24th Battalion Canadian Infantry Soldier, Private AS Loose

[Daveyboy]

I am researching the service career of my Great Uncle, 65581 Pte AS (Alfred Smith) Loose, who served in France with 24^th Battalion (Victoria Rifles), Canadian Expeditionary Force, during WW1 and would love to find out what Company he was in.

 

He enlisted in October 1914, in what became 24^th Btn, CEF.  After training, he served in France from Sep 1915 to Sep 16, when he was injured by shrapnel during the Battle of the Somme.  After convalescing he returned to France in May 1918, to be Killed in Action on 28^th Aug 1918 during the 2^nd Battle of Arras.

 

I’ve been fortunate enough to have his Service Record (via the Ancestry website), which includes medical & pay records.  Although this provides fascinating information it doesn’t identify what Company he was assigned to, or his role within it.  I have a cut of the Battalion’s War Diary relating to the week he died however, there is no amplification here either and I haven’t been able to find an online version of the whole diary that I can work through (the Canadian Great War Project website links to the 24^th Btn diary don’t appear to work anymore).

 

I have a copy of Fetherstonhaugh’s history of 24^th Battalion which discusses in detail actives carried out by its individual Companies, so I would very much like to be able to tie in Pte Loose’s time in France with these.

 

I know it’s a long shot but I wondered if anyone could suggest additional sources I could consult to find out this information.

 

Thanks.

[regimentalrogue]

The company a soldier was in was rarely recorded in the surviving service records. There is a small chance that he might have been mentioned in the War Diary, and even less that it would clearly connect him to a company. Similarly, the Part II Daily Orders seldom identified companies. Letters home, personal diaries (their own or someone else's), or a coincidental mention in a unit history might connect a man to a company, but these can be rare or hard to find. You also have to consider that he may not have stayed in one company throughout the war, there is also a small chance he changed companies after returning to the battalion.

[Daveyboy]

Thanks for the advice regimentalrogue; unfortunately, I thought that might be the case.  I will speak to my family to see if any of them have any of my Gt Uncle's personal effects that may be able to shed more light on his time at the front.

 

Many thanks too for the links.

[tatsmec]

Sometimes their grave marker with have the company, Did you look that up?

 

 

Regards,

 

Joe

[Lawryleslie]

Good Morning, I read with interest about your research because two men from our village in Devon fought and died with the CEF.  When researching these men I found that the Canadians have a very good archive of records indeed much better than ours. 

 

Try these sites as starting points ....

 

https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/military-heritage/first-world-war/personnel-records/Pages/personnel-records.aspx

 

http://ww1.canada.com/faces-of-war/canadians-can-research-their-familys-first-world-war-history-online

 

Also as tatsmec says the Commemoration Certificate and Graves administration documents sometimes name the company as well as Regiment. These can be found easily on CWGC website free of charge.

Regards

 

LL

Edited 3 January , 2019 by Lawryleslie