Yeomanterry Posted 15 July , 2018 Share Posted 15 July , 2018 Good day all, I will be giving a small presentation to a Drum head service in Whitnash nr Leamington Spa and focussing on a Great Uncle that died on the 9th November 1918, the same day as the service. I have the units War Diaries 1 and 3 but cannot find the one for Salonica. all I have is :- 19 November 1915 The Division sailed from Marseilles and moved to Salonika, arriving 25 November 1915. and this courtesy of the long long trail 4th (Extra Reserve) Battalion August 1914 : in Seaforth, Liverpool. 6 March 1915 : landed at Le Havre and came under orders of Sirhind Brigade, Lahore Division of Indian Corps. 10 November 1915 : transferred to 137th Brigade, 46th (North Midland) Division. 3 December 1915 : attached to 56th and 58th Brigades, 19th (Western) Division. 27 February 1916 : transferred to 98th Brigade, 33rd Division. Can anyone point me in the right direction please. many thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie962 Posted 15 July , 2018 Share Posted 15 July , 2018 (edited) Try here Salonika Charlie Edited 15 July , 2018 by charlie962 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Clifton Posted 15 July , 2018 Share Posted 15 July , 2018 1 hour ago, Yeomanterry said: 4th (Extra Reserve) Battalion August 1914 : in Seaforth, Liverpool. This is not the battalion you are looking for - it is 4th Bn King's Regiment (Liverpool). Charlie has given you the right reference, but the Salonika diaries are not available online. You need to visit Kew. Ron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MBrockway Posted 15 July , 2018 Share Posted 15 July , 2018 (edited) 4/KRRC were back in France & Flanders by November 1918 (in 151 Bde, 50th Division, from Jul 1918). The 4/KRRC war diary Jul 1918 to Jun 1919 is Ref WO 95/2843/3 - see here or, on Ancestry, here According to the KRRC Chronicle, on 09 Nov 1918 they were in billets at Saint-Remy-Chaussée, about 5 miles SSE of Maubeuge. They had been through some fierce fighting in the same area in the days immediately previous to reach the Maubeuge-Avesnes road just W of Floursies on 08 Nov.. There's a detailed report of these actions in the war diary together with a full casualty return. The 50th Div HQ General Staff war diary (WO 95/2812/1) is also full of information on the Oct/Nov 1918 actions from Le Cateau to the Maubuege-Avesnes road. Some fascinating CRE docs about bridging the River Selle, lots of good maps and a full narrative/lessons learnt report. What was your Great Uncle's name? As Ron has already explained, the war diaries for both 3/ and 4/KRRC while in Salonika have not yet been digitized and will need a visit to Kew. PS If he was in fact in 4/KLR, then none of the above is relevant! Mark Edited 15 July , 2018 by MBrockway Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yeomanterry Posted 31 July , 2018 Author Share Posted 31 July , 2018 Thank you Mark, Charlie and Ron. Ok sorted which regiment now, didn't realise there was another Liverpool based unit. He was KRRC 4th Battalion. I have the War diary mentioned and was trying to get the info on the Salonika period.I will get the 50th Div HQ General Staff war diary (WO 95/2812/1). Looks like a train to Kew is in the offing now. His name was Albert Thomas Batchelor wounded on the 7/8th and died of wounds on the 9th November 1918. Considering his service it was real bad luck to die just at the end. The family only new of his wounding on the 12th and his death on the 13th November. I only got to speak with people who new him when they were in there 90s and hadn't spoken about him for years such was the pain. When i told my great aunts I had visited his grave they cried thinking he had been forgotten by the family. I am trying to keep all the WW1 men on the War Memorial alive and known to their familiys. I have visited his grave twice. I have just moved down to Dawlish Warren to live, but still putting articles in the local mag for people to read. Many thanks Terry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MBrockway Posted 31 July , 2018 Share Posted 31 July , 2018 The KRRC was not Liverpool based. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MBrockway Posted 31 July , 2018 Share Posted 31 July , 2018 BWM&VM roll entry for Y/1251 Rfn Arthur T BATCHELOR suggests he was originally in 3/KRRC and entered theatre with them before transferring to 4/KRRC. This is supported by his Embarkation Date of 20 Dec 1914 - both battalions left Southampton on 20 Dec 1914, but 3/KRRC, on SS City of Edinburgh, landed at LE HAVRE at 20:45hrs on 20 Dec 1914, whereas 4/KRRC, on SS Huanchaco, landed at 13:00hrs on 21 Dec 1914, also at LE HAVRE. The same roll page has several rows repeating the same 4th battalion info suggesting he was wounded or evacuated sick multiple times but each time returned to his battalion. His embarkation date shows he was an 'original' though obviously not a Regular who came back with the battalions from India. The 4/KRRC war diary suggests he was wounded on 08 Nov 1918 and died of wounds the following day. His current resting place at GHISSIGNIES BRITISH CEMETERY is not his original burial location. He was re-interred as a result of grave concentration in 1922/1923. He was originally buried at LOCQUIGNOL COMMUNAL CEMETERY EXTENSION, in the middle of the Forest of Mormal. This small cemetery was begun by a German medical unit and used by British units after the capture of Locquignol on the 4 November 1918. It contained the graves of 142 German soldiers, later reburied at Le Cateau; one soldier from the United Kingdom buried by the enemy; and 24 soldiers from the United Kingdom buried by their comrades. That is completely consistent with being wounded on 08 Nov 1918. HTH Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yeomanterry Posted 12 August , 2018 Author Share Posted 12 August , 2018 Wow! Thank you Mark. You have told me so much about him, the fact that he had been injured during his career, and returned shows the metal of the man. I will check out the areas you have said and will try to further my Knowledge. A BIG Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianshuter Posted 15 September , 2023 Share Posted 15 September , 2023 On 12/08/2018 at 11:40, Yeomanterry said: Wow! Thank you Mark. You have told me so much about him, the fact that he had been injured during his career, and returned shows the metal of the man. I will check out the areas you have said and will try to further my Knowledge. A BIG Thank you. Terry - here is the page I built for Albert today do you have anything you would like to add to his or any other page. I think the grave photo I used may be yours https://www.swfhs.org.uk/index.php/war-memorial-transcriptions/war-memorial-transcritions-s-z/whitnash-war-memorial/16-the-men-who-fell-in-ww1/2616-rfmn-at-batchelor Here the page for the Whitnash war memorial https://www.swfhs.org.uk/index.php/war-memorial-transcriptions/war-memorial-transcritions-s-z/whitnash-war-memorial Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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