daggers Posted 11 October , 2019 Share Posted 11 October , 2019 (edited) I have seen a medal index card for 'J.R. Brandon Thomas' which has a regimental number: 245223, but no rank, RGA. It is noted with a date of commission, 4/8/18 . No medal issues are noted. The London Gazette has an entry for his commission as 2nd Lieutenant, RGA, Special Reserve, with same effective date, from OCTU. Can his number give any clues about his prior service? His full names are Jevan Roderick Brandon Thomas (the surnames sometimes hyphenated). In April 1918 he was in a long list of recipients of the Belgian CdeG. [His elder brother, James GB-T died of wounds in November 1914, in 2.R. Innisk. Fus.] Daggers Edited 11 October , 2019 by daggers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sadbrewer Posted 11 October , 2019 Share Posted 11 October , 2019 (edited) Don't know if you've picked it up but Jevans was born 1899 and is the son of Brandon Thomas, author and actor....who was the writer of 'Charley's Aunt'....from the British Newspaper Archive Edited 11 October , 2019 by sadbrewer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daggers Posted 11 October , 2019 Author Share Posted 11 October , 2019 Yes, thanks, had that, so many searches bring up the father! D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Rayner Posted 11 October , 2019 Share Posted 11 October , 2019 Daggers This London Gazette https://search.findmypast.co.uk/record?id=GBOR%2FLON%2FVOL20%2F0326&parentid=GBOR%2FLON%2FVOL20%2F0326 4th Aug. 1917. would appear to have him promoted earlier than 1918! Unless I've misunderstood your original posting George Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Rayner Posted 11 October , 2019 Share Posted 11 October , 2019 (edited) Also a record of him suffering from gas poisoning. Doesn't help identify previous regiment though... https://search.findmypast.co.uk/record/browse?id=s2%2fgbm%2fmh106%2fmh106-1693%2f0013 not sure if this will either First Name: J.R. Surname: Brandon-Thomas Nationality: British Rank: 2nd Lieutenant Service: British Army Regiment: Royal Garrison Artillery Battalion: Special Reserve. Supplementary Officers. (Why is this important?) Seniority Date: 04-Aug-17 FWR George Edited 11 October , 2019 by George Rayner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidbohl Posted 11 October , 2019 Share Posted 11 October , 2019 Medal card says "Prom 4/8/17" written down the side of it. There is a 1914 record on Forces Records for 245223 RGA J.R.Brandon Thomas. He was on the debating society of Westminster College http://firstworldwar.westminster.org.uk/?p=588 Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaxD Posted 11 October , 2019 Share Posted 11 October , 2019 245220 and 245224 and 245213 all have similar RGA medal cards, later commissioned and no medal entries on those cards. The heading to the LG list says they are all from Officer Cadet Units. Max Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daggers Posted 11 October , 2019 Author Share Posted 11 October , 2019 (edited) Popped out for a haircut and now find this wealth of detail. My thanks to all for your interest. The Westminster College reference is for the elder brother James. Jevan was not educated there. I will have a look at Forces War Records for the 1914 record.* Gas poisoning surely must have happened in a war zone, so why no medals recorded, or not so far traced? date of commission: my error, you are right with 1917, not 1918 as I posted. ADDED: Always reluctant to pay more than needed, I took a look at the MIC on the National Archives, only to find that it was the same one as found via Ancestry, containing only name, corps (RGA), Regt. number, date of commission(4/8/17) and a EF number. No medals issued, no rank, no theatre of war. *I shall not enter FWR unless I have a better reason, at their price! LATER AGAIN Later posts show up my error in referring to Westminster in this post. I had meant to put 'Winchester' and apologise for confusion (again). D Edited 12 October , 2019 by daggers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helpjpl Posted 11 October , 2019 Share Posted 11 October , 2019 1. If you know where he was educated, rflory may be able to help: 2. This may be of interest: https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/soldiers/a-soldiers-life-1914-1918/training-to-be-a-soldier/officer-training-in-the-british-army-of-1914-1918/ JP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daggers Posted 11 October , 2019 Author Share Posted 11 October , 2019 Thanks. I do know that Jevan B-T was not at Winchester as they have confirmed that. Still looking for clues on that. I have been helped by rflory many times! