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Remembered Today:

Gunner 88576 John Samuel Harrison RHA


tony paley

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I am hoping that someone could help with establishing which Battery Gunner 88576 John Samuel Harrison RHA served with. I have been asked by a friend ,who is Gunner Harrison's Grand Daughter, for anything that could assist with establishing where he served on the Western Front. The information that she has is based on his Memorial Plaque and his medals which are the 1914/15 Star BWM, and the VM. Further details are that he returned to the UK suffering from the effects of Gas, and died in 1916. He was laid to rest in a large cemetery in Liverpool, which although a civilian cemetery had a large plot for Canadian soldiers.  I have made several visits to the CWGC site using the above details with no success, it might be it is just having a 'moment' or I have put in too many details. Odd, when I dropped some details it still came up negative, Harrison not an uncommon name I thought I would get some hits. His number suggests a pre war regular. Any information welcome.

Tony P

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I returned to the CWGC site, refined my search by shedding some of the information and was presented with 390 odd possible, he was on the 5th page, lucky for me, unfortunately his unit was listed as 'Depot Royal Horse Artillery' he died 9/3/1916 and is buried in Liverpool (Kirkdale) cemetery. He apparently had been returned to UK suffering from the effects of gas. As the first us of gas was in April 1915 it may narrow the possibilities of an RHA unit that could have been affected. Long shot I know.

Tony P

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Thanks Mark I think that I will try to narrow down when he was gassed by checking Farndale's history of the RA on the Western Front. There cannot be too many RHA batteries involved in gas attacks between that date and his death in the UK March 1916.

Tony P

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The CWGC entry shows that Harrison's parents lived in Liverpool, which would account for the local burial.  A local paper might have a report of his gassing among casualty reports.  I will alert a member here who has extracted many of these items.

D

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Hello Tony P 

                     I hope you succeed in finding that info and would be interested to know the details, as I am following a Gt Uncles carear in the RHA and he was also gassed, but he did survive although his nickname was Hoesty because of the way he spoke presumably caused by the Gas.   Den

1 hour ago, tony paley said:

Thanks Mark I think that I will try to narrow down when he was gassed by checking Farndale's history of the RA on the Western Front. There cannot be too many RHA batteries involved in gas attacks between that date and his death in the UK March 1916.

Tony P

 

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According to the Army Registers of Soldiers' Effects, 1901-1929, John Harrison died of disease at the Royal Infirmary, Liverpool
Also, his number was allocated on joining the RHA Depot, Woolwich in November 1914.
I cannot yet find any RHA unit that went to France on April 2, 1915, so I suspect he was part of a reinforcement draft.

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John Harrison was buried 13th March 1916 and his residence was 74, Ruskin Street. I have not come across a report of him being wounded in the local Casualty lists, nor have I come across any Obituary notices etc for him. If I come across anything for him I will pass it on.

 

 

 

  C 13/03/1916   JOHN HARRISON 42 SOLDIER   74, RUSKIN STREET KIRKDALE PRIVATE 5 1105
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That would be very helpful Dagggers

Tony P

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Thanks for all the help, it seems that he was fairly old, 40/41 when he joined, I had thought that he may have been a reservist. His Granddaughter lives in Gloucester and although he was from Liverpool there was a Gloucester connection at that time. I have a post  in units in an attempt to track RHA units involved with Gas attacks.

Tony P

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21 hours ago, David Porter said:

According to the Army Registers of Soldiers' Effects, 1901-1929, John Harrison died of disease at the Royal Infirmary, Liverpool
Also, his number was allocated on joining the RHA Depot, Woolwich in November 1914.
I cannot yet find any RHA unit that went to France on April 2, 1915, so I suspect he was part of a reinforcement draft.

David,

        I wondered whether gunner Harrison was a reservist, it seems that at 40 years of age he was rather old for enlistment as a Regular. He was a married man and although from Liverpool his wife (next of kin) was Emily Harrison of Compton Abdale, Gloucestershire. I noticed that some RHA batteries were also attached to the Indiam Corps Divisions, Aubers Ridge I believe was subjected to a Gas attack.

Tony P

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Tony,

 

No, he was definitely a Regular as the RFRA numbers did not go that high. It was not an old number as that was previously held by Joseph Bollard who enlisted on January 20, 1892. The next time that number was issued was in a block of 1000 allocated to RHA Depot, Woolwich and used in November 1914. Due to the overwhelming numbers joining at the start of the war, it was issued again to Samuel Robert Tutt on or after January 25, 1915 (but his service record is rather confusing as he actually enlisted on September 12, 1914 but was re-attested later, and he was an ex soldier, aged 43). So the November 1914 enlistment fits very well.

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9 minutes ago, David Porter said:

Tony,

 

No, he was definitely a Regular as the RFRA numbers did not go that high. It was not an old number as that was previously held by Joseph Bollard who enlisted on January 20, 1892. The next time that number was issued was in a block of 1000 allocated to RHA Depot, Woolwich and used in November 1914. Due to the overwhelming numbers joining at the start of the war, it was issued again to Samuel Robert Tutt on or after January 25, 1915 (but his service record is rather confusing as he actually enlisted on September 12, 1914 but was re-attested later, and he was an ex soldier, aged 43). So the November 1914 enlistment fits very well.

The war gratuity of £5 10s (net) was paid for 17 months service. This would tie in with the November 14 date you indicate. 

 

Craig

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3 hours ago, ss002d6252 said:

The war gratuity of £5 10s (net) was paid for 17 months service. This would tie in with the November 14 date you indicate. 

 

Craig

Thanks for thhe extra information Craig, still building a picture of this chap.

Tony P

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