I think you're correct in disregarding the KiA. Soldiers Died in the Great War has him as Died of Wounds, and the fact he is interred at Bethune Town Cemetery strongly suggests he died while at 33rd Casualty Clearing Station at Bethune. He could still have been wounded while in billets at Bethune though - the town was under regular German artillery bombardment even in 1915. There's a KRRC Chronicle entry for 14 Oct 1915 stating that 1/KRRC moved to billets at HIGNETTE "owing to the Germans throwing some 12-inch shells into Bethune." Cheers, Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MBrockway Posted 18 April , 2010 Share Posted 18 April , 2010 Bob, 1st Battalion KRRC spent virtually the whole of 1915 in the Loos sector, moving between billets in or near BETHUNE and the Firing Line at various points between GIVENCHY and HULLUCH. Here's a summary from the 1st Battalion War Records in the 1916 KRRC Chronicle (the Chronicle Editor did not receive it in time for the 1915 edition). 26 Sep - 30 Sep 1915 - Battalion attached to Carter's Force, an ad hoc composite brigade. Re-captured and held HULLUCH QUARRIES, ST ELIE, east of VERMELLES. Very intense fighting. Heavy casualties. See my topic on Rfn Groves for a bit more info on this: Rfn Ernest Groves R7559 1/KRRC d. Loos 29 Sep 1916, & others commemorated on Over Peover War Memorial, Cheshire You'll notice that R/7559 Ernest Groves has the next Service Number after R/7558 Albert Parsons, so it is very likely they enlisted at the same time. I estimate this to be ~20 November 1914. 30 Sep 1915 - 07:00hrs arrived in billets in BETHUNE. Majority of Btn slept the whole day. 01 Oct 1915 - 16:00hrs orders to return to same trenches at The Quarries. Relief completed ~23:00hrs. 02 Oct 1915 - much enemy bombing during day and vigorous shelling in evening. 03 Oct 1915 - 14:30hrs heavy German bombardment of Front Line, Support and Communication trenches near QUARRIES at VERMELLES paying particular attention to the locations to the old German OPs and Dug-Outs. Germans seen massing behind their lines, so btn prepared for an enemy attack. ~16:30hrs Germans began bombing attack continuing for two and a half hours but never gaining a foothold in British-held trenches. One enemy assault surpressed by heavy British rifle and MG fire and no further assault attempted after this. 2000 bombs used by the battalion in these two and half hours. Some casualties. 04 Oct 1915 - to billets in BETHUNE 08 Oct 1915 - at 17:30hrs to stronghold W of BEUVRY and N of main road as precaution due to an intensive German counter-attack all along the Front Line from Hohenzollern Redoubt to Loos. At midnight ordered to return to billets as German attack had failed. 14 Oct 1915 - to poor quarters in HIGNETTE due to German 12-inch shells bombarding BETHUNE. [I think this is just to the E of HIGNES] 17 Oct 1915 - to better quarters in VENDIN [= VENDIN-LES-BETHUNE, just to NE of Bethune, not Vendin-le-Vieil near Lens] 21 Oct 1915 - to new billets in BEUVRY 24 Oct 1915 - to Support trenches. Supplied Working Parties to improve trenches. 27 Oct 1915 - relieved 1/Kings in Front Line. Very quiet time with only one casualty. 29 Oct 1915 - relieved by S Staffs. To billets in ANNEQUIN 01 Nov 1915 - to billets in BETHUNE 13 Nov 1915 - to FOSSE COTTAGES preparatory to taking over Front Line 14 Nov 1915 - relieved 9/RF in line just N of HOHENZOLLERN REDOUBT 17 Nov 1915 - relievd by S Staffs. To billets in BEUVRY. 19 Nov 1915 - to Support Area 24 Nov 1915 - to billets in BEUVRY 26 Nov 1915 - to Front Line near CAMBRAIN [sic, for CAMBRIN] 30 Nov 1915 - to billets in BEUVRY 01 Dec 1915 - continuing to hold same line rotating to same billets in BEUVRY 17 Dec 1915 - A and C companies into Z1 trenches. B and D coys to billets. These paired coys alternated thus every three days until 29 Dec. [apologies, but I have not been able to locate Z1 exactly] 22 Dec 1915 - Gas Attack & Trench Raid to gather specific Intelligence (no detail given). Latter part abandoned due to lack of surprise. 24 Dec 1915 - Mine exploded near Hohenzollern. Much enemy shelling resulting, but no casualties. 30 Dec 1915 - to GONNEHEM for a Divisional Rest 20 Jan 1916 - to billets in FESTUBERT Here's a map showing most of those locations: The black lines show the Front Line before and after the Battle of Loos. If Albert was at 33rd CCS, then I would expect his wounding to not date more than 2-4 weeks before his death. He would probably have already been evacuated to the Base Hospitals if his wounding had been a lot earlier. That suggests a time window of late November 1915 onwards. I fear you will need to get the 1/KRRC War Diary to get any more detail than the above. HTH Cheers, Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bts1970 Posted 20 April , 2010 Author Share Posted 20 April , 2010 Mark Thankyou very much for your time. This certainly helps build a bigger picture to Alberts War. If i find any more info i will post it up her but for now, again thanks very much Best regards bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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