Regimental and Personal diaries etc

[Dick Fowler]

I am trying to find out more about four of my families WW1 soldiers . Three died and I hope to find out more about the circumstances . All are on CWGC. Joseph Leaker ( South Wales Borderers) Killed by a German Shell March 1918; Walter Charles Clavey Cox( Hampshires) KIAOct 1916 near Gaudecourt aged 16. We have some of the regimental record; Harry Paige stepson of my grandmothers elder brother Samuel Prowse from Rotherfield East Sussex.

Number four survived. Believed to be John Sloan serving in a Scottish regiment or London/Liverpool etc Scottish unit. Reportedly fired first and last gun of ww1 so suspect artillery. Believed to have been near Mons and served after WW1 in occupied Germany.

As a New lister, grateful for help or advice and yes I have read TLLT.

Also How on earth does one edit ones listing as you go? I do not seem to be able to go back to edit text?

DF

[Hywyn]

Dick

Welcome to the Forum

To start it off.

Soldiers Died in the Great War database has

Joseph Leaker as born Newport, Mon, enlisted Chester. Killed in Action

Walter C C Cox as born Botley, enlisted Wichester, reside Twyford. Killed in Action.

Can't see a Harry Paige in it but there is a Thomas Paige born Rotherfield, enlisted Tonbridge. KIA 22 4 1917 as Pte SD/454 Royal Sussex Regiment.

As for John Sloan. Do you have rough year of birth and where born, or where he/next of kin lived when war started

If he fired the first and last shot of the War I should imagine that this would be well documented. Such things have been discussed here on the Forum and you may possibly find the thread(s) by doing some searching in the Beta Search facility top of page.

Re editing. There should be a Editing button bottom left of each of your posting. Unless it's one of those things you can't do until you get 5 or 10 posts in. Can't remember which

Hywyn

Edit: The buttons in question are Delete, Edit, Quote and Reply

[keithmroberts]

Dick

You will almost certainly find that your local reference library has a subscription to Ancestry on at least one computer. That will enable you to view medal index cards, and to search for full records etc. That can be sufficient until you become truly hooked on the forum, after which you will almost certainly want a personal subscription. That should enable you to locate the men on the 1901 and possibly the 1891 census.

A few libraries also subscribe to FindMyPast, which has the 1911 census.

These may help to check out full names, ages residence etc.

keith

[Hywyn]

War Diary for 1st SWB to download for £3.50 here

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documen...p;resultcount=3

His medal card does not have a 'date entered theatre' meaning that it was after 1915

15th Hampshires from May 1916 onwards

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documen...p;resultcount=6

No date of entry for him either.

Hywyn

[Dick Fowler]

Many thanks hywynaand Keith. I did not know that war diaries were on TNAso will get the one for Joseph Leaker (SW Borderers) but I suspect that we have already picked the Regimental Diary for the 15th Hants clean. Walter CC Cox , our 16year old contribution to thn e Somme was researched a couple of years ago and the story printed in the Hampshire Chronicle. The r was no mention in the diary of exactly what happened but it seems that young walt was lkilled during a series of counter-attacks on both sides. I was hoping to find how to locate any deposited personal diaries etc which might have said more.

You are right, it was Thomas paige.

John Sloan was born 1866 Glasgow. So 48 in 1914! He was a ships draughtsman in 1905 when my uncle was born in Glasgow too. There is no 1911 Scottish census yet but I will check England as at some point the family moved South where both father and then son were on the Committee of the Masonic Hospital in NitNorth London . I guess that John was a Territorial and that the story is a bit fanciful - maybe the first and last gun fired by his unit?

I think I have now got the hang of these post screens, Its hard to get used to the absence of a cursor and not being able to edit as yopu go.

Dick

[Hywyn]

Dick

Can't see anything obvious for John in the service records etc but there are some with no d o b etc.

Re editing I thought you meant after having posted and not during.Not sure what you mean about the absence of a cursor. That could be a setting issue on your PC?

There is a subforum that you can post on to ask the computer buffs what the proble. It's called About this website or similar.

Hywyn

[Dick Fowler]

Thanks hywyn.

I will ask about editing separately as you suggest.

Re John Sloan, I will try to find him in medal rolls etc (or did you check these for me) . I inherited his draftsmens pens and some post WW1 German Bank notes (hyperinflation) . I had hoped to shortcut this if he really had been recorded in well known events.

Dick

[Hywyn]

Dick

There are 65 by that name in medals from across the range of Regiments making it hard to identify given that we have nothing concrete on his unit.

Hywyn