nomis$60 Posted 13 March , 2019 Share Posted 13 March , 2019 I am researching two soldiers of The King's (Liverpool Regiment) Pte R Caine 51409 KIA 02 May 1918 War Gratuity = £4 10s Estimated Month of Enlistment March 1917 ??? Pte P Brown 93731 KIA 21 Sep 1918 War Gratuity = £6 10s Estimated Month of Enlistment March 1917 ??? Can anyone please help with the estimated month of enlistment? Is there any explanation of the Service Numbers? There seems to be a very large difference in the Service Numbers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin RussT Posted 13 March , 2019 Admin Share Posted 13 March , 2019 My first reaction, without looking deeper, is to note the possibility that these KLR numbers might have nothing to do with each man's enlistment date. If either one or both of these men were transferred to the KLR from some other unit, being allotted the KLR number in doing so, then there would not necessarily be any correlation between the KLR numbers and the enlistment dates. Regards Russ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daggers Posted 13 March , 2019 Share Posted 13 March , 2019 The regiment had a large number of battalions and each would have had its own series of numbers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin kenf48 Posted 14 March , 2019 Admin Share Posted 14 March , 2019 Medal Rolls show Caine originally 1/6 Bn (TF Battalion) Brown originally 12th Bn (Service Battalion) Near Number sampling of surviving records show 51407 discharged 11/7/19 served 2 yrs 5 mos with Colours called up for service 14/2/1917. Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IRC Kevin Posted 14 March , 2019 Share Posted 14 March , 2019 Can't help you with Brown as he wan't 1/6th. Rufus Caine was one of a batch of sixty-seven men transferred in from the 229th Infantry Battalion (UK based), reaching the 1/6th on 12 September 1917. For illustration purposes, the only one from this draft with a surviving service record is Henry Charles Helme, who enlisted on 16 Feb 1917 and was assigned to the 75th Training Reserve Bn next day; then onto the 57th TRB three weeks later. He was assigned to the 229th Inf Bn on 1 Sept 1917 and embarked at Folkstone on 4 September, joining the IBD at Etaples on 6 September. Photo attached below is Rufus Caine's entry from the battalion's 'Casualties Book'. As you can see, he was with the 1/6th for just one month. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nomis$60 Posted 25 March , 2019 Author Share Posted 25 March , 2019 Kevin Very many thanks for this information. I am trying to interpret the information here... Admitted 62 Field Ambulance on 11 October 1917 Admitted ? 16 October 1917 Transferred to England 24 October 1917 on HMHS Western Australia Private Caine must have returned to the Western Front and have been posted to 1st Battalion, The King's (Liverpool Regiment) I assume 229th Infantry Battalion was a Training unit. Please can you let me know how you found Private Caine served here? Ancestry? I am very grateful for this information. Best Regards Simon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IRC Kevin Posted 25 March , 2019 Share Posted 25 March , 2019 17 minutes ago, nomis$60 said: Please can you let me know how you found Private Caine served here? Ancestry? Hi Simon, I was researching for a book about the battalion (out this May) so spent three days photographing the three volumes of the 'Casualties Book', which although belonging to Liverpool Museum, are stored in the Maritime Museum's archives. As far as I'm aware this isn't available anywhere else and there are no digital copies. 'Casualties' relates to 'casual' or 'routine' events in a soldiers time with a battalion, not just a record of wounding, sickness or death; the information held in it being used to complete a soldier's Record of Service. The volumes contain the information for every soldier who served overseas with the battalion for the entire war and all officers up to mid-1916. Sadly, very few examples survive. regards, Kevin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nomis$60 Posted 26 March , 2019 Author Share Posted 26 March , 2019 Kevin Very many thanks for the reply. I had seen the casualty lists on the Merseyside Maritime Museum website. I was not aware that the document was only available as the original paper format. It must have been a considerable effort to copy three books. Was 1/6th Bn. The King's (Liverpool Regiment) unique in keeping such a document? Or have the records of other battalions gone missing with time. With respect to Private Caine, I have a picture of him with a wound badge. The information above would explain this. In the picture he is wearing the cap badge of The King's (Liverpool Regiment) and not the Liverpool Rifles. I look forward to reading the book. The History of the Liverpool Scottish is well covered. It is good someone has taken the time to cover the history of 1/6th Battalion. I have the history of 2/6th Battalion. Best Regards Simon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IRC Kevin Posted 26 March , 2019 Share Posted 26 March , 2019 1 minute ago, nomis$60 said: Kevin Very many thanks for the reply. I had seen the casualty lists on the Merseyside Maritime Museum website. I was not aware that the document was only available as the original paper format. It must have been a considerable effort to copy three books. Was 1/6th Bn. The King's (Liverpool Regiment) unique in keeping such a document? Or have the records of other battalions gone missing with time. Every unit would have kept one, but I believe that less than a dozen survive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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