Gunner Peter Dennan 292315 R.G.A

[pmcpartland]

Hello all,

This is my first post on the forum so hope I can do it right. I am trying to find some information on my Great Grandfather Gunner Peter Dennan. I have managed to track down his service record from the ancestry website and also the details of his grave and date of death from the CWGC website. He died of wounds on the 25/10/1918 and is buried in Terlincthun British Cemetery, Wimille.

I am trying to find out where he might have been serving when he go injured. On his service record it says he was in 133Rd C/P.H.B., R.G.A. However on the CWGC it says he was in the 26th Heavy Bty R.G.A.

I have managed to download his service record and medal index card but the are to big to attach to this post.

Is there anyway that I could find out where his unit was or which one of the two units found he was serving when he got injured? Any help would be much appreciated.

Peter McPartland

[KONDOA]

His service number places him firmly in the 133rd County Palentine Heavy Battery ( 292251 292450) which was raised by the local Territorial Association as a New Army unit.

The following war diary is avaialable from the National Archives:

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalog...;accessmethod=0

Roop

[kevinrowlinson]

Welcome Peter,

Although he first signed for the 125th County Palentine Hvy Bty you will see he was quickly transferred to the 133rd CP Hvy Bty. You will have noticed that he returned twice to the UK and on returning to France he was sent to the 122nd Hvy Bty for his second time, and to the 26th Hvy Bty for the last time, and with which he was wounded and untimately died. This batteries diary does not extend to 1918 so hopefully someone will come forward with the brigade they was with and then you can try to obtain that diary.

Kevin

Edit: as at 11 Nov. 1918 26th Hvy Bty was with 77 Brigade. There is a diary available at the Nat. Archives under WO 95/324. Whether they were with that brigade for the month previously perhaps someone will confirm.

[pmcpartland]

Welcome Peter,

Although he first signed for the 125th County Palentine Hvy Bty you will see he was quickly transferred to the 133rd CP Hvy Bty. You will have noticed that he returned twice to the UK and on returning to France he was sent to the 122nd Hvy Bty for his second time, and to the 26th Hvy Bty for the last time, and with which he was wounded and untimately died. This batteries diary does not extend to 1918 so hopefully someone will come forward with the brigade they was with and then you can try to obtain that diary.

Kevin

Thank you Kevin this has really shed some light on his career. Can I ask where you found out about him returning to England and transfering units because the information i have does not go into that much detail.

Thanks again for the help.

Peter

[kevinrowlinson]

Peter,

If you have all his records then it is all there to read. It is just a matter of diciphering what is there. Have another look through the records and you will soon pick up things that you probably missed the first time. Certainly his times sent to various hospitals and the ships he was on to come home are all there.

Kevin

[sotonmate]

Peter

There is a lot of info in the service record. He returned to the UK for medical reasons from his posting twice and on return changed Batteries each time. From 133 to 122 (May 1917) and from 122 to 26 (Jun 1918), It will be from the War Diary for the 26HB that you will probably get where he was wounded from Gunshot wounds to Legs/feet/arms and hand on 14 September 1918 and treated in the 1 Canadian Casualty Clearing Station before being moved to 54 General Hospital at Aubergue (Wimereux) where he died of those wounds on 26 October 1918. You may have noticed that Terlincthun is in the vicinity of Boulogne,as obviously was the Hospital so he would have been evacuated,probably by hospital train, to that location.

I am having a problem locating the War Dairy for 26 HB RGA for 1918,it may have been part of a larger Group so a bit of searching might be required,unless someone here has the knowledge of it. In 1914-15 it was part of the 2nd Army under WO95/324 but where it wrote the rest of it's story we have to see.

It might be worth tracing the Canadian 1CCS on the Archives Canada to see if they have detail for that day (14 Sept 1918).

Sotonmate

[soldier75]

Peter,

You may be aware of this info already, he is commemorated on the Widnes War Memorial.

Gnr Peter Dennan

No.292315

26th Heavy Battery

Royal Garrison Artillery

Born : Widnes, Lancashire.

Enlisted : Liverpool.

Resided : 46 Wareing Street, Widnes.

Died of wounds in France on 25th October, 1918, aged 30.

Buried at Terlincthun British Cemetery, Plot VI, Row B, Grave 58.

Peter Dennan was a pre-war Territorial, 362 Gnr Dennan, 133rd County

Palatine Heavy Battery, RGA. The son of Patrick & Margaret Dennan, he was

married to Agnes, it is not known whether they had any children.#

Harry

[pmcpartland]

I would just like to thank you all for the the information that you have been able to pass on it is very much appreciated.

Many thanks

Peter

[sotonmate]

Peter

I meant to mention that in some places on the records he is referred to as Denman !

Sotonmate

[pmcpartland]

Peter

I meant to mention that in some places on the records he is referred to as Denman !

Sotonmate

Yes on his Medal index card his is Denman bit his service number is the same.

[ALANJONES]

Peter

You may want to look at http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/i...d+heavy+battery

I am writing (its a long time coming!) a history of 122nd Heavy Battery and so I was interested to learn about Gunner Denman/Dennan and will include his service in the nominal roll Iam compiling if I may!

Alan

[kevinrowlinson]

Alan,

If it's of interest the following are gunners who served with 122nd Hvy Bty at some time, and whose records are available;

13103 Fahey, Richard

39385 Green, Walter John

40793 Walters, John

41281 Ashbourne, Percy Ronald

49940 Eldon, Bert

53311 Carmichael, John Daniel

57931 Bartle, William Alfred

90537 Bartram, Edward Frederick

132407 was 8153/1 N Midland Staffs RGA Ash, Arthur

142159 Daily, Charles Henry John

There may be some there that you do not have. Also there is 131118 Dyson, C F, listed on the casualty list thread.

Kevin

[ALANJONES]

Kevin

many thanks for taking the time to pass this all on to me - I knew some but certainly not all!

I have been talking on the forum to Fahey's grandson at:

http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/i...mp;hl=ALANJONES

Off to start looking at the service documents!

Alan