Soldier Killed Accidentally After War

[ianmccallum]

Hi Guys

I am researching a soldier who was killed in a train accident in or around Montagris, Loiret, France on 5 May 1919. There is no sign of him in "Soldiers Died" but he is buried in a CWGC grave in the local cemetery in Montagris. I have the MID but it has no additional info. He is listed as being with the 3 (Reserve)Cameronians, but they never left the U.K. The earliest he could have gone to France was the middle of June 1918. I presume he was part of a draft sent to the continent to allow the fighting soldiers to be demobbed. I think he may have been on local leave or some trip. He was 27 years old when he was killed. Has anyone any ideas as to how I would find out about the accident, what unit he may have been attached to and did war diaries continue after the end of conflict.

Cheers

Ian

[mts]

Hi

Do you have a name

mel

[ianmccallum]

Hi Mel

He was 53182 Pte Francis David Kelly.

Ian

[PPCLI]

Hi Ian,

I don't know which unit he was attached to but the war diaries were continued while the units served overseas:

WO 95/2422: 1st Cameronians 1915 Dec. - 1919 May

WO 95/2422: 5/6th Cameronians 1918 Oct. - 1919 Oct.

WO 95/1776: 8th Cameronians 1919 Mar. - Sept.

WO 95/1776: 9th Cameronians 1919 Apr. - Sept.

WO 95/1954: 10th Cameronians 1915 July - 1919 Aug.

WO 95/4651: 11th Cameronians 1919 May - Dec.

The 2nd and 1/7th had demobilised by May 1919:

WO 95/2117: 2 Battalion Cameronians 1918 Feb. - 1919 Apr.

WO 95/2897: 7 Battalion Cameronians 1918 Apr. - 1919 Mar.

You should also be able to discount the 8th and 9th Battalions since they were part of the Army of Occupation on the Rhine and the 11th Bn. which was out in Macedonia with the 26th Division. So probably either the 1st, 5/6th or 10th Battalions.

Stuart

[ianmccallum]

Hi Stuart

Thanks for that it certainly narrows the field. For some reason he is not on the "Soldier's Died" disc and of course his medal Index Card only has Scottish rifles. I will see if I can track down the war diaries as per your list.

Thanks again

Ian

[Procat]

Hi Ian,

This may be his Death Certificate details (Overseas deaths):

Kelly Frank, Pte, 53182, S.R., Year 1919, Volume I.10, Page 131

Doug

[ianmccallum]

[Hi Doug

Thanks for your reply. That indeed looks like him. Where can I access the records.

Ian

[Procat]

Hi Ian,

you can get them at the GRO. Go to 'Order overseas certificates' on the right of the home page.

I am led to believe they don't normally contain a lot of information but given the circumstances of the death it may be more comprehensive.

[ianmccallum]

Cheers Doug.

I will give it a try.

Ian

[Procat]

Good luck with it.

Doug

[Jim Strawbridge]

Hi Stuart

Thanks for that it certainly narrows the field. For some reason he is not on the "Soldier's Died" disc and of course his medal Index Card only has Scottish rifles. I will see if I can track down the war diaries as per your list.

Thanks again

Ian

Bit late, but I have been checking out how he died (train accident) without much success. If using the CWGC website the search needs to be just under Frank Kelly (ignore David). The reason that SDITGW does not have him is because very few casualties post 1918 are there. Frank died in 1919..

[Theletterwriter]

Ian

The Cameronians Roll of Honour records him as 53182 Pte. T. Kelly, 9th. Battalion who died on 5 May 1919. His home town was Blantyre. Scotlands People records him as Frank Kelly.

Douglas

[Chris_Baker]

There will be a local registration of his death in the Montargis area.

[ianmccallum]

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the replies. Further research since my last post revealed that he tried to jump onto a moving train and missed. Now I am trying to find out what he was doing in the area. Don't think there would have been any British bases or military activity in the area. He was possibly visiting the area while on leave.

Ian