21st Battalion KRRC - the original Yeomen

[JohnK]

On 17/03/2017 at 10:53, MBrockway said:

I'm afraid Mike's original was a bit fuzzy, as he does not have access to a scanner, so this is the best I can do while we sort out how to get a good scan.  Nevertheless it's still a possible target for image poachers, so I've added a watermark making its origins very unambiguous!

Unfortunately very hard to make out faces, but this can act as a placeholder to show Pals the potential of the picture.

 

C/12194 Rfn Fred MAW is 14th from the right hand end of the row at the front sitting cross-legged.

 

Mark

 

@MBrockway Just wondering if you ever manged to get a clearer scan of that image of 'A' Company?  I am hopeful my Gt Uncle Alf Sleightholme is among them.  His photo is on my initial post on page 26. Apologies for dragging this topic up again but I recently visited the Hampshire Record Office in Winchester to see if I could find an original of  the 'A' Company photo, no luck as others have said on here already it's missing, or else I didn't ask for the right records. 

Edited 14 April , 2023 by JohnK

[MBrockway]

13 hours ago, JohnK said:

@MBrockway Just wondering if you ever managed to get a clearer scan of that image of 'A' Company?  I am hopeful my Gt Uncle Alf Sleightholme is among them.  His photo is on my initial post on page 26. Apologies for dragging this topic up again but I recently visited the Hampshire Record Office in Winchester to see if I could find an original of  the 'A' Company photo, no luck as others have said on here already it's missing, or else I didn't ask for the right records. 

Sorry to disappoint John, but the best version I got from Mike was what I posted.  The full image was only 1700x2338 pixels and taken at 200dpi resolution.

Mark

[JohnK]

Thanks Mark, at least I know. Next I'll contact the KRRC Association in case they can help and also go back to Winchester to look at more photos from the Yeoman Rifle's Archives. I feel sooner or later I'm going to find a clear image and find my Gt Uncle. If so I'll post it on here (copyright permitting).

[JohnK]

Whilst at the Hampshire Records Office I found a very interesting first hand account from Lance Corporal Thomas Potter who was in the 21st KRRC 'B' Coy. I don't think he has been mentioned before on this thread. It's an 11 page series of vivid memories typed up by his son, unfortunately undated.

A summary of its content:

Training at Helmsley, billeted at the Black Swan, arrival at Barossa Barracks, Aldershot, marching to Ash Ranges, last night at Aldershot with Sgt Huffington, boarding ship at Southampton, to Le Havre, rest camp at Outtersteen, then to "Plugstreet", Black Watch "These were an exceptionally fine body of men, who welcomed us, and treated us like honoured guests. It is a pity the Army authorities hadn't the foresight to provide us with an interpreter ...".

He specialised as a signaller.

'B' Coy first casualty: Rifleman Attenborough No 7 Platoon - shell shock.

Somme - Deville Wood, Over the Top, Captain Watson wounded, in wake of the tanks.

Thomas was wounded at Flers and his story ends with this "It was on this day, September 15 1916, that I closed my all too short spell with the 21st KRRC, and in latter days, with other units, regretted this severance from the old Battalion. For never did I come across such men as I had associated with, in the Yeoman Rifles"

I'm not sure if I'm allowed to post the full manuscript here, message me if you are interested.

I have failed trying to find his service number/record.

 

John

[GWF1967]

9 hours ago, JohnK said:

I have failed trying to find his service number/record.

 

John

C/12535 is a good candidate. 

[JohnK]

1 hour ago, GWF1967 said:

C/12535 is a good candidate. 

Thanks yes I found that one on Medal Card 372/16/63470 and it is a Yeoman Rifles sequence, but then the trail ends. I wonder as he went to a new regiment if he got another service number?

[MBrockway]

2 hours ago, JohnK said:

Thanks yes I found that one on Medal Card 372/16/63470 and it is a Yeoman Rifles sequence, but then the trail ends. I wonder as he went to a new regiment if he got another service number?

Here's the BWM&VM roll entry for C/12535 Rfn Thomas POTTER ...

All service was with 21/KRRC, which is at odds with the typescript you have found at Winchester.

He appears on one of the KRRC's Supplementary Rolls, not in the main 21/KRRC run.  Although the roll page on which he's listed gives no further clues, the section immediately before it covers riflemen whose medal issue was reinstated under ACI 75 of 1921 after earlier having had their medals forfeited.

C/12535 is the only Thomas Potter with a 'C' prefix I have in my database.  I'll check the all other Thomas Potters for service with 21/KRRC and report back.

There's no mention of any Thomas Potter in Dennis's book.

 

Mark

[MBrockway]

I've now eliminated all the other KRRC Thomas Potters - none served in 21/KRRC.

It looks therefore like C/12535 Thomas Potter is our man.

John - is there anything in the Cpl Potter's account that clarifies what he did after being wounded at Flers?

Certainly as a specialist signaller, he would have been useful in any number of roles in the Lines of Communication areas and might have remained on the strength of 21/KRRC even if he were not physically present with the battalion.

When KRRC Regular battalions were in India in peacetime, it was common for signallers and clerks to serve distantly from their parent battalion.

This might also explain why Potter appears on the KRRC Supplementary Roll outwith the main 21/KRRC sequence.

Mark

[JohnK]

Thanks Mark, good work! Unfortunately there is nothing in the account about what happened to him after being wounded, just the mysterious sentence: "It was on this day, September 15 1916, that I closed my all too short spell with the 21st KRRC, and in latter days, with other units ..."

The other thing that is at odds, he describes himself as a Lance Corporal whereas on the roll entry he is a Private.

I'll send you the manuscript in a tick.

[GWF1967]

19 minutes ago, JohnK said:

 

The other thing that is at odds, he describes himself as a Lance Corporal whereas on the roll entry he is a Private.

I'll send you the manuscript in a tick.

At the time, Lance Corporal was an appointment, rather than a substantive rank. 

[JohnK]

Thanks GWF1967 that would make sense.