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helpjpl Posted 11 October , 2019 Share Posted 11 October , 2019 Living at home, according to the 1911 Census, so not a boarder. 30 Redcliffe Gardens, South Kensington, (courtesy of ancestry): JP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daggers Posted 11 October , 2019 Author Share Posted 11 October , 2019 Yes, his brother James boarded, but at that census was with a sister, visitors on the Isle of Wight. D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidbohl Posted 11 October , 2019 Share Posted 11 October , 2019 Obituary in Sept 1977 in the Stage, says he served from 1917 Dave MORE PLAY REVIEWS: OBITUARY ... died last weekend aged 49 He had been ill for some time Actor, dramatist and director JEVAN BRANDON-THOMAS, died last week He was 79 The second son of Brandon Thomas, author of Charley s Aunt. he was born in London in 1898 and served in the Army from 1917 ... Published: Thursday 29 September 1977Newspaper: The Stage Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaxD Posted 11 October , 2019 Share Posted 11 October , 2019 3 hours ago, daggers said: *I shall not enter FWR unless I have a better reason, at their price! Very wise. The 4 WW1 listings for him are dated 1917 and 1918 and are almost certainly the LG entries. (Their collections record for WW1 is here: https://www.forces-war-records.co.uk/collections Max Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daggers Posted 11 October , 2019 Author Share Posted 11 October , 2019 Thanks again. D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helpjpl Posted 12 October , 2019 Share Posted 12 October , 2019 (edited) 18 hours ago, davidbohl said: There is a 1914 record on Forces Records for 245223 RGA J.R.Brandon Thomas. He was on the debating society of Westminster College http://firstworldwar.westminster.org.uk/?p=588 16 hours ago, daggers said: The Westminster College reference is for the elder brother James. Jevan was not educated there. Westminster School - Jevan Brandon-Thomas. Letters in The Elizabethan, 1942. (Westminster School was evacuated to Herefordshire in 1939). 1. Page 184: https://elizabethan.westminster.org.uk/Filename.ashx?tableName=ta_elizabethan&columnName=filename&recordId=551 2. Page 206: https://elizabethan.westminster.org.uk/Filename.ashx?tableName=ta_elizabethan&columnName=filename&recordId=552 JP Edited 12 October , 2019 by helpjpl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daggers Posted 12 October , 2019 Author Share Posted 12 October , 2019 Excellent. My reference to Westminster was an error, but seems to have hit the mark by accident. I apologise for confusion. D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daggers Posted 13 October , 2019 Author Share Posted 13 October , 2019 (edited) I followed the suggestion that rflory of this forum might help. He has, and ihis information has resolved most of the problems which this thread helped to untangle, as follows: Lieut. Jevan Roderick Brandon Thomas Born 11 July 1898, the son of Brandon Thomas of Gordon,Bloomsbury Educated at Westminster School from 26 Sep 12 to Apr 1917 (Captain of School in 1916) Commissioned 2nd Lieut. RGA on 4 Aug 17 Joined 230 Siege Battery, RGA at Bellewarde on 27 Sep 17 At Bellewarde on 26 Oct 17 "the battery opened fire from forward position gun neutralizing for attack on Parchendaele. The team for No. 3 gun ordered for 6:30 but did not come till 8am. After one or two false starts they got the gun on the move and under Lt Brandon Thomas assisted by 2Lt Reynolds of 1/1 West Riding Battery got the gun to the forward position." On 30 Oct 17 on the Bailleul Road "at 8:30pm Lt Worthing and Lt Brandon