Research help needed please

[Bastonjock]

Hi Guys

ive been trying to make sense of the Long trail website and was hoping for some pointers to help me along.I am trying to find out as much info on the following persons who are all direct relatives.My grandfathers and their brothers.I have looked on the medal roll page for my grandad and i get his name,regiment (Scottish rifles) then he has engineers and royal engineers as his regiments.I am assuming that he was recruited from the rifles into the engineers as a sapper as he was a foreman in the coal mines

His name is James Lindsay McPhail scottish rifles 52990,then its engineers 347606 and finally royal engineersWR/279127.

I would like to find out his battalion and if theres any way i can find out what he did by way of regimental action during WW1

I have found the Attestation papers for Matthew Mcphail who was in the canadian army in WW1,how can i find out more info on him?

[rksimpson]

Hi

Given his mining past I wonder if he transferred to the Engineers as they were recruiting tunnelling companies - see - http://www.1914-1918.net/tunnelcoyre.htm

I am reading a book called Beneath Hill 60 and it is about that, so maybe they used his experience.

If his company is not listed on the medal roll, then you need to find his service records - if they exist.

I am not sure of any other way to find out, maybe someone else knows.

hope you can find more

regards

Robert

[SteveE]

Given his mining past I wonder if he transferred to the Engineers as they were recruiting tunnelling companies

The second of the Royal Engineers service numbers is a clue as to which branch of the service he served with, the WR/ prefix covered the Transportation Branch (Waterways, Railways, Roads and Quarries). WR/2xxxxx series numbers were allocated to the Railways so at some stage he was working on them in some capacity.

Regards

Steve

[SteveE]

you need to find his service records - if they exist.

You're in luck, they do. You either need to get to a Library which has Ancestry available or take out a 14-day free trial. In the meantime here's a resumé of what it says......

James McPhail

Age 18 years 3 Months

Trade or Calling Grocer

No Previous Military Service

Height 5 feet 8 inches

NOK Mother, Lizzie McPhail 36 Biggiesknowe, Peebles (nb. Casualty Form gives her name as Sarah)

07/06/1916 Attested Scottish Rifles, as Private, #32990.

08/06/1916 To Army Reserve

16/02/1917 Mobilized & Posted

17/02/1917 Joined Depot

24/02/1917 Posted 3rd Bn. Scottish Rifles.

Embarked Folkestone

11/05/1917 Disembarked Boulogne

12/05/1917 Arrived 20 Infantry Base Depot, Etaples

01/06/1917 Joined 2nd Bn. Scottish Rifles

07/08/1917 Appointed Lance Corporal (without pay)

16/08/1917 Wounded in Action, Ypres

17/08/1917 Admitted 55 Field Ambulance, SW Scalp.

17/08/1917 Admitted 2 Canadian Casualty Clearing Station, SW Scalp.

18/08/1917 Admitted 11 General Hospital, GSW Scalp Mild, Dannes (Dannes-Camiers)

21/08/1917 Transferred to UK per Hospital Ship Princess Elizabeth.

22/08/1917 Posted to Depot Scottish Rifles (for administrative purposes).

21/08/1917 to 19/09/1917 No.2 Military Hospital, Old Park, Canterbury.

19/09/1917 to 19/09/1917 Fort Pitt Military Hospital, Chatham.

19/09/1917 to 05/10/1917 Quarry Hill V.A.D., Tonbridge.

18/10/1917 Posted 3rd Bn. Scottish Rifles.

13/11/1917 Passed Trade Test at Leith.

15/11/1917 Transferred to Royal Engineers Railway Troops Longmoor, as Sapper #347606 (later renumbered WR/279127 in early 1918).

24/01/1918 Embarked.

25/02/1918 Joined 259th Railway Company from Transport Troops Base Depot.

19/08/1918 Admitted Lucknow Field Ambulance, Abrasions, face etc.*

19/08/1918 Admitted to Hospital.

06/09/1918 Rejoined unit from Hospital.

30/03/1919 Joined RCE1 from 259th Railway Company.

05/05/1919 Despatched to UK.

03/06/1919 Transferred to Class Z Army Reserve.

* 19/08/1918 Head, hands and knee cut & bruised, 259th R(ailway) C(onstruction) Coy. on duty.

Regards

Steve

[Bastonjock]

thank you very much guys,i now feel like an idiot,ive been looking at the wrong James Mcphail.The James McPhail that ive been looking at is close,my GGrandmother was called lizzie as well but they came from Blantyre and were all miners

My dad told me that my grandfather was in the Cameronians,i have my grandads Dob so where do i go now? I looked at the medal role as is suggested

[rksimpson]

Hi

are you sure he is not right? He is the only James McPhail with an MIC who was in the Cameronians. see- http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documen...rst%5Fdate+desc

You could try the AVL - http://www.1914-1918.net/grandad/avl.htm - if one exists

Have you done the family tree to confirm those details?

regards

Robert

[Bastonjock]

Hi

are you sure he is not right? He is the only James McPhail with an MIC who was in the Cameronians. see- http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documen...rst%5Fdate+desc

You could try the AVL - http://www.1914-1918.net/grandad/avl.htm - if one exists

Have you done the family tree to confirm those details?

regards

Robert

the James Mcphail in the cameronians was a grocer from peebles,my grandad was a miner from Blantyre,ive been trying to track the MIC card for all of my relatives who served in WW1,so afr i have details of two of them,both James L McPhails brothers but so far nothing on my Grandfather