WT Winchcombe DCM - 133rd Bty Royal Field Artillery

[KarinB]

Hi

During my genealogical rresearch I have discovered my Great Uncle William Thomas (or Thomas William - he kept changing it!!) Winchcombe. He was a Corporal in the 133rd Battery RFA. From his medal records and the London Gazette I have found out that he was awarded the DCM at some stage, I cannot work out on what date except that the LG entry is the 11th Mar 1916 so it has to be at some time before then. He was awarded this 'for conspicuous gallantry as a telephonist; he was constantly engaged in repairing the wires under the very heaviest of fire'. I would like to find out so much more about this man, especially as none of my cousins had any inkling about him. Can anyone point me in the right direction regarding his role in the RFA, how I find out about his regiment etc. Thank you Karin

[battiscombe]

As he was in 133rd Bty - this was a 'new' battery [re-]formed in a reformed 1st Brigade RFA, using reservists, enlistees and some regular gunners from the prewar 98th Bty. the unit was created at Winchester from 23rd Nov 1914 and went to France 19th-21st Dec 1914 as part of 27th Division - a 'regular' Division. [98th Bty, 132nd Bty, 133rd Bty]

As a telephonist he would have been one of a small group of signallers/telephonists keeping phone lines open between Forward Observation Officers and the Battery .. a very hazardous job as the lines were repeatedly broke by shellfire and had to be repaired under fire.. as his citation says. In Nov 1915 the Division was sent to the Salonika front so his DCM may well relate to service there .. he could well be a mobilised reservist with a number 46816 - that number would have been issued in 1907.. although again in late 1914 .. in fact as the other man with that number [Arthur Nash] looks to have been part of a 'New Army' artillery unit, it seems likely that Winchcombe was in fact a mobilised prewar regular .. would he have been around 18 in 1907?]

so:- 133rd Battery, 1st Brigade RFA, 27th Division.

[battiscombe]

I see his DCM is actually listed in the LG of 14th Jan 1916 .. so it will have been earned sometime in 1915, probably before they left France - Gazette Issue 29438 11 Jan 1916. citation in March

[josquin]

There is a BMD listing for Thomas William Winchcombe, birth registered at Highwood, Wiltshire, in the 4th Quarter of 1883;

residing in Berkshire in 1901. The age fits. There is also a BMD listing for a Thomas W. Winchcombe who died in 1923, in

Berkshire. There are two Medal Index Cards for William T. Winchcombe.

Trelawney

[KarinB]

Hi

I am almost sure he was a regular as I have scoured the census records for 1911 and he is no-where to be found. The BMD records are correct - I have genealogy records for him. He was born in 1883. He died in Windsor where the family had moved too late 19th century. A family story relates to an uncle who survived the war but died in an industrial accident and we assume that this could be him as his two brothers died in 1916 and 1917 (I am researching those two also).

I will now go hunting for information about Salonika!

[battiscombe]

I also note some other regular artillery Winchcombes

both Driver Albert E Winchcombe (62317) and Bombardier Sidney Wilfred Winchcombe ( 50531) were serving in 22nd Bty, 34th Brigade in August 1914, in 2nd Division. Sidney [born Swindon area] was later killed, when a Serjeant 3/5/1917. .

as for 1911 census - if he was serving in a unit in Ireland, the majority (but not all) of the artillery census returns list men only by initials .. but is is possible to match initials and identify men dateofbirth, place of birth and other personal information.

[battiscombe]

these initials crop up in the Irish census and include some military men .. worth checking out

W T W Malborough Barracks, Blackhorse Lane Glasnevin Dublin 36

W T W Old Military Barracks Fermoy Urban Cork 22 M............................ this one is a/Bdr T W Woodrow of 42nd Battery..

W W T Portobello Barracks Rathmines & Rathgar West Dublin 18 M

W W T Springfield Road Falls Antrim 33 M

W W T Victoria Barracks Cork No. 3 Urban Cork 19 M

W W T Newtownforbes Town Newtownforbes Longford 24

[David Wheatley]

Hi Albert E Winchcombe was my Grandfather and Sidney my great uncle. I am in possession of their general war service medals. So KarenB you may be related to me! 

I am researching more of my grandfathers history as i am taking part in 'The Long Walk Home' a charity walk honouring all those who never 'walked home' 

Battiscombe, i wasnt aware that my great uncle Sidney had died then but it does fill a hole in my family tree.

I had 2 other family members who died in ww1 Charles Edward Wheatley 18072 who was kia at Gallipoli 1916 and Francis George Wheatley 20678 registered as being killed in Mesapotamia 1916.