29th Battalion CEF Nominal Roll

[Broznitsky]

I am pleased to announce the availability of lookups into an almost complete nominal roll from 1914 to 1919 for the 29th Vancouver Btn (Tobin's Tigers).

Thanks to the Macintosh wizardry of Pal Mordac, we were able to convert a diskette made in 1985 into a format readable in 2004 by Windows. The data on the diskette was assembled from various nominal rolls, casualty lists, medal/MID lists, postoffice lists, etc.

I can provide company, reg number, rank, medals/mid, date of wound, date KIA, and date taken POW for most of the men of the 29th.

This list is not complete. I have seen a figure of over 5,000 for those who served in the 29th, but still this list of 4,300 is better than just having the embarkation roll from 1915.

Feel free to contact me if you have any queries.

Peter in Vancouver

[stiletto_33853]

Peter,

Nice bit of work, well done.

Andy

[Guest Desmond6]

My compliments to the CEF!

Sent a little - and I mean little - list to Mordac the other day. Hope to send more details for Canucks.

Can I ask, are Canadians of the modern generation well aware of their countries role/sacrifice in WW1? Has the internet and 'supposed' ease of research encouraged more people there to find out about their past in terms of family history etc? Are memorials etc. well respected?

Once again, some going ....

[mordac]

Hi Broz:

Much to my wife's chagrin, I spent about 10 hours working on the roll over the weekend. Made my way through the A's and part of the B's and have noticed about a 30% error rate; transposed numbers in the serial numbers, incorrect serial numbers, incorrect spelling of names and incorrect date of death. I've been making corrections as I go along. Cleaning up the roll will be a long term project, which is fine with me. My wife on the other hand...

Des - I'm really not sure how aware Canadians are about our participation in the Great War. Where I work (about 120 people) there are only three of us who have an interest in WWI.

Are memorials etc. well respected? For the most part they are. I pass Vancouver's cenotaph on my way to work every day. It's located in the heart on one of the most crime ridden and drug infested parts of Canada. I've NEVER seen the cenotaph vandalized and I'm always amazed by how clean the area's kept.

Garth

[Neil Burns]

Wow!

Great work Peter and Garth.

You guys never cease to amaze me.

Neil

[mordac]

I have seen a figure of over 5,000 for those who served in the 29th, but still this list of 4,300 is better than just having the embarkation roll from 1915.

Hi Broz:

Do you have a copy of the 29th's 1915 embarkation roll? It would sure come in handy.

Garth

[Broznitsky]

Garth, having seen most of the documents the 1985 researcher created the master roll from, I am not surprised at the amount of errors. Faded, moldy, water-damaged, crumbling pieces of paper: I get excited just thinking about them!

Don't forget she was entering the mistakes of clerks from the war years, as well.

Des, I think Canadians are just about the same as everybody else. Most don't know very much and don't care very much. The Internet has certainly made it easier for those who become interested to conduct research. As has been mentioned here before, the countdown to 2014 should resurrect some interest amongst those who have forgotten the bits and pieces they learned in school or saw on TV.

Memorials I have seen seem to be well-preserved.

[mordac]

Garth, having seen most of the documents the 1985 researcher created the master roll from, I am not surprised at the amount of errors.  Faded, moldy, water-damaged, crumbling pieces of paper:  I get excited just thinking about them! 

Don't forget she was entering the mistakes of clerks from the war years, as well.

Hi Broz:

Yup, these mistakes were inevitable. Adding to the confusion, The National Archives of Canada's web site also has made mistakes (three so far) with serial numbers and names. It adds a little extra challenge to the project.

BTW, I've been adding date of birth, date of enlistment, original unit and some notes to the spreadsheet. I'll copy a small portion of the spread sheet and mail it to you.

If you don't have a copy of the 29th's 1915 embarkation roll, I'll order one from Marway Militaria. It'll will make a great cross reference tool.

Garth

[Terry]

Hi guys,

I could start the ball rolling. In my collection all I have for 29th Bn are:

- 75456 L.Cpl.T.Beaumont (trio)

- 629003 Pte.W.Bouck (pair) KIA

I have their NA files but any fiurther details would be appreciated.

