J Barrett

[watchdog]

This is one of more than twenty requests for information and help that I am hoping to post today. They are all in relation to TF soldiers who enlisted on or about the 5 August 1914 and almost all of whom survived the war. The common denominator is the fact that they were all patent examiners serving in the Patent Office prior to the outbreak of war.

Normally I would be able to pursue most of the basic work myself and would only be coming to all of you for help with the 'extras' but I am under some pressure of time. I hope you don't mind. But then again it's the sort of thing almost all of us enjoy – finding out about these men who fought in the Great War. So I'm hoping that you will appreciate the challenge.

The work is in support of my dissertation for the Birmingham MA in First World War studies and therefore if any of you do have information which might assist me I would be grateful if you could also quote the source of that information.

I'm not acting entirely blind of course and here is the information that I've already found out about J Barrett:

Barrett attended the Royal College of Science Dublin and received a B.A. (Hons). He joined the Patent Office in August 1909. He appears to have enlisted as a private in HAC (Infantry) on or about 26 Aug 1914 and was promoted to LCpl sometime in 1915. He was commissioned as a 2Lt (Special Reserve) in RGA on 15 Oct 1915 and in 1918 was serving as a Lt. At some time or other he was wounded.

The sorts of information I'm hoping to glean are: What was his first name!! Was he a pre-war Territorial? In what unit of the HAC did he serve? Where were their pre-war drill halls? Where did 14^th London serve prior to Dec 1915? Where did Barrett serve as an officer in the RGA and in what roles? Where was he wounded and what were the nature of his wounds? And of course anything else that might occur to all of you.

Thanks

[SteveE]

I presume this is his Medal Index Card at the National Archives....

Medal card of Barrett, John

Corps Regiment No Rank

Honourable Artillery Company 1570 Private

Royal Garrison Artillery Second Lieutenant

Date 1914-1920

Catalogue reference WO 372/2

Link to the London Gazette confirming name and position at Patent Office.. http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/28276/pages/5918

Regards

Steve

[watchdog]

Another Christian name identified. Thank you