Which Regiment?

[gwentpal]

I'm looking for some help and advice to try and figure out in which regiments the two following men were serving when they were killed..

The men in question, Robert Clark and John Joseph Casey followed almost the same path signing up as Territorials with the Royal Welsh Fusiliers in December 1915, they were mobilised in May 1916 and posted to the BEF in June 1917. Their records both show that on the 30th June 1917 the men were transferred to the 1st Monmouthshire Regiment Territorial Force and posted to the 10th South Wales Borderers.

Their service numbers were John Joseph Casey RWF 267236 and Mons Reg 260095, Robert Clark was RWF 266966 and Mons Reg 260099, I have attached part of Robert Clarks (260099) record below, John Casey's record was the same

.

I'm far from an expert when it comes to deciphering service records but to me this clearly shows that Clark was transferred to the 10th South Wales Borderers in the field on 2nd July 1917.

Sadly the men didn't survive in action long, Robert Clark was killed on 2nd August 1917 and John Joseph Casey was killed on 23rd August 1917.

This is where the confusion starts, the Commonwealth War Graves Commision has both men listed as dying with the Monmouthshire Regiment and being commemorated on the Loos Memorial, no other men from the 10th SWB are commemorated on the Loos Memorial and in August 1917 the Battalion were in the Ypres area 25 mile away.

So how can the service records show that the men were transferred in July 1917 to the Borderers but have been recorded as dying with the Monmouthshires a month later.

Any explanations welcome, thanks Pals

[rolt968]

The Medal Roll is informative:

Pte Robert Clark, 260099, 1 Monmouthshire Regiment

Previously Pte, 26696, R.W. Fus.

However in the right hand column it has:

Infantry Base Depot

Att 10/ S. Wales Bord.

(ancestry)

I'll look up Casey.

Edit: Casey is the same.

R.

[headgardener]

They were serving in the ranks of the Monmouths, but were only posted (i.e. placed temporarily under the command of) the 10/SWB. I'd assume that they would have remained badged as Monmouths throughout.

[rolt968]

I wonder if the unit to which they were attached would have been included if there had been a gravestone?

R.

[gwentpal]

Thanks Guys,

Rolt968, I should have said i'd already checked the medal rolls, sorry!

Headgardener, I can understand that they might have been temporarily attached to the 10th Battalion, but according to the information given by CWGC it looks like they never physically left the Mons. They were posted to the Borderers in June 1917 and died seven or eight weeks later, surely there would have been some indication on their records that they never actually reached the 10th SWB or even info to show they'd gone back to the Mons.

The service record clearly shoes them posted to the 10th SWB but they are commemorated on a memorial which was nowhere near where the 10th SWB were fighting and doesn't have any other members of the Battalion on it.

Has there been a mix up somewhere along the line???