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Remembered Today:

Duplicate MIC`s


gunner245

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Could someone shed any light on this query, on Ancestry.com my grandfathers

MIC shows William Melville 5790 2nd Dragoon Guards and in brackets (william Meacham)

when I look up William Meacham it states 5790 2nd Dragoon Guards.

I can find no service file for either name,I was wondering if anyone had come across this before.

Mel.

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Mel

You'll find that he probably enlisted under the name in brackets and corrected it later, possibly he was under age, what age would he have been around 1914/15? Also was Meacham his Mother or Grandmothers maiden name? it wasn't unusual to enlist in this way if they'd previously been rejected for service or were under age.

Edited to add: On the NA MIC's there is no listing for William Meacham, he's listed as "6DN/5790 Pte Dragoon Guards and D/21192 Pte Corps of Dragoons William Melville".

Sam

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Hi Sam,

He was a 6th inniskilling reservist enlisted originally 1906, had just returned from india January 1914.

he had ser. No 5790 and his brother was 5798. I think the William Meacham part more inclined to be the mistake.

Mel.

william Meacham has an MIC on Ancestry .com site.

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Mel,

I see from the MIC he was from Belfast. I think there was some issue for Irish RC families, so he may have chosen a different name.

Louise

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Hi louise,

there is no question that William Melville was no 5790 as i have documention from 1911 and 1913 that proves this,

and the name Meacham is not in my family tree. His reason for enlisting in 1906 was lack of employment.

Mel.

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A mystery, then Mel. My grandfather (a Quinn) was from Belfast (didn't enlist), but the family were always assumed to be Protestant, though we've found that they're on the 1911 census with the denomination given as RC. It's something a friend who also has Irish connections had previously flagged up, just on the basis of the name. A cousin mentioned that at the time professing to be a Protestant was often the only way that an Irishman could get work on the mainland.

I can't think of many reasons why the names would be linked. No indication that he was in Intelligence?

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I was wondering if anyone had come across this before

I am not sure that this will help you, but I have been through thousands of Royal Dublin Fusiliers MICs. Could not give you the percentage of double entries as you have, but it is relatively common.

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Are there any remarks on the medal roll that might make things clearer?

The 14 star roll shows everything as it should be,

william melville only mentioned , (no william meacham)

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