Skoyen89 Posted 3 July , 2016 Share Posted 3 July , 2016 Does anyone know where this unit was serving in November?December 1916? Was it part of a larger formation such as a battalion? I am trying to find a War Diary for it. I am trying to find out more about this Company because Private John Witney (50837) died of illness whilst serving with it and he is buried in my local churchyard. Using Ancestry there is a Death Index for South Shields that would fit but also a reference to him having died at Oxford (which was his home) in the Register of Soldiers Effects. It also mentions he was formerly in the Ox and Bucks Light Infantry with the number 4565 so I presume he joined prewar and was medically downgraded? Any help or ideas gratefully received! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjustice Posted 3 August , 2016 Share Posted 3 August , 2016 I did have some information on all the RDC companies in 1918 which I can't locate atm. Will try to find and advise. Cheers, SMJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ss002d6252 Posted 3 August , 2016 Share Posted 3 August , 2016 The war gratuity shows he had 13 months qualifying service when he died - all service was at home. At a rough guess if #4565 was a T.F. number then it could well fit the timeline of him having enlisted in Dec 15. The effects records are normally pretty spot on with place of death - it ties in with the CWGC burial location. Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjustice Posted 3 August , 2016 Share Posted 3 August , 2016 Hi there I still can't find my source docs which appear not to have survived contact with my main research. However I can point you in the right direction(s). There is still very little published research in this area (hmmmm....maybe someone should put forward a Ph.D. research proposal or use it for their MA dissertation at Wolverhampton Uni under Profs. Bourne, Simkins, Sheffield, Badsey...). However, there is a wealth of primary documentation hidden away in various treasure troves at TNA. The most important file is WO 32/18622 'Royal Defence Corps: reorganisation, demobilisation and disbandment'. This is (was, anyway) an unloved, HUGE and poorly maintained pile of related (and some unrelated) documents jammed into a file. Everything relating to OOB, duties, numbers, locations, commands etc is in here. If you want to discover what 9 'O' Coy RDC was up to, why, and under whom, it will be in here. In the meantime here are a couple of other nuggets relating specifically to your question: The RDC 'O' (Observation) and 'P' (Protection) companies were initially formed from the Garrison infantry battalions based in the UK Their duties included guarding POW camps and sensitive installations like ports and government offices. As they never left the UK (and Ireland) there are no war diaries Private Witney's provenance ending up in the RDC cannot be divined from the fact he was in the RDC Members of the RDC were generally men unfit for active service abroad through wounds received on active service, infirmity or age The RDC is the forerunner off 'Dad's Army' or the Home Guard. Hope that helps, and good luck. Cheers, SMJ On 7/3/2016 at 07:07, Skoyen89 said: Does anyone know where this unit was serving in November?December 1916? Was it part of a larger formation such as a battalion? I am trying to find a War Diary for it. I am trying to find out more about this Company because Private John Witney (50837) died of illness whilst serving with it and he is buried in my local churchyard. Using Ancestry there is a Death Index for South Shields that would fit but also a reference to him having died at Oxford (which was his home) in the Register of Soldiers Effects. It also mentions he was formerly in the Ox and Bucks Light Infantry with the number 4565 so I presume he joined prewar and was medically downgraded? Any help or ideas gratefully received! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skoyen89 Posted 7 August , 2016 Author Share Posted 7 August , 2016 Many thanks to SMJ and Craig for the responses. I guess this will need to be added to my 'To Do' list for the next visit to Kew but I really appreciate the pointers. I'll let you know what I find......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hywyn Posted 7 August , 2016 Share Posted 7 August , 2016 On 8/3/2016 at 16:15, sjustice said: The RDC 'O' (Observation) and 'P' (Protection) companies were initially formed from the Garrison infantry battalions based in the UK Members of the RDC were generally men unfit for active service abroad through wounds received on active service, infirmity or age <snip> Post deleted whilst a bit of further research is undertaken as what I had to say was possibly more relevant to RDC Protection Coys that RDC Observation Coys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skoyen89 Posted 23 January , 2017 Author Share Posted 23 January , 2017 I managed to find a reference to his death in the Thame Gazette. It says he was an old Army man and rejoined again on the outbreak of hostilities. He was drafted into the 3rd Bn Durham Light Infantry and at the time of his death was serving with the 9th Observation Company of the RDC at South Shields. It is not clear whether he was attached to the RDC or transferred to them but this resolves my original question. 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