Pvte Charles Baker Kings Own 8th Battalion

[sunflower]

I have a friend who is going to visit her grandfather's grave in Abbeville. She remembers medals in a drawer as a child (they are lost to the family now) and wonders where he served when he was injured. Was he a casualty of the Somme battles? He may have been injured and survived to get back to the hospital at Abbeville but succumbed to his wounds. He is listed as having died from wounds. She has no photographs and recently contacted the King's Own Royal Regiment Museum. They have been very helpful and she will get the cd rom which gives the war diary for the 8th Battalion. She was also informed that he served with the 1st Battalion. Does that mean he joined up in 14? She would appreciate any info on the 8th battalion and where they served around the time of his death. He could have been injured a couple of weeks prior to his death but she feels it may have been the Somme. Any info on this soldier would be very appreciated. Also would he have been an Accrington Pal?

Initials: C

Nationality: United Kingdom

Rank: Private

Regiment/Service: King's Own (Royal Lancaster Regiment)

Unit Text: 8th Bn.

Age: 29

Date of Death: 25/08/1916

Service No: 19160

Additional information: Husband of Sarah Baker, of 19, Whittaker St., Burnley, Lancs.

Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead

Grave/Memorial Reference: VI. H. 15.

Cemetery: ABBEVILLE COMMUNAL CEMETERY

[ralphjd]

His Medal Indec Card sheds no light on him apart from being entitled to the War and Victory medals. Ralph.

[bruce]

SDGW shows he was both born in and enlisted in Burnley. It also confirms what else you already know.

Bruce

[nthornton1979]

His Medal Indec Card sheds no light on him apart from being entitled to the War and Victory medals. Ralph.

Not sure if you are aware but due to his medal entitlement we can establish he didn't enter a theatre of war in 1914 or 1915. If he did then he would have been entitled to another medal. (The 1914 or 1915/15 Star)

Neil

[27thBN]

Its a pity that they the records Department did not put a theater and date of entry regardless on when they went overseas .As almost only 14/15 star entitlements have the date at least,usually theater ,rarely you can find a pair that has a date of entry .I have a couple all the rest are telling virtually nothing if only entitled to the pair

MC

[high wood]

It is a pity but from a medal index card perspective the date in theatre was important only to determine entitlement to a 1914 or 1914/15 Star. The medal index cards were never originally intended to be a research tool for historians. I am always disappointed that MIC's to soldiers with only BWM & Victory medal entitlement tend not show the ultimate fate of the soldier e.g. KiA, DoW, Class Z, etc. These cards are in the strictest sense index cards to the medal rolls.