Malcolm12hl Posted 18 February , 2018 Share Posted 18 February , 2018 I am in the process of researching a memorial booklet on the 83 men of the parish of Thames Ditton, Surrey who fell in the Great War. No fewer than five Thames Ditton soldiers fell in the attack by the 24th Division on the second day of the Loos Offensive in September 1915, three being posted missing on the day, and two later succumbing to wounds (one of these in a German hospital). Thames Ditton is only three miles away from the depot of the East Surrey Regiment in Kingston-upon-Thames, but only one of the men concerned was serving with 9th Battalion/East Surrey Regiment. The other four were all serving with the 8th Battalion/Buffs (East Kent Regiment). Both units, along with the 8th/Queen's (Royal West Surrey) and the 8th/Queen's Own (Royal West Kent) were in 72 Brigade, 74 Division. The four men who fell with the Buffs were all Thames Ditton residents, and it seems unlikely that they would all have enlisted in Kent, but is there any record of a transfer of men from the 9th/East Surreys to the 8th/Buffs while the units were forming up? The five soldiers concerned were: Private W. E. GRAY 2365, 9th/East Surrey, MIA, 26.9.1915 Private J. W. EGGLETON G/3215, 8th/Buffs, MIA, 26.9.1915 Lance-Corporal T. W. KEEN G/4108, 8th/Buffs, MIA, 26.9.1915 Private W. JARLETT G/3140, 8th Buffs, DOW, 28.9.1915 Lance-Corporal H. S. MOYCE G/4107, DOW, 4.10.1915 (in German hands) I would be most grateful for any insights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EastSurrey Posted 18 February , 2018 Share Posted 18 February , 2018 The only mention of transfers in Pearse & Sloman's history of the East Surrey Regiment is to the battalion being over 1,000 strong as early as 19.9.14, and to over 300 of the large number of old soldiers in the ranks being sent off about 3 weeks later to replace losses in 1st East Surrey. If the men you mention enlisted very early on, they may have been sent to the Buffs because 9/E.Surrey was oversubscribed. Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bootneck Posted 22 February , 2018 Share Posted 22 February , 2018 According to SDGW of the five men you are interested in; one enlisted at Weybridge, 2 at Kingston and the other two in London. A search of the Surrey Recruitment Registers on Find My Past has found entries for Walter Edwin Gray (enlisted Weybridge 15 September 1914) and William Jarlett (enlisted Kingston 5 September 1914) who joined the East Surrey Regiment and the Royal Sussex Regiment respectively. I see that Harry Swift Moyce was a local school teacher and he is listed amongst a list of Surrey County Council employees who had joined the colours in early 1915. He is listed as an elementary school teacher, aged 33, who had enlisted into a service battalion of the East Kent Regiment. You may also be aware of the Surrey in the Great War – A County Remembers project. I would suggest that you can contact them via their website http://www.surreyinthegreatwar.org.uk/ as they should know if anybody is looking at Thames Ditton in WW1 and they would be interested in hearing about your project. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm12hl Posted 22 February , 2018 Author Share Posted 22 February , 2018 Thank you very much for all this information - it is most helpful. I shall certainly mine SDGW more intensively going forward. You are quite right about Harry Moyce being a teacher, he was listed as an assistant schoolmaster in the 1911 census. I am aware of the Surrey in the Great War - A County Remembers project, and I will certainly follow up your suggestion and make contact with them now that my project is gaining momentum. Once again, I am very grateful for your help and suggestions. Malcolm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clk Posted 22 February , 2018 Share Posted 22 February , 2018 Hi Malcom, On 18/02/2018 at 10:47, Malcolm12hl said: Lance-Corporal T. W. KEEN G/4108, 8th/Buffs, MIA, 26.9.1915 Lance-Corporal H. S. MOYCE G/4107, DOW, 4.10.1915 There are some surviving papers for a G/4106 Albert Henry Davis of "Homeside", Church Walk, Thames Ditton. He seems to have attested (in London) directly to the East Kent Regiment on 2nd November 1914, and reported at Canterbury on 3rd November 1914. Regards Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
battle of loos Posted 22 February , 2018 Share Posted 22 February , 2018 good morning, if you want some picture about the loos aera & cimetery, it's no problem for me because I stay at Loos. regards michel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm12hl Posted 22 February , 2018 Author Share Posted 22 February , 2018 2 hours ago, clk said: Hi Malcom, There are some surviving papers for a G/4106 Albert Henry Davis of "Homeside", Church Walk, Thames Ditton. He seems to have attested (in London) directly to the East Kent Regiment on 2nd November 1914, and reported at Canterbury on 3rd November 1914. Regards Chris Chris Many thanks - this is very helpful - the sequential service numbers might suggest that the three attested together in London. Church Walk is about 100 yards from where I am sitting. The next time I go for a stroll I will see if "Homeside" still exists. Regards Malcolm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm12hl Posted 22 February , 2018 Author Share Posted 22 February , 2018 1 hour ago, battle of loos said: good morning, if you want some picture about the loos aera & cimetery, it's no problem for me because I stay at Loos. regards michel Michel Many thanks for your kind offer. If I may, I will get back to you when I have a better idea of what form the published booklet will take and what the scope is for photographs. Regards Malcolm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
battle of loos Posted 22 February , 2018 Share Posted 22 February , 2018 Good evening I'll be at your disposal. Kind regards michel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clk Posted 22 February , 2018 Share Posted 22 February , 2018 Hi, It's a bit of a pity that that we don't know where precisely in London that the attestation/s were made. I guess that we will never know, but It does make me wonder if they were 'mates' that decided to pitch up at the recruitment centre at the same time. Regards Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm12hl Posted 23 February , 2018 Author Share Posted 23 February , 2018 Hi Chris I'm sure you are right - three men from a village of 7,000 in East Surrey ending up with consecutive service numbers in the East Kent Regiment suggests that they probably travelled in to London together to attest. On the assumption that they took the train (Thames Ditton has its own station on a line from Hampton Court into Waterloo), they might have signed up somewhere nearby on the south bank, but I'm not sure that I'll be able to discover the details. On the positive side, I had a very lucky break today and identified the hitherto anonymous T. C. Jones on the Thames Ditton List of Honour. There was only one officer among the 16 possibles in the CWGC database and I pulled his file to discover that Lieutenant Charles Phelps Jones was indeed a resident of Thames Ditton! All the Best Malcolm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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