Fezhead Posted 4 January , 2019 Share Posted 4 January , 2019 Does anyone know what this unit was doing around May 1916? I am researching L/Cpl Frederick Keates, of Derbyshire, a miner who died on the 21st May that year. A neighbour recently found a letter he wrote to his wife, folded up in an old book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clk Posted 4 January , 2019 Share Posted 4 January , 2019 Hi Fezhead, Welcome to the forum. The unit war diary is available to download from the National Archives (£3.50) - see here. His Soldiers' Effects record (ignoring the transcription shown) says that he died in the care of 3 Canadian Casualty Clearing Station. Their war diary is available (free) from the Library & Archives Canada (hit #13 here). It records that he died as a result of wounds to his pelvis. Image source: the Library & Archives Canada He left a will - £10 from here. It may well only consist of a very few words, and would come as a low resolution B&W scan of the original. Hopefully the good folk at British War Graves would be able to send you an image of his grave stone - free of charge. Regards Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mebu Posted 4 January , 2019 Share Posted 4 January , 2019 1/RMRE spent that month around Ypres (HQ Vlamertinge) constructing concrete observation posts and machine gun emplacements at various locations. Just had a look at diary but no mention of anyone being wounded. Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fezhead Posted 4 January , 2019 Author Share Posted 4 January , 2019 Thank you gents, that's very interesting stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fezhead Posted 4 January , 2019 Author Share Posted 4 January , 2019 A transcript of the letter, in case it helps anyone else. There are no date or location on the letter. To Mrs F Keats Smalley Common West Hallam Nr Derby My darling wife, Just a few lines to you in answer to your letter of this morning. Very pleased to have had a nice long letter from you. I have got the stamps here now. I have just had two letters from you now. Don't send no more stamps. Not till I tell you. Let me use these first. Darling wife I wrote in one of my letters to you to ask if you could get me a trifle of money but never mind darling. I know it is hard for you to live. I can't live on the food they dish out to us here. It is awful. They are breaking us into welfare bread. Darling wife, you must take no notice of me saying what I did in that letter. Only I am miserable. That is all I know. You think about me and I think about you too. I do hope you have got the children alright again. Now it puts me about very much to hear they have been very bad. How is Freddie? Is he as nice a boy now he has got over it? I should think it has backened him up a bit now. I shall be very thankful when this is all over. I can tell you I am fed up with it. Roll on the day when I can be with my old Dutch again. Is anyone getting you anything? You can't live on that money they allow you but it is better than none. I feel sorry for Mrs Barker. It is hard lines. Let me know about my garden and at intervals couldn't you get somebody to cut the hedge? Give my best respects to Sam, Caroline, mother and dad and tell him I shall have to sub him up a bit. I think I want somebody to sub me up just at present. We were inoculated on Thursday and I have got an arm as big as two. It is very painful. Give my best respects to Annie, Janice, Joan Wileman and Arthur Buckler. It will be very nice if you can get five shillings a week and coal from the pit. You never told me if my money came from the pit. I hope they do not do me over because I was not there. Give me respects to Mrs. Barlow, Mrs. Moss and Walter and all enquiring friends. Tell Mark and his wife we will have a do when I get back. Well darling wife, no more this time. So I close with love to all the children and very best love to you from your ever loving husband. Fred xxxxxxxxxxxx It is the same as being abroad here. It is very hot. Goodnight love. xxxxxxxxxx Walter Moss and Joseph Wileman were also miners living at Stanley Common in 1911. Fred had three children in 1911, none of which was called Freddie so he may have gained another in-between times. His wife Elizabeth (Nellie) worked underground in 1911. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clk Posted 4 January , 2019 Share Posted 4 January , 2019 Hi, 5 hours ago, Fezhead said: There are no date or location on the letter As the letter talks about making arrangements for cutting the hedge, possibly getting coal (and money owed) from the pit, and just having been inoculated, I would speculate that he was still in the UK and hadn't been away from his wife for that long. 6 hours ago, Fezhead said: It is the same as being abroad here. It is very hot 'same' - inferring that he was not actually abroad??. 'It is very hot' - summer months, rather than spring?? The amount of war gratuity shown as paid in his Soldiers' Effects record can be used to calculate estimated service counting from circa January 1915. His 14/15 Star Roll record says that he first arrived in France/Flanders on 1st September 1915. Regards Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scalyback Posted 5 January , 2019 Share Posted 5 January , 2019 Have a chat with regimental museum Monmouth. Home of RMRE. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mebu Posted 5 January , 2019 Share Posted 5 January , 2019 I too felt that it was written before going over. Also, if in F&F I don't think he would have needed stamps. RMRE museum may not provide much info, but may be interested for their archives. Peter 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