Time expired soldier re-enlistment

[mancpal]

One of my relatives, a pre-war territorial who saw service in Egypt,Gallipoli and France was released from the army in 1916 as his time had expired.He reappears later as a pilot in the RFC.

I'm hoping to discover whether he volunteered again or if he was conscripted. Does anybody know if there are any records which may help me determine which way he re-entered the forces?

Thanks

Simon

[johnboy]

Have you tried Ancestry or FMP?

[ss002d6252]

He was most likely eligible for conscription under the MSA 1916.

Who was he ?

Craig

[mancpal]

Johnboy

I've only recently taken out a subscription with FMP and I'm not sure what to search with regard to conscription, any thoughts?

Craig,

Pte William Lewis Thomas, 341, 6th Mcrs. Enlisted 9/4/08. I have his service record from 1908-16. I have found some detail about his flying days but don't really know if there is any more.I certainly don't have much between mid 1916 and March 1918. I know he flew Bristol F2bs with 48 sqn and became No.27 on Lothar Von Richthofens claim list. He was shot down again a month later only this time he received a GSW to the thigh which appears to have finished his military career. On top of this he arrived home from Gallipoli on a hospital ship (dysentery) and had another spell in military hospital with jaundice. It obviously didn't affect him that much as he lived until he was 97.

Thank you both for your interest,

Simon

[rolt968]

There is a very sketchy RAF Officer's record for a William Lewis Thomas who might be your man. He is the right age, has an address in Manchester and had special skills in signals. 341 seems to have spent most of his war service with RE signals.

The RAF officer was commissioned probationary 2nd Lieutenant on the Army general list with effect from 30 Nov 1917. (London Gazette 5 Dec 1917). Unfortunately the LG only says he was commissioned from cadet (presumably by then an officer cadet battalion. I can't see any sign of a surviving army officer's record.

Roger M

[mancpal]

Roger

I have the RAF record to which you refer. I don't have anything to do with his RFC service.

The gazette dates including his relinquishment of commission I also have.

Have I missed something about the Royal Engineers, I thought he went to Gallipoli (directly from Egypt) whilst a 6th Mcrs man attached to the E. Lancs RE signals. Are you suggesting he stayed with them after he recovered from dysentery and up to the point of his time served discharge? Surely his MiC would mention the Engineers but it only mentions the Mcrs. The bit about "army officer" I'm not surprised you can't find, he was a private upon his initial discharge in 1916.

Thanks

Simon

[ss002d6252]

Interestingly he has medal roll entries for the star, BWM and VM under #341 - all issued by the Manchester regiment but no notes mentioning a later commission.

A lot of battalion signallers were attached or transferred to the RE.

Craig

[Blackblue]

Is this him?

http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D8233784

Rgds

Tim D

PS. I assume this is the same man Roger has identified.

[mancpal]

Tim

Yes, that's my great uncle Bill. I 'found' him some time ago and have all the informormation on him I can find from Ancestry, TNA and FMP. Im no expert so I could easily have missed something.

Going back to my OP the mystery I'm hoping to solve is whether he volunteered or was conscripted in 1916 after his previous 8yrs service.

Craig

Am I right in thinking that had Bill been transfered to the RE that this too would be noted on his MIC? All I have regarding the RE is from his service records which mentions attachment to the RE Signals for the Gallipoli campaign but no mention of transfer. I believe had he been transfered that he would have been issued a new service number though his paperwork relating to discharge in 1916 still states his original #341.

Thank you both or your interest

Simon

[rolt968]

Roger

I have the RAF record to which you refer. I don't have anything to do with his RFC service.

The gazette dates including his relinquishment of commission I also have.

Have I missed something about the Royal Engineers, I thought he went to Gallipoli (directly from Egypt) whilst a 6th Mcrs man attached to the E. Lancs RE signals. Are you suggesting he stayed with them after he recovered from dysentery and up to the point of his time served discharge? Surely his MiC would mention the Engineers but it only mentions the Mcrs. The bit about "army officer" I'm not surprised you can't find, he was a private upon his initial discharge in 1916.

Thanks

Simon

If you have the service record look at the service record page which contains his prewar service and shows two entries for his embodied service: The first is mobilisation with 6 Manchesters on 5 August 1914, the second is his attachment to East Lancashire RE [TF] Divn Signals on 10 September 1914. If you then go back to the second and third pages of his record in FMP, you will see that they relate to service with 1/1 East Lanc Divn Signal Company, RE, including giving him 4th rate of engineer's pay.

Also the Medal Roll for his BWM and Victory Medal (ancestry)has "att RE" and curiously has 6 rather than 1/6 Manchester Regiment.

His soldier's record (from the WO 364 - Pension Records collection) starts with an uncompleted attestation form. I suspect that this is simply a spacer, but there might be some significance.

Roger M

I notice that