John Robert Williams Royal Welsh Fusiliers

[Morthin]

I have been trying to trace a John Robert Williams who served with the RWF during world war 1 he was injured in 1917 in Cairo where he was shot in the neck. I have been trying to trace him on ancestry military records but can`t find him, except for his pension record, which needs an additional premium to gain access to !!

Not sure how the National archives work, anybody used them before ?

 his details are

John Robert Willimas of porthmadog ()Portmadoc) North Wales.

Born 3 august 1895 at porthmadog

army number with the RWF 266432 he could possible be a Lance Corporal 

Any help would be appreciated 

thanks

Morthin

[George Rayner]

This may help

First Name: J R

Surname: Williams

Incident Details: War Office Daily List No.5436

Incident Date: 07/12/1917

More Information: Entitled to wear a "Wound Stripe" as authorised under Army Order 204 of 6th July 1916. The terms of this award being met by being named in this list.

Rank: Private

Service Number: 266432

Casualty Listed As: Wounded.

Next Of Kin Address: Portmadoc

Service: British Army

Primary Unit: Royal Welsh Fusiliers

Archive Reference: NLS 1917_WList19

George

[clk]

Hi Morthin,

 

His 6 digit service number falls within the number block that was issued to the line units of the 6th Battalion Royal Welsh Fusiliers under the 1917 renumbering of the TF - see here. Looking at the LLT (here), it seems that only the 1/6th served overseas.

 

Looking at it briefly, it looks like the 6 digit numbers were issued sequentially based on previous 4 digit numbers:

 

3941 became 266427

3948 became 266432

3954 became 266438

 

The record for 266438 Jones shows:

Image source: Findmypast

 

It also shows that he was sent to join the MEF on 5.7.1916.

 

The record for 266427 Moody says that he was mobilized from the Army Reserve on 12.2.1916, and joined the 3/6th Bn on 14,2.1916, then posted to the 1/6th on 4.7.1916 - embarking the Minnetonia at Devonport on 5.7.1916, and dis-embarking in Alexandria on 19.7.1916. 

 

Plodding through the service files of other near 6 digit number men (for example those here) may enable you to establish if a pattern of service exists, from which you might be able to make a reasonable inference about John.

 

Regards

Chris

Edited 18 January , 2019 by clk

[clive_hughes]

The report says he was at the Nasrieh School War Hospital, Cairo, which was taken over from the Egyptian Government Primary School and became a 584-bed British Army hospital.  Apparently it's now the Egyptian Military Museum?

 

The date 15 November would suggest he was a casualty of the 1/6th Battalion RWF's involvement in the Third Battle of Gaza, esp. the capture of Tel el Khuweilfeh 3-7 November 1917 (NB - wounded neck & larynx, not "carnyx" as it appears - a carnyx was a Celtic Iron Age trumpet!).  I can't see a Silver War Badge in his name & number, so presumably his wound wasn't followed by a medical discharge form the Army.

 

He might well have been a Lance-Corporal, but in medal terms it's the highest rank that's shown, and L/Cpl. is an appointment, not a rank.  

 

Clive

[Morthin]

Wow thanks guys brilliant

[David Tattersfield]

On 18/01/2019 at 14:00, Morthin said:

I have been trying to trace a John Robert Williams who served with the RWF during world war 1 he was injured in 1917 in Cairo where he was shot in the neck. I have been trying to trace him on ancestry military records but can`t find him, except for his pension record, which needs an additional premium to gain access to !!

There is almost certainly going to be a record of him in the WFA's Pension Records archive. 

 

Details here

 

http://www.westernfrontassociation.com/ancestry-pension-records/

 

There is free access to these records for WFA members. 

 

David