William Harper - Worcestershire Regt.

[Black Dudley]

Hello Everyone,

I've just started researching my grandfather's life. I really know very little about him, never met him he died in the1930's. I really would like to know at least his military history. Only concrete facts I know about him, his name William Harper lived in the Birmingham area. In WW1he tried to enlist in the Warwickshire Regt. they were over subscribed, he joined the Worcestershire Regiment. At the time he was a family man with three children. With the Worcester's he was gassed during fighting at Passchendaele - invalided out, he never worked again. During the great depression he was forced to pawn his medals for 1/- shilling, in family history his one quote " Eeh that's all they are worth, the price of a loaf", any information / insights I would be most grateful for.

Regards

[John(txic)]

There's an excellent website dedicated to the Worcesters:

http://www.worcestershireregiment.com/wr.php?main=inc/welcome

which includes a dedicated Forum for the regiment in the Great War. You may therefore care to post here also:

http://www.worcestershireregiment.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=2&sid=e371fa015867abe32e913239609363ec

where you may receive a response in addition to the ones you will get here.

Regards,

John

[ander11]

Hello Black Dudley

Have you tried the LLT for information

http://www.1914-1918.net/grandad/grandad.htm

http://www.1914-1918.net/worcester.htm

best regards

Ian

[johntanner]

A number of possibles from the MiCs:

Name: William Harper

Regiment or Corps: Worcestershire Regiment, Machine Gun Corps

Regimental Number: 14797, 61371 Pte.

Awarded 15, BW & V

Overseas 2B (Gallipoli?)4/7/15

Name:William Harper

Regiment or Corps: 2nd Worcestershire Regiment

Regimental Number: 46245 Pte.

Awarded BW&V

Name: William Harper

Regiment or Corps: Worcestershire Regiment

Regimental Number:67025 RQMS

Enlisted 3/9/14, discharged 9/1/19 = SWB card

Age 43.

SWB Sickness, which probably rules him out if the family history is correct.

MiC shows him as:

Name:William Harper

Regiment or Corps: Royal Berkshire Regiment, Worcestershire Regiment, Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry

Regimental Number: 10078, 67025, 25381 RQMS To France 3/5/15.

Awarded 15, BW & V

Name:William B Harper

Regiment or Corps:3rd Worcestershire Regiment

Regimental Number:49293

Awarded BW & V

Name: William H Harper

Regiment or Corps:Royal Army Service Corps, Worcestershire Regiment

Regimental Number:S4/145514, 42182

Awarded BW & V

[Black Dudley]

Hello Gentlemen,

Thanks for all your help, posts and links. Oxandbucks names five different soldiers who could possibly fit the bill, hadn't expected so many. I need more information about my William Harper, I still have one living relation, who I think met him, a 95 year old auntie, I'll try and get in touch with her, she may know some detail however small, may enable me to eliminate some of the candidates. I've some work to do. Again thanks for the help and all the best for the new year.

Best Wishes

[Black Dudley]

Received further details about my grandfather from my auntie in the form of his commemorative burial card, he died in November 1943 (a lot later than I was lead to believe ) aged 59. With this piece of family history, I managed to find the family in the 1891census, he was born in 1884 without a middle name. Working through the list of William Harper's kindly provided by Oxandbucks

(1) William Harper - Gallipoli 4/7/15 - not a strong possibility, he would have been 31yrs and had a wife and three children, I feel he'd only have joined up after the call-up was introduced in 1916. Can't rule him completely out.

(2) William Harper - I think the strongest candidate, need more details.

(3) William Harper - Definitely not this one, he's too old

(4) William Harper - a possibility not a strong one - same reason as the first name, don't imagine him joining up before 1916.

(5) William B Harper - rule out - my grandfather had no middle name

(6) William H Harper - rule out - my grandfather had no middle name

I intend to follow up No2 - Name:William Harper

Regiment or Corps: 2nd Worcestershire Regiment

Regimental Number: 46245 Pte.

Awarded BW&V

I wonder, if its possible to get more information through back tracing the regimental number - 46245 - do members know how I may go about it. Any information appreciated