maudson Posted 17 November , 2013 Share Posted 17 November , 2013 I am trying to discover when a Frank Horace Robinson from Ringstead in Northamptonshire was captured by the Germans. He was a Private in the Queen's (Royal West Surrey) Regiment He sent a postcard home from Langansalza Camp postmarked May 1918 and I am told the records at the Surrey History Centre show he was repatriated on 5th May 1918 (I wonder if this should be 1919). He had originally joined the 28th Battalion Royal Fusiliers where his Reg. No. was 11402 but he transferred to the 7th Battalion the Queens (Reg. No. 14941). At some point he had been wounded but as his service records do not exist it is not clear when. In the photograph of him (and another prisoner) on the postcard he is wearing a prison label XI W 66456. Is it possible to tell from any of this when he was captured and in which action this was likely to be - or any more about him. Any help much appreciated. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin W Taylor Posted 18 November , 2013 Share Posted 18 November , 2013 David His MIC is pretty blank - he served abroad after December 1915. Similar Queen's Regiment service numbers suggest be wasn't captured before Feb 1917 when the first men with 149XX service numbers started to be killed - some went to 7th Bn, some to 1st Bn. Unless his service records survive or there are any further documents in the family it may be difficult to identify this with certainty. He may have been released in May 1918 as men wounded or too sick to serve in a military capacity were exchanged with the Germans through neutral countries I believe; it would depend on how serious his injuries may have been. Kind regards Colin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maudson Posted 18 November , 2013 Author Share Posted 18 November , 2013 Colin Many thanks for your reply. I thought it might be difficult to be pinpoint when he was captured but you have given me a time frame and I am grateful for the note about his early release which clarifies how it could have happened. Best Wishes David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themonsstar Posted 19 November , 2013 Share Posted 19 November , 2013 From the Queens PoW files Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sepoy Posted 19 November , 2013 Share Posted 19 November , 2013 From the Queens PoW files Mons Star I am most interested as to where this information comes from - is it the Surrey Heritage Centre? Are these files used to issue the Queen's Prisoner of War Medallion? For interest of all, I have attached scans of one of these medallions. It came with a 1914 Star trio awarded to a 8206 Pte H Fairhead, 1st Queen's (I would be interested to hear whether he appears in your files as he service papers do not indicate that he was a PoW) Sepoy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themonsstar Posted 20 November , 2013 Share Posted 20 November , 2013 Yes they are from the Surrey Heritage Centre and no they are not for the issue of the Queen's Prisoner of War Medallion, it for a comfort fund. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bootneck Posted 20 November , 2013 Share Posted 20 November , 2013 Sepoy He isn't in the QRWS POW Book; but there is G/8206 Herbert Joiner, who was serving with 10th Queen's. The Medal is for returned POWs. Monsstar, I will bring one along to Aldershot next thursday. Bootneck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sepoy Posted 20 November , 2013 Share Posted 20 November , 2013 Thank you for your comments. From memory these Returned POW Medallions were worn from a blue ribbon. Sepoy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maudson Posted 25 November , 2013 Author Share Posted 25 November , 2013 I have been away for a few days so have missed the section of the records copied by themonsstar for which I am very grateful. My only question is it possible that the 5. 5. 18 refers to Langensalza (as both appear to be in pencil and the large green Repatriated was written later. I have seen a postcard sent from the camp by Horace which appears to have been sent in May saying he is well. I wondered if he was captured on 5. 5. 18 and repatriated later? The postcard is on the www.rushdenheritage.co.uk then under Ringstead - then People - then Robinson. My thanks to all again David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bootneck Posted 26 November , 2013 Share Posted 26 November , 2013 Looking at Frank Horace Robinson's entry above I see that it is a relatively straightforward entry in comparison with many others in the book. The date 5 May 1918 does appear to refer to when he was repatriated (there is a list of men repatriated in the front of the book). If the date was notification of his capture or the date he was reported missing it is usually found on the left of the page It appears that nobody had 'adopted' him but his next of kin, either his wife or mother, was sending him 1 7s 6d parcel a month and he was receiving them. Bootneck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maudson Posted 26 November , 2013 Author Share Posted 26 November , 2013 Many thanks Bootneck. When he was repatriated would he have been held in a military hospital in England (he was wounded at some point)? There is a photograph of him (and another soldier whose badge to my untrained eye seems to be from the North Staffordshire Regiment). They are both in wounded soldier uniforms. