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Remembered Today:

17460 Thomas Younger, Coldstream Guards KIA 1916


Neil 2242

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Thomas Younger from Sunderland, served in 3rd Btn Coldstream Guards, and was killed in action 13 Nov 1916 and is buried in the Guards Cemetery, Lesboeufs.

I have the CWGC and SDGW entries.

 

I also have the following brief casualty announcement from a northeast newspaper:

younger.jpg.f19a323f1a2226cc6ade46c2f950e9ae.jpg

 

A quick CWGC search shows that the battalion lost 5 men killed on that day.

I'd be very grateful for any help fleshing out his story a bit....eg what was happening on 13 Nov.....but anything else also very welcome.

 

Family-wise I think I have him on the 1911 census living at 47 Gen Graham Street, Sunderland. He was a shipbuilders clerk born c.1887

 

 

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Hi

here is the war diary on National Archives for a small fee

 3 Battalion Coldstream Guards

Reference:WO 95/1215/3

Description:

3 Battalion Coldstream Guards

Date:1915 Aug. - 1918 Jan.

 

Also on Ancestry, just a single page for Nov 16

 

regards

Jon

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Here is a map on McMaster, Lesboeufs top left

Place Map Sheet # Map Squares
Lesboeufs 57cSW4 T4
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Thanks Jon,

I think I read somewhere that this particular war diary isn't especially informative.

But I have a feeling I'm going to be stumping up my £3.50 to have a look anyway!

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The History of the Guards Division in the Great War 1915-1918, Volume 1, doesn’t add a great deal other than they relieved the 17th Division in the left sector of the XIV front on 13th November. The front ran along the spur of high ground east of Lesboeufs on the right to Gueudecourt on the left. It notes the front trenches were fairly deep but that there were no communication trenches. The testing ground conditions meant everything had to be brought up by hand. A footnote indicates that the Division suffered casualties of 8 Officers and 257 men between 13th-21st November.

 

Alan

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Hi,

 

Here is the relevant page from the CG Regimental History.

 

Steve

03005BB3-13CF-4D66-857D-F14B044871A6.png

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Some other info. - his war gratuity of £3 (Register of Soldiers' Effects) indicates that he enlisted no more than 12 months before his death. His service records haven't survived, but it looks like he did enlist in late 1915 - when looking at close numbers in surviving service/pension records:

17470 Joseph Veevers attested on 23rd November 1915 in Sunderland and disembarked as reinforcements at Le Havre with the 5th Bn on 27th August 1916, before joining 3rd Bn on 23rd September 1916.

17468 Arthur Temple - exactly the same

17460 Wilfred Harsley attested on 22nd November 1915 and joined the 3rd Bn (from the 5th) on 25th September 1916..

(Ancestry Pension and Service records)

 

Mike

Edited by Langdon
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1 hour ago, Langdon said:

Some other info. - his war gratuity of £3 (Register of Soldiers' Effects) indicates that he enlisted no more than 12 months before his death. His service records haven't survived, but it looks like he did enlist in late 1915 - when looking at close numbers in surviving service/pension records:

17470 Joseph Veevers attested on 23rd November 1915 in Sunderland and disembarked as reinforcements at Le Havre with the 5th Bn on 27th August 1916, before joining 3rd Bn on 23rd September 1916.

17468 Arthur Temple - exactly the same

17460 Wilfred Harsley attested on 22nd November 1915 and joined the 3rd Bn (from the 5th) on 25th September 1916..

(Ancestry Pension and Service records)

 

Mike

 

Hi Mike

 

Would his records, if they do survive, not be with the Regimental Headquarters in London? There is a small cost but it might be worth checking with them.

 

Kind regards

Alan

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17 hours ago, Langdon said:

Some other info. - his war gratuity of £3 (Register of Soldiers' Effects) indicates that he enlisted no more than 12 months before his death. His service records haven't survived, but it looks like he did enlist in late 1915 - when looking at close numbers in surviving service/pension records:

17470 Joseph Veevers attested on 23rd November 1915 in Sunderland and disembarked as reinforcements at Le Havre with the 5th Bn on 27th August 1916, before joining 3rd Bn on 23rd September 1916.

17468 Arthur Temple - exactly the same

17460 Wilfred Harsley attested on 22nd November 1915 and joined the 3rd Bn (from the 5th) on 25th September 1916..

(Ancestry Pension and Service records)

 

Mike

 

Hi,

 

Not quite correct to say that his service records haven’t survived.

 

All Foot Guards records were retained by each RHQ (until recently when they were transferred to MOD Glasgow - except SG which have gone to NRS in Edinburgh) and thus avoided 1940 losses caused by German bombing.

 

His surviving CG papers (some culling will have taken place) will be available from MOD Glasgow via this link - 

 

https://www.gov.uk/get-copy-military-service-records/apply-for-someone-elses-records

 

Steve

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4 hours ago, tullybrone said:

 

Hi,

 

Not quite correct to say that his service records haven’t survived.

 

All Foot Guards records were retained by each RHQ (until recently when they were transferred to MOD Glasgow - except SG which have gone to NRS in Edinburgh) and thus avoided 1940 losses caused by German bombing.

 

His surviving CG papers (some culling will have taken place) will be available from MOD Glasgow via this link - 

 

https://www.gov.uk/get-copy-military-service-records/apply-for-someone-elses-records

 

Steve

 

Hi Steve - and Alan,

Thanks both for pointing this out - I must remember to say such service records "aren't on Ancestry"!

Mike

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For short service such as his you probably won't get much info for your £30 than you could get on here fmp or ancestry 

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The war diary doesnt really say much - just another day in the trenches

image.png.ffaf9f0ebaedb1ceeb74a116dc17386e.png

Edited by Coldstreamer
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The 3rd battalion is the least useful (from a researchers perspective) of the 4 Coldstream battalions that served overseas IMHO

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