43120 Felix Cassidy 9th Bn West Yorkshire Regiment and 8th Bn North Staffordshire Regiment

[Guest]

I am researching the service of my great-uncle, Felix Cassidy, from Middlesbrough who was killed on 29 April 1918 while serving with the 8th Bn North Staffordshire Regiment. However, his medal card indicates that his first service theatre was at Gallipoli with the 9th Bn West Yorkshire Regiment. Was it common to move from one regiment to another during the war? I have found that the West Yorkshires absorbed 400 men from the Yorkshire Hussars in November 1917, but can find no other record of movement of personnel to the North Staffs.  Would appreciate any insights that anyone may have on this matter.  Thanks.

 

Fred Hurley

Canada

[jay dubaya]

Hi Fred

it’s possible that the transfer was due to wounds or sickness. Looking at the BWM and Victory medal rolls and the pages either side of Felixs’ entry they were all transferred from other units into the North Staffordshire’s, many including Felix were first transferred into the 1st Garrison Bn North Staffordshire’s before being posted to various North Staffordshire battalions. If you have access to ancestry it may be worth looking for service records of those other names as there may be a date pattern for these transfers. I did look for a service record for Felix but nothing obvious jumps out.

 

J

[kenf48]

It was very common for men to transfer between Regiments, the men referred to above were all in a lower medical category ‘B’ (fit for line of communications duty in France) or even ‘C’ (fit for garrison duty at home).  The majority were posted into the 1st Garrison Battalion North Staffs on 7 January 1917.  They were either already in France or were posted to the BEF from home garrison battalions, which means they were less than full fitness.  Intermediate units are not shown on the Rolls but a number came from a Garrison Battalion of the KOYLI, a significant few were very naughty boys.  The reason for the posting was to release A Category men to front line units.  There was a severe, continuing manpower crisis in early 1917, and a ‘loosening’ around these medical categories.

 

The war diary for the 8th North Staffs to January 1918 can be downloaded from TNA 

https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C7353055

However the period covering his death is here

https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C7353050

his death is not mentioned, which is not unusual.  Often the diaries comment on the ‘quality’ of drafts but not here.  The Battalion suffered heavy losses in this period with a number of quite large drafts.

 

Ken

 

 

 

[Guest]

Jay and Ken,

 

Thank you both very much for your responses. Very useful information, indeed and I really appreciate the effort  on this...I will follow up for sure on the links provided.  Apparently, Felix was about 2 weeks shy of 39 when he was killed, so it doesn't surprise me at all that he was less than fully fit.

 

Best regards,

 

Fred

[Chris_Baker]

Felix' number 43120 traces to issue by the North Staffords on 7 January 1917. That is, it ties up with the information provided above.

 

Edited 20 July , 2019 by Chris_Baker

[RaySearching]

On 19/07/2019 at 07:28, Fred Hurley said:

I am researching the service of my great-uncle, Felix Cassidy, from "Middlesbrough" 

 

As an aside Felix was from Thornaby on Tees some miles away from Middlesbrough across open farmland

Although within the Middlesbrough registration district  ( see maps at bottom of this post)

 

Felix was an Irish immigrant from Ardboe County Tyrone

Felix can be found on the 1911 census residing with his wife Ellen Cassidy (nee Devlin) and four children at 46 Gladstone Street Thornaby on Tees employed as an iron moulder in an iron pipe foundry

He is listed on SDGW as having enlisted in Stockton resided  (Thornaby on Tees)  

 

Felix married Ellen Devlin in 1902   

His widow Ellen is listed as the sole legatee, on the register of soldiers effects

 

 

Gladstone Street where Felix resided  runs just below the drill hall shown on the above map

 

Felix is commemorated on Thornaby War Memorial

Click on panel one for an enlargement

 

Ray