James Thomas Mortiboys transfer date to Royal Irish Rifles

[Blue Dragoon]

Hello and Happy Easter

 

I'm hoping some kind forum member may be able to establish a potential transfer date for James Thomas Mortiboys to 1st Bn Royal Irish Rifles.

 

I have his MIC, his MIR entry and SWB entry

 

6522 Enlisted 10 Dec 1915 into 22 Bn London Regiment

 

1/43928 Discharged (wounds) 2 Dec 1918 1 RIR

 

Any ideas approx when 1/43928 was issued?  I'm assuming it was as a reinforcement after Aug 1917 when 1Royal Irish Rifles were reduced to 1 officer and 60 men after an attack made in Ypres and before Feb 1918 when the Bn moved to St Quentin

 

Cheers

 

George

Edited 22 April , 2019 by Blue Dragoon

[Langdon]

In Ancestry's Pension Records there's a George McIlvenny #43921 RIR with an enlistment date (into the RIR) of 19.06.16 - disembarking with the 1st Battalion at Le Havre on 30.09.16. There's no mention of previous service in the pension records but his medal roll shows him as having been #6308 2/22 London Regiment (mis-recorded as 24/6308)....

Also in the Soldiers Died in the Great War records there's #43938 Edward Millington who DofW on 28.02.1917 who was previously #6147 in the 1/12th London Regiment, whose war gratuity was £3, which indicates enlistment no more than 12 months before his death.

 

Mike

Edited 22 April , 2019 by Langdon

[PRC]

Looks like either a mass transfer or a most likely they were fit again wounded \ sick who got to an Infantry Base Depot and were then cleared out to where they were most needed.. For example:-

 

6518 21st Londons Ernest Simmonds became 1/43994 Royal Irish Rifles.

6523 1/22nd Londons Frederick E. Hicks became 1/43855 Royal Irish Rifles. He is also on the Silver War Badge Roll, so a look up of that might add extra weight for the date James Mortboys signed up.

 

Judging from those new service numbers I would say it’s likely the draft were issued in roughly alphabetical order, (43855 Hicks, 43928 Mortboys, 43994 Simmonds), which gives you some idea of the size of the draft.

 

Looking from the other end so to speak:-

 

1/43924 Edward John Manning Royal Irish Rifles was previously 6244 21st Londons

1/43924 John Miller Royal Irish Rifles was previously 6242 21st Londons

1/43925 Royal Irish Rifles Henry David Mann was previously 6321 21st Londons

1/43927 Royal Irish Rifles Albert E Mead was previously 6504 22nd Londons.

----

1/43929 Royal Irish Rifles Alfred Marchant was previously 5832 22nd Londons

1/43930 Royal Irish Rifles Arthur Ernest Munday was previously 4713 22nd Londons

43931 Royal Irish Rifles Harry V Martin was previously 5067 22nd Londons

1/43932 Royal Irish Rifles James Albert Mainwaring was previously 4372 22nd Londons

43933 Royal Irish Rifles Edward Monksfield was previously 4147 22nd Londons.

 

Hopefully there will be surviving service records for at least one of these men that will also give the date of transfer. I assume there is nothing in the 1st Royal Irish Rifles War Diary that indicates where the drafts came from to rebuild the battalion?

 

Hope that helps,

Peter

[Blue Dragoon]

This is great stuff Mike and Peter, many thanks for your time and effort, very grateful

[Blue Dragoon]

Slightly confused by the war diary.  Were they 'Rifles' or 'Fusiliers'?  Also a seems to be war diary gap between Aug 17 and Feb 18 

 

Regiment or Unit:	Royal Irish Rifles
Sub Unit:	1st Battalion
Division:	4th Division
Diary Entry Start Date:	Aug 1916
Diary Entry End Date:	31 Aug 1916
Diary Dates:	1914 Aug - 1917 Jul
Diary Entry Location:	In The Field
Piece Description:	Piece 1482/1: 1 Battalion Royal Irish Fusiliers (1914 Aug - 1917 Jul)
Piece Number:	1482

Edited 23 April , 2019 by Blue Dragoon

[clk]

Hi George,

 

That looks to be an Ancestry indexing problem. The LLT (here) says...

 

"Royal Irish Rifles

 

1st Battalion
August 1914 : in Aden. Returned to UK and landed at Liverpool on 22 October 1914.
Moved to Hursley Park and came under command of 25th Brigade in 8th Division.
6 November 1914 : landed at Le Havre.
3 February 1918 : transferred to 107th Brigade in 36th (Ulster) Division"

 

On Ancestry the Battalion war diary for their time with 8 Division starts here, and their time with 36 Division starts here.

 

Regards

Chris

[Blue Dragoon]

Thanks Chris, much clearer