high wood Posted 28 June , 2009 Share Posted 28 June , 2009 Hello, I need your help again, this time to identify the original owner of this matchbox holder. On one side are the names, Arras, Cambrai, Peronne, Ytres and Bapaume so I guess that Pte Harris probably did not arrive in France until 1917. The other side of the holder has some minor corrosion damage right across the initials of his name and all that is readable is P. Harris 11? Brookside, Wantage, Berkshire I am not sure if there are additional initials or perhaps his rank in the unreadable section but it would be fantastic if some one could identify him. Other side. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eviltaxman Posted 28 June , 2009 Share Posted 28 June , 2009 The only P Harris with a Wantage connection on the 1911 census (that I can initially find) is a Peter Harris, age 28 (so right age bracket) who was a groom and lived at Downs House's Stables, Newbury Rd, East Hendred. I also checked for a MIC on Ancestry using just Peter Harris and there are 11 hits, mainly Scots regiments but 1 is for the RFA and possibly a tenuous link to horses???? However his MIC states only BWM due and was from West Brom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
high wood Posted 28 June , 2009 Author Share Posted 28 June , 2009 Les, thank you for that. I will try and enlarge the pixels and see if anything further shows up. I have found an Archibald P Harris, 33537 Private Royal Berkshire Regiment later 94425 Labour Corps who is a possible candidate but who may not have a Wantage connection. Simon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eviltaxman Posted 28 June , 2009 Share Posted 28 June , 2009 Working on Archibald P Harris... I've found 1 on the 1911 census in the birth range 1895 +/- 10 years...... Archibald Percy Harris, born 1891 in Bungay Suffolk. Shown as Boarder at 5 Ilminster Gardens, Wandsworth. The MIC shows 2 possibles - Archibald Percy & Archibald P....... Archibald Percy was an Officer in the RFA and was awarded the MC and the other chap is the one you've previously mentioned with the Labour Corps ties. Below is the MIC for the "Percy". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Cross Posted 28 June , 2009 Share Posted 28 June , 2009 My Granddad also brought back a matchbox cover bearing the names of Ytres and Peronne; he served in the Oxford & Bucks Light Infantry and later the Labour Corps. His discharge from the Labour Corps in 1919 took place at Ytres. Mike Cross Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
high wood Posted 28 June , 2009 Author Share Posted 28 June , 2009 Les, thank you for your efforts. I think perhaps that Archibald P Harris is a non starter. I am convinced that there is another letter before the P as the P is too far to the right compared with the line below. I am unable to work out what the letter is though. Simon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grantowi Posted 28 June , 2009 Share Posted 28 June , 2009 Simon, Might get more hits if you move this to the soldier section Grant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milner Posted 28 June , 2009 Share Posted 28 June , 2009 This is the only registrations for a Peter Harris or P Harris for that matter at Wantage. Both enteries appear to be the same man as Eviltaxman found. He married Gladys Nobes in 1911. Surname First name(s) Age District Vol Page -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Births Mar 1882 (>99%) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Harris Peter Wantage 2c 322 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Marriages Jun 1911 (>99%) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Harris Peter Wantage 2c 745 regards Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greyhound Posted 28 June , 2009 Share Posted 28 June , 2009 Forum member TrevH is researching Wantage men. He doesn't appear to have logged in for a while, so I've emailed him the link. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
high wood Posted 29 June , 2009 Author Share Posted 29 June , 2009 I have photographed a close up of the left hand corner and I am convinced that there is a letter to the left of the P. The vertical line to the left of the picture is the border but slightly to the right is a vertical line which could represent part of the following letters B, D, E, F, H, I, K, L, M, N, P, R. The initials are quite disfigured but the is quite a space between this line and the letter P. It could of course have read, Mr P Harris or Pte P Harris. One realises that this would have been easy if he had only put the name of his regiment on the matchbox cover. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
high wood Posted 29 June , 2009 Author Share Posted 29 June , 2009 Another photo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrevorHH Posted 18 July , 2009 Share Posted 18 July , 2009 Hi High Wood I research men from my home town of Wantage who served in WW1. The Trench Art Match Case is most interesting, however I cannot add much more than has already been said on GWF Forum about it. There were several Harris families in Wantage and I don't think at the moment that there is any connection between this one and the family I research into who were plumbers living in Church Street. However, I will keep you in mind if I come across any information that can positively identify the right man. Will you contact me please if you do. Thank you Trevor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
high wood Posted 18 July , 2009 Author Share Posted 18 July , 2009 Trevor, any information that you can add, however small, may be the missing piece that I am looking for. Are you aware of a house called Brookside in Wantage or is it an outlying village or something else entirely? Simon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Dale Posted 18 July , 2009 Share Posted 18 July , 2009 Simon The 1901 census shows "Brookside The Platt" (I think) as a street in Wantage with at least seven households listed. House numbers are not shown, but three larger properties are clearly near at hand - "The Mead", "The Mead" Lodge and Platt Cottage. No Harrises there in 1901, though. Robert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grantowi Posted 19 July , 2009 Share Posted 19 July , 2009 Simon, Have you tried laying some paper over the damage and "rubbing" some pencil lead over it, like brass rubbing. Might pick up any slight indentions Grant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrevorHH Posted 19 July , 2009 Share Posted 19 July , 2009 Simon Brookside was a series of cottages beside the Mill Stream in Wantage. They were demolished in the 1930s as part of slum clearance. I walk into town every day past where they used to be, one lot was immediately behind the Mill and the rest further on beside what is now the Betjeman Millennium Park. Regards Trevor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrevorHH Posted 19 July , 2009 Share Posted 19 July , 2009 Dear All I have been looking at a list of 1107 names of the Comrades of the Great War for Wantage District which was published in the local Wantage newspaper circa 1920. This is in alphabetical order and by parish. For Wantage there are the following Harris's: Harry Harris Charles Harris Frederick Harris William Harris Hope this is of some help. Trevor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
high wood Posted 19 July , 2009 Author Share Posted 19 July , 2009 Trevor, thank you for the information, it is much appreciated. Simon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest K-man95 Posted 23 March , 2017 Share Posted 23 March , 2017 Hi all, not sure if this thread is still monitored, but I think the P Harris relates to either my grandfather or great grandfather - both called Peter Harris. Peter Harris senior married Gladys Nobes. In 1911, they baptised their son Peter (born 1909) and gave their address at Brookside, Wantage (sometimes referred to as Brookside, Mill Street). Peter did not serve in the war, but Gladys' brother, Percy, did. Percy enlisted in 1917 and gave his address as Brookside, Wantage (possibly all living in the Nobes house). Could the engraving show Percy's record, engraved as a gift to his brother-in-law or young nephew? I'll try and post some supporting docs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrevorHH Posted 7 April , 2018 Share Posted 7 April , 2018 k-man95 This seems to be a good theory. I note from a collection of cuttings from the North Wilts Herald regarding the Wantage Urban Tribunal in 1916 that Percy was an offal packer with Clarks Mill which is next door to the Brookside cottages. Will have a look to see if I have any other info on the Nobes family amongst my local collection.If I do not come back within say a week please pm me a reminder. Cheers Trevor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Cross Posted 7 April , 2018 Share Posted 7 April , 2018 Interesting indeed. Percy Nobes 99288 was in 166 Labour Corps alongside my Grandad 99106. I mentioned his matchbox cover earlier in this thread. Ytres was his place of discharge and probably 166th HQ and I see that Percy Nobes rejoined 166th at Ytres in 1919 after UK leave, before his later transfer to 58th. MC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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