Transfers - Manchester Regt.

[Ken Lees]

Do we have any Forum Pals researching the Manchester Regiment?

I am trying to establish details of a group of men transferred from the Manchesters to the 9th Bn. King's Liverpool Regt.

I have no idea how many were transferred at this time, as most of my information refers to those of the batch who were killed.

I have found the service papers of one of these men, 4545 Pte. Joseph Ray, and I would like to ascertain if the others in the batch were with him.

He enlisted 24/01/16, being posted to the 6th (Reserve) Battalion and went to France with a batch of Manchesters on 04/08/16, Immediately on arrival he was posted to the Liverpool Regt. and whilst still at the Infantry Base Depot, on 17/09/16 he was transferred to the 1/9th King's Liverpool Regt. and given the number 6094 (later 332619). On 21/09/16 he reached the 1/9th King's in the line. There is no mention in the Battalion War Diary of the arrival of any reinforcements on that date.

On arrival in the King's, the Manchester men I know about were mostly numbered in the ranges 332567-332621 and 332725-332771 (King's Liverpool numbers), having previously been numbered in the 4-digit or 5-digit series of the Manchesters, suggesting both Territorial enlistments and either New Armies or conscripts in the Manchester Regt. It looks like the men were all transferred out of the Manchesters before serving overseas as none have the Manchester Regt. on their medal index cards.

Would anyone have any information from the Manchesters side? I am particularly interested to know how many transferred into the King's Liverpool Regt in August, 1916, and if they all went to the 9th Battalion.

Ken

[John_Hartley]

Ken

Can't help specifically (although the City Battalions Book of Honour does list a J Ray as an employee of the Co-operative Wholesale Society), but there are a number of men recorded by CWGC as being 6th Mancs and died in France during the Somme campaign. It cannot be right as the 1/6th was in Egypt and the 2/6th was still in the UK.

John

[Ken Lees]

Thanks John,

Following the demise of Geoff's search engine, I don't suppose there is a way of extracting those 6th Manchesters who died in France in 1916. I'll have a look at SDITGW and see what that produces.

Ken