Cheers from New Brunswick,

Terry

[Broznitsky]

Garth, thanks for the offer, I have the 1915 Embarkation.

My approach right now is to split out the companies from the reg numbers so that I can do some sorting on columns to aid data correction. I take it you are adopting a more line by line approach?

[mordac]

Garth, thanks for the offer, I have the 1915 Embarkation.

My approach right now is to split out the companies from the reg numbers so that I can do some sorting on columns to aid data correction.  I take it you are adopting a more line by line approach?

Hi Broz:

I've e-mailed you a sample of the spreadsheet.

Ya, I've been going line by line. First split out the company from the serial number, then go to the NAC and check the attestation paper. If there's a problem with the number or name, the search begins to clarify the error. That takes most of the time in the project (compare the original with the sample I sent you to see what I mean). Then I add the man's complete name, the date of birth, enlistment date, original unit and any pertinent notes. If the man is listed as 'killed' I check the date of death and the circumstance eg. KIA, DOW, DOD etc. and then add the cause of death to the notes.

Any chance of getting a copy of the embarkation list?

Garth

[Ken S.]

I am wondering if someone is willing to offer some assistance. I am doing some research on the 19th Canadian Machine Gun Company, and am trying to track down information on the unit's second in command, Capt. J. M. Cumming (initially a Lieutenant). As there were few J. M. Cumming's in the CEF, I'm fairly certain that this was Joseph McCombie Cumming of the 29th Battalion. Could someone confirm this for me, and if it is him, fill me in on how he came to join the CMGC.

Thanks,

Ken

[bartbandyrfc]

Hello Mordac and Broz,

I'm new to this forum and so far I am totally impressed with the mass of great information available here. Congratulations to all of you who make this such a fantastic resource.

I am with the Canadian Forces and I currently live and work with NATO in Germany. While posted here I thought it would be great to trace my Grandfather's and Great Uncle's service on the Western Front. I've been to all the battlefield locations that their units were involved in and I want to do some even deeper research before I am posted home to Canada.

I am wondering if you have any information in your 29th Bn Nominal roll regarding my maternal grandfather. I have his complete service record and copies of the 29th's War Diaries for the period that he was in theatre. What I am missing is the Company that he was with while posted to the 29th. Until I have that information my research into his service will be incomplete. This is the information that I have regarding his service with the 29th Bn.

422027 Pvt Archie Donald Batchelor. He joined the Canadian Army in Winnipeg on 21 Dec 1914. He trained in Canada with the 44th Overseas Bn and proceeded to England arriving on 13 Sep 15. He was posted for some time with 30th Reserve Bn (Shorncliffe) and was promoted to Cpl while with that unit. He then reverted to Private rank and proceeded to France on 19 Feb 16. He was taken on strength with the 29th Bn on 21 Feb 16 and did most of his service in the Ypres Salient. He was invalided to England via Boulogne on 19 Sep 1916 after contracting Nephritis while employed on operations at the Somme. By all accounts he is lucky to have been SOS just before the 29th's big push for Courcellette in Sep-Oct 16.

Any info regarding his time with the 29th would be greatly appreciated. If possible, a soft copy of the nominal roll would also be appreciated.

Many thanks in advance,

Jim Irvine, Gangelt Germany.

[Broznitsky]

Jim, I'm sorry to say that Batchelor does not come up. I show about 10 other chaps with number starting 4220, but not your grandfather.

The only nominal roll available on paper would be the embarkation (shipping) list. As he was a transfer in, he would not be on that.

You might want to visit the CEF Study Group, by the way, here.

P.S. The database is not complete, as we have just discovered.

[bartbandyrfc]

Thanks Broz. Rather disappointing news I must say.

I have been to the CEF site. I am very impressed with all I have seen here and on the CEF study group.

Thanks again, and if you need any support from Europe let me know. I go out to the Salient and the Somme every once in a while. I am planning a long trip to both locales this summer.

Cheers,

Jim