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David_Underdown Posted 27 November , 2013 Share Posted 27 November , 2013 Sorry to piggy back on this thread, but I've never seen metnion of these Queen's POW files before. One W Hills appears on the roll of honour I'm researching, a bellringer at Dorking. According to the roll he served with the Queen's (no battalion stated) and was a prisoner. I've not been able to find a likely medal card which is a bit odd. From census returns the most likely man appears to be William James Hills of 4 Chalk Pit Cottages, Dorking in 1911. He was described as a widower. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bootneck Posted 27 November , 2013 Share Posted 27 November , 2013 David There is nobody who appears to be the man you are looking for in the QRWS WW1 POW book. I am assuming that you have looked at local newspapers and other sources to see if he is mentioned in them. Are the rolls of honour mentioned at the end of your post those who served or those who died? I am also assuming that you have posted an enquiry on the Forum, in case there is somebody locally researching Dorking during the war or Dorking Museum in case they have anything relevant. Bootneck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David_Underdown Posted 28 November , 2013 Share Posted 28 November , 2013 Thanks - it's a roll of all who served from the association. I've had some contact with the museum, but haven't had chance to investigate local papers yet. The Dorking men have been some of the hardest to work out, but aren't my main focus at the moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ASA1 Posted 28 November , 2013 Share Posted 28 November , 2013 Hi Bootneck, Does the POW book contain the date they were captured, or their battalion? I am interested in how many men from 1st Battalion were taken prisoner on 31.10.14 Thanks, Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bootneck Posted 29 November , 2013 Share Posted 29 November , 2013 Andy There are 903 men mentioned in the register who are shown as serving with the 1st Battalion, QRWS, who were captured during the course of the war. The majority of the men do not have any dates mentioned on their entries. I have assumed that these dates refer to either when a man was reported missing, or more likely, when notification of their capture was received by the regimental depot. The register shows name, rank, regimental number and battalion along with the names of people who ‘adopted’ them and the number of parcels (at x shillings) each was sending per month as well as details of the next of kin. There is also mention of cigarettes and bread being sent. The name of a camp is usually shown written in pencil; there can also be further details but they can be obscured by being overwritten or later work by office clerks. Some entries on the outer edges are either partial or illegible. Some entries mention Queen Mary’s Gift that indicates a man was captured pre Christmas 1914. There is still a lot of work on the register and the work of the QRWS POW Fund during WW1 as well as the War Charities Act of 1916. As far as I am aware the book appears to have been compiled at sometime during 1916 as there are about 130 men I am aware of who do not appear in the book. I must admit that I have only checked the register against the MiCs and not against the medal rolls. Bootneck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ASA1 Posted 2 December , 2013 Share Posted 2 December , 2013 Many thanks Bootneck. That is certainly a high number, a shame that it doesn't give the date of capture as a large number were taken prisoner at Gheluvelt, but I don't know exactly how many... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maudson Posted 2 January , 2014 Author Share Posted 2 January , 2014 Hi All I wanted to thank everyone for their help especially themonsstar. I have posted the story of Frank Robinson as far as I have been able to find out on my website http://ringstead.squarespace.com which tells the stories of people from the Northamptonshire village of Warboys. Please do let me know if I have got any of it wrong. Thanks again. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yeomans Posted 21 May , 2018 Share Posted 21 May , 2018 David. I appreciate this is a very old post but the William James HILLS you refer to served with Royal Horse Artillery not the Queens. Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David_Underdown Posted 22 May , 2018 Share Posted 22 May , 2018 Thanks - I eventually figured out from the Red Cross archives that the man I was after had actually served with Queen's Own (Royal West Kent Regiment), see this card https://grandeguerre.icrc.org/en/File/Details/3218235/3/2/ - this is William J Hills of Chalkpit Cottages Dorking Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themonsstar Posted 22 May , 2018 Share Posted 22 May , 2018 Not doing bad David 4 years old 😱 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yeomans Posted 27 May , 2018 Share Posted 27 May , 2018 David, How interesting. We have been searching for the same man. I am trying to put together some service details for William James Hills' granddaughter. Any information you may be able to share would be most welcome. I am hoping she may be able to provide pictures of him. Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David_Underdown Posted 29 May , 2018 Share Posted 29 May , 2018 He is listed on the roll of honour of the Surre Association of Church Bell Ringers (the roll lists all members of the association who served, not just those killed) as being a ringer at Dorking. He's not one I've found a great deal of detail on, and I haven't yet checked the ringing newspapers of the time for any reports that mention him, I just have census details and so on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now