6122 Pte William Richard Belcher, 2nd Bn, Essex Regt

[redcapsarge]

I am hoping that some far more learned researcher than myself would be able to help me.

My Great-Grandfather, Private 6122 William Richard Belcher, died of wounds on May 9th 1915 at No.11 General Hospital Bolougne. He served with the 2nd Battalion Essex Regiment and is buried in Bolougne Eastern CWGC cemetery

He came from Plaistow, Essex and his name is recorded on the memorial bells of Plaistow Baptist Church.

He was a re-enlisted Regular soldier, serving with 1st Bn Essex Regt in the Boer War. From his medal index card I have the date on which he arrived in France on 27th December 1914, and from the War Diary I think I can safely say he joined the Battalion 2 days later, as there is mention of a draft joining the Battalion that day.

I'm assuming he would have been wounded sometime in early May 1915, but have no idea how. His death certificate says "died of wounds" but nothing else, though from the War Diary and conversations I've had with the curator of the Regimental Museum it is possible his was as a result of gas.

Can anyone suggest if there is a source of Hospital or CCS admissions etc which may indicate when, where and how he was wounded ? I do know thanks to another forum member that another Essex Regt soldier, Pte Maynard, died on the same day as my GGF and is buried alongside him, and this soldier is mentioned in the Battalion War Diary as being part of a small group of volunteers who stayed to hold a trench during a gas attack.

Any help or advice greatly received. Whilst I am fairly well experienced in researching individual units, I am lost when it comes to individual soldiers.

Many thanks.

[sotonmate]

Hard to say when a soldier was wounded or gassed if there is no name in the War Diary. 2 Essex were at 2nd Ypres with 12 Brigade of 4 Division. There was gas at Gravenstafel 22-23 April,and gas at St Julien 24 April,probably gas at Frezenberg on 8 May but firstly not sure if 2 Essex were there,and secondly he probably wouldn't have got to Boulogne in time to die on the 9thif they were there.

So he could have been gassed at either of the first two and survived that amount of time,or wounded in another fashion on any of the days between 22 April and 5 May.

I haven't found any service records on Ancestry UK. A representrative sample of Admission and Discharge Registers survive the war and are at Kew in the MH106 series,mostly for CCSs. MY search on the Discovery database brought up no entries for 11 GH Boulougne.