Pte 3448 Thomas Stacey

[Chris]

Just a bit puzzled over the above soldier, for which i am sure there is a simple answer. Thomas Stacey was from Gainsborough and a member of the 1/5th Lincs. He took part in the attack at the Hohenzollern redoubt on 13th October 1915, and was wounded in the chest. From newspaper reports and reprinted letters in the Gainsborough News it is clear he was taken Prisoner of War at the redoubt. Now i can understand why he is issued his 6 digit 5th Lincs number of 240856 in the spring of 1917, but why if he was a prisoner of war would he be transferred to the Labor Corps as Private 702015. Is it because of his wound? If so it seems to me a pointless bit of admin. But i am keen to to know why he was tranferred unit if he was in captivity.

He was issued a SWB, and another interesting point is that on his service papers in the pension records he is clearly listed as killed in action on 13th October orignially, it being crossed out and replaced with discharged.

Cheers

chris

[Stebie9173]

The 700000 numbers in the Labour Corps are very late, probably post-war. Perhaps he rejoined for battlefield clearance?

Steve.

[Ivor Lee]

I would agree with Steve - the number could have been as late as July 1919.

Almost certainly one of the men who enlisted for 1 year's service in 1919 for exhumation and reburial duties.

Ivor

[Chris]

Steve and Ivor

Many thanks. I had made the incorrect presumption that the number would have been issued during the war whilst in captivity. Had not thought that he may have transferred after being repatriated at the end of the war. Thank you very much

Chris