Lt Donald McBean Welsh fusilers

[arantxa]

Hello

this chap went to Mesopotamia with the 8th Welch in 1915..did they go on to Gallipoli  or would he have stayed in Mesopotamia he then seemed to go back to France as he was killed in March 1916

[alf mcm]

This page from The Long Long Trail explains the movements of the 8th Welsh Regiment.

 

http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/regiments-and-corps/the-british-infantry-regiments-of-1914-1918/welsh-regiment/

 

Regards,

 

Alf McM

[DavidOwen]

His service file is at Kew https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C1065919

[arantxa]

Alf   what im asking is did they go from Mesopotamia to Gallipoli or would they have gone from a different location like Egypt

[ATNOMIS]

https://kes.org.uk/RollofHonour/biogs/mcbean-donald.html

[arantxa]

David is that the only way I can get  his documents ? is there any  other way apart from hiring a researcher at Q

[kenf48]

32 minutes ago, ATNOMIS said:

https://kes.org.uk/RollofHonour/biogs/mcbean-donald.html

 

The above biography is inaccurate.

(The 10th Battalion did not go to the Dardanelles, the 8th Battalion did not embark for Mesopotamia until February 1916 etc)

 

Lieutenant McBean was commissioned as a temporary 2nd Lieutenant from the OTC on the 1st September 1914.

 

The 14-15 Star Roll shows this officer landed in Egypt (Code 3) on 3rd October 1915 which is later than the main body of the 8th RWF.  Although a theatre of war Egypt and Alexandria were the staging post for Gallipoli.  The 8th Battalion was first posted overseas to Mudros (Dardanelles Campaign) in July 1915.  The LG shows he was promoted Lieutenant in the 8th Battalion on the 1st February 1915 but I can't find him mentioned in the war diary of that Battalion, nor is he in the diaries of the TF Battalions who suffered tremendous loss on landing and subsequently received officers from many other units.  However his CWGC obituary notes, "He also served in Gallipoli'. There is no reason to doubt this but you would need to have sight of his record to resolve these apparent anomalies, e.g. why wasn't he with the main body when they landed on the 16th July?  

59 minutes ago, arantxa said:

Alf   what im asking is did they go from Mesopotamia to Gallipoli or would they have gone from a different location like Egypt

Neither he nor any the four battalions of the RWF who were at Gallipoli served in Mesopotamia before 1916 as a perusal of the LLT will show.  Each of the diaries is available on Ancestry and you may wish to study them in more detail.

 

On the 9th March 1916 he joined the 10th Battalion RWF (shown as attached by SDGW) and was killed on the 15th March, it appears as he and his unit moved into the line. (Source war diary 10th Battalion RWF).  This suggests, as often happened, he was evacuated from the Middle East back to England suffering from some tropical disease or dysentery and was posted to the Western Front for his health but again you would need sight of his record.  Though it might be worth looking in the casualty lists from the Dardanelles.

 

Ken

 

 

[DavidOwen]

1 hour ago, arantxa said:

David is that the only way I can get  his documents ? is there any  other way apart from hiring a researcher at Q

Not that I am aware of apart from visiting yourself. But DON'T hire TNA, use an independent like https://www.arcre.com/ - there are others - the last three I have had done were around the £5 -10 mark each so not vastly expensive and usually available to download quite quickly.

[arantxa]

Thanks David  I will take your advice

Thanks Ken..thats what had thrown me

[arantxa]

Ken where does one look to find the casualty lists from the Dardanelles

 

[clive_hughes]

According to the digests of officers' WW1 service as used by the regimental museum, McBean was the son of John and Phebe McBean.  He served with 8th Battalion RWF from commissioning 1 Sept. 1914, including promotion to Lieut, 1 Feb. 1915.  Embarked July 1915 and landed at ANZAC, Gallipoli 4 August 1915.  Transferred that December to 10th RWF, reaching that unit in France on 6 March 1916 and being killed in the area of The Bluff 15 March.  No known grave.

 

I believe the files at Kew were amongst the sources used, but such a thumbnail sketch will clearly have left out much information.  

 

The casualty Lists were published daily in The Times newspaper, and you should allow 4-6 weeks approx. from date of casualty to it appearing in print.  I'm not 100 per cent certain that "sick" casualties were included?

[arantxa]

Dear Clive

thank you so much for all your help and the time you have taken 

very kind  and I am extremely grateful