MavisT Posted 5 February , 2009 Share Posted 5 February , 2009 When I was viewing this forum recently, I noticed that a lot of information was available on soliders servicing in Mesopotamia in WW1. I am now asking if anyone can help me in finding any informtion on my grandfather, William George Malyon. All I know is that in October 1917 he is stated on my grandmother's death certificate as Private 2nd Leicester Regt BEF Mesopotamia. The story in the family was that he was "lost at sea". I am unable to trace him in casualty lists, although I beleive anyone lost at sea is listed separately but I do not know where to check. I also cannot confirm much of his existence in the forces although I have found a medal record that could be him but it tells me very little. This gives a regimental number of 34561 and North Fus 63408. I do not know if this is my grandfather as I have no way of checking. He was not serving in June 1916 but I assume that as conscription came in earlier that year, he did enlist later in the year. Whether he survived or not I cannot be sure. If anyone can give me any information at all on my William Malyon or any information of his service in the war, I would be so grateful. Thank you. MavisT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sotonmate Posted 5 February , 2009 Share Posted 5 February , 2009 Mavis There is only one William George MALYON on the War Graves website and he is with the 2 Northumberland Fusiliers,killed in 1915: http://www.cwgc.org/search/searchresults.a...asualty=1622653 Sotonmate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rogerh0343 Posted 5 February , 2009 Share Posted 5 February , 2009 Mavis The 2nd Leicestershires were part of the 7th Meerut Division of Genearl Maude's army in Mesopotamia in 1917. They were in 28 Brigade along with 31st Sikhs, 53rd Sikhs 56th Punjabi Rifles, 136th Company Machine Gun Corps and 28 Brigade Supply and Transport Company. This is taken from Ron Wilcox's "Battles on the Tigris". I did a check of Free BMD and there was a death for William G Malyon aged 37 registered in March 1928 quarter at Rochford. The reference is 4a 821. Regards Roger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MelPack Posted 5 February , 2009 Share Posted 5 February , 2009 Mavis It would be useful if you could provide some additional information. How do you know that he was not in in the army in June 1916? What his date of birth and place? Is it possible for you to post a copy of the death certificate of your grandmother? Regards Mel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MavisT Posted 6 February , 2009 Author Share Posted 6 February , 2009 Hi Thank you all for your replies. My WGM will not be the one killed in 1915 as he married my grandmother in 1916 and he was still a civilian at that time. I will check out the WGM who died 1928 - thanks Roger. I have recently found out his date of birth and this is 26 March 1890 and he was born at 6 Knoyle Street, registration district Greenwich, sub-district St Paul Deptford. What happened to him after my grandmother's death (20 October 1917) I do not know. Mavis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MelPack Posted 6 February , 2009 Share Posted 6 February , 2009 Mavis The information on the death certificate is extraordinarily specific but there is no MIC, CWGC,SDGW entry to support it. Is there anything in family lore that could explain why William might have enlisted under an alias? Regards Mel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MavisT Posted 6 February , 2009 Author Share Posted 6 February , 2009 Hi Mel The death certificate is that of my grandmother where she is stated as "wife of William Malyon a Private 2nd Leicester Regt BEF Mesopotamia". Basically that is all I know about his service in WW1. Whether he survivied or not I do not know. I have been unable to trace him on the lists of soldiers who died or at CWGC. My mother was 5 at the time so I find it strange that he did not return to his daughter after the war, if he did survive it. The only thing that might be wrong is that on the death certificate of my grandmother the word "Leicester" is a little smudged and it could be "Leinster" but I thought it would be Leicester Regiment as they did go to Mesopotamia. Roger - I have been unable to trace the William Malyon you mention so far. Mavis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rogerh0343 Posted 6 February , 2009 Share Posted 6 February , 2009 Hi Mavis Copy extract from Freebmd re William G Malyon attached. Regards Roger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rogerh0343 Posted 6 February , 2009 Share Posted 6 February , 2009 Mavis There was a previous thread on the GW Forum about a Pte F W Jones 45093 of the Leicestershire Regiment which contained reference to two soldiers who were mobilised with the Leicestershires on 21st November 1916 and 24th November 1916. The first Syney Harold Cheeseman was given the number 34178 and the second Edward Noel Carver was allocated the number 34223. Both served in India and the Middle East and in 1919 were transferred to the Middlesex Regiment and the 2/19th London Regiment. 34561 is not so far from these numbers and fits in with an enlistment late 1916. Not proof I agree. Roger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MavisT Posted 7 February , 2009 Author Share Posted 7 February , 2009 Thank you Roger. I have now found the BMD index - the age fits so it could be him. The information about the other soliders mobilised with Leicester Regiment is very interesting and again does fit. The only medal record I found for a William Malyon of Leicestershire states North Fus so I assume he transferred to Northumberland Fusiliers. When would someone like William have been demobilised? As he lost his wife tragically in October 1917, when would news have reached him about this? Would he have been allowed compassionate leave? Also, his wife was 7 months pregnant at the time she died, so I had assumed that he did not leave to go to war until Spring 1917 - or if he had enlisted late 1916, would he have had some home leave? Mavis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rogerh0343 Posted 7 February , 2009 Share Posted 7 February , 2009 Two relatives of mine were demobilised in February and March 1919 from the RFA and the Durham Light Infantry but another who was in the Yorks and Lancs Regiment wasn't demobbed until February 1920. I checked Ancestry but couldn't find any service records to fit William amongst the index. No William G's but I have terminated my membership so couldn't check in detail. There would certainly have been a period of training following enlistment and before going into a theatre of war. On the early medal index cards it gave the date they went abroad. I had a great uncle who attested on 31.8.1914 but didn't go to France until 29.3.1915. However as the war went on the length of the training period was much reduced. Your assumption that he didn't go until Spring 1917 could well be right. Early 1917 was when General Maude's Army was recovering ground lost in Mesopotamia earlier in the war including the recapture of Bagdad. I had another great uncle who was in the 7th Gloucestershire Battalion in Iraq in 1917. Sickness was almost as big a problem as the enemy. He was injured in battle and subsequently was invalided out of the Army for other medical reasons. Yours is a particularly tragic and very sad case. I don't have any answers to the questions you pose on compassionate leave and how soon he would have known. When a great uncle was K-I-A in Belgium in August 1917 it was in the local Gloucester paper within two weeks. Regards Roger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MavisT Posted 8 February , 2009 Author Share Posted 8 February , 2009 Roger Thank you so much for the time you have taken to help and the information you have provided has been very enlightening. It is all starting to fit into place. I just wish I could find out what happened to him. It seems he never came back to his little daughter (my mum) after the war - but why? Perhaps I will never find out. Mavis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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