Rockford Posted 19 May , 2009 Share Posted 19 May , 2009 Good evening, I wonder if anyone could give me the benefit of their experience, as I try to establish which one of several possible candidates might be my great-grandfather, Roland Gregory. I have refrained from posting this query for ages, but if I don't ask, I'll never know..... Some background - we know that Roland served in the army and believe that he joined up early in the war. However, we have no idea what regiment he may have served in, only that he may have been gassed at some point and, after a period in hospital, may have returned to the front prior to being discharged probably sometime before 1919, as he registered the death of his father in October that year. Before and after the war, Roland lived in and around Pontypridd in South Wales. I have no photographs of Roland in uniform, so there are no cap badges or other clues to be had. I do not know Roland's service number. There does not seem to be a Service Record on Ancestry for Roland [or frustratingly, any of the possibles]. However, there are MICs for 6 Ro[w]land Gregorys. I believe that I am able to rule some out and I wonder whether it is possible to rule out others, given the information below, as I know that soldiers' service numbers can sometimes indicate where and when they joined up. Assuming that the MICs are complete, the possibles are: Pte Roland Gregory, Royal Wilts Yeomanry [1456], Wilts Regt [204259], Hamps Regt [04992] Gnr Roland Gregory, Royal Garrison Artillery [50194] - most likely? L/Cpl Roland Gregory, later A/Sgt, Liverpool Regiment [19243]. Arrived in France 26/9/1915 - I believe this man can be ruled out as he was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal in the Peace Gazette, for which my ggf would not have been eligible if he only served for the duration of the war? Pte Roland Gregory, Wilts Regt [1350] - awarded a TF War decoration, which I believe would not have been my ggf as we have no knowledge of pre-war territorial service? Two unlikely candidates: Sgt Rowland C I Gregory, Gloucs Regt [13629], Loyal North Lancs [43778]. Arrived in France on 09/08/1915 and is noted on MIC as 'still serving'. The name and service beyond 1919 indicates that this is not 'my' Roland. Gnr Rowland T Gregory, Royal Garrison Artillery [46068]. Arrived in France 09/07/1915 and described as Class Z: 05/03/1919. The spelling and middle initial make me think that this is not my great-grandfather. My great-grandfather survived the war and it seems from the CWGC site that all of the above candidates did too. If anybody could help me, it would be appreciated and I would be grateful for any suggestions as to where I might go from here. Best wishes Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milner Posted 20 May , 2009 Share Posted 20 May , 2009 I checked records for Pontypridd and found a marriage for a Roland Gregory listed below. Also a number of births of daughters who's mother's maiden name was Bennett. Note no births during the war years ??? I checked the 1901 census (below) and which says born in Scotland but living in Pontypridd Roland Gregory 10 Scotland Glamorganshire Pontypridd Juvenile So he was over 21 in 1918 and eligable to vote, so my first check would be to see if an absent voters list exists for Pontypridd, this may give a name address and regiment. https://wiki.familysearch.org/en/Glamorgan_...toral_Registers Marriages Dec 1912 (>99%) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gregory Roland Bennett Pontypridd 11a 1403 Surname First name(s) Mother District Vol Page -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Births Mar 1913 (>99%) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gregory Cissie L Bennett Pontypridd 11a 1061 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Births Mar 1921 (>99%) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gregory Vera G Bennett Pontypridd 11a 1112 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Births Mar 1923 (>99%) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gregory Lilian J Bennett Pontypridd 11a 991 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Births Sep 1924 (>99%) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- GREGORY Doreen E BENNETT Pontypridd 11a 1027 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Births Dec 1934 (98%) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gregory Marjorie Bennett Pontypridd 11a 651 Regards Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockford Posted 20 May , 2009 Author Share Posted 20 May , 2009 Hi Phil, The Roland you have found is indeed my great-grandfather and I have his 1912 marriage certificate. It is the gap between my grandmothers' sisters that make us think that he must have been absent for most of the war. The 1901 census is a mistake, as he wasn't born in Scotland, although there's an earlier Scottish connection. I'll try the absent voters' lists and see what turns up - it's not a source I'm familiar with, so thank you for your suggestion. Best wishes Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now