Too old to fight?

[Amy Kitcher]

My great great grandfather served with the Royal Sussex Regiment between (at least) 1884 - 1891. He is first mentioned as a Corporal and then as a Sergeant. Whilst digging around on the PROCAT website I came across the following reference

WO 339/22656 FORDHAM C G H, Lieut & QM 1914-1919; 1956

The name of my gggrandfather was Charles George Harry Fordham. Is there any possibility they could be one and the same? Or would my gggrandad have simply been too old?

Furthermore, can anyone tell me what the second date, 1956, would refer to? I checked the death index for 1956 and 1957 so I am sure it is not his date of death.

Thanks again

Amy

[Chris_Baker]

Although he would have been older than most, there is no reason why he could not be this officer. The "Lieut & QM" is a good indicator that he is an ex ranker.

[BlackSeptember1918]

I'm doing this from memory , which is never a foolproof thing , but I'm sure when I was on the Somme 6 or so years back and I visited Hodgson's grave with the 9th Devons there was a fellow buried in there that was in his 50's !!. If it wasn't there , then it was somewhere that day ..but i'm pretty sure it was there .

It did surprise me to see a man of that age was in the trenches.

Phil.

[Guest Pete Wood]

If you look in his file, I think you'll find that the 1956 relates to some activity - like a letter from your family referring to a medal entitlement, or something from the pensions department etc (which might be with regard to your Great Great Grandmother etc).

It is not SO unusual for an aged soldier to be in the army.

Good on him, though, for volunteering at that age.

[Max]

Hello Amy

There was a thread recently that discussed the oldest soldier to die in the Great WAr and he was considerably older than your chap http://1914-1918.org/forum/index.php?showt...10418&hl=oldest

These men were not taken to war as a charitable act, rather a recognition that they performed valuable service whilst at the front and their experience could act as a steadying influence to the younger men in the Battalion.

Andy

[NIGEL]

AMY

My greatgrandfather born 1860 was killed aged 55 in 1915 but was turned down by other regiments until taken on by a different kind for service in Africa

[Jonathan Saunders]

I'm doing this from memory , which is never a foolproof thing , but I'm sure when I was on the Somme 6 or so years back and I visited Hodgson's grave with the 9th Devons there was a fellow buried in there that was in his 50's !!. If it wasn't there , then it was somewhere that day ..but i'm pretty sure it was there .

It did surprise me to see a man of that age was in the trenches.

Phil.

Last year and I think it was at a cemetery near Aveluy, there was a 2/Lt to a Scottish Regt (??), cant remember if he was a 1916 fatality or later now, but he was aged 51 or 53. I took a note of his details (now where is it?) and have meant to look him up at the PRO ... well I will eventually.

Also a little more relevant to the thread, my G/Gfthr re-enlisted in Aug 1914. He lied about his age and they took him. He said he was 49 and he was really 51. Bless him, he was invalided out 10 days later.

[Amy Kitcher]

Thanks to everybody who replied to my first post.

I confirmed today that CGH FORDHAM was infact my gggrandfather. He died on his 51st Birthday 29 Oct 1917. I haven't actually been able to see his service records yet, but I can't wait.

I have two other questions though:

Can somebody tell me why he is listed on the SWDIGW CDRom, but not on the CWGC website?

Also what were the 1st Batt. Royal Sussex Regiment doing in India during the First World War?

Many thanks again

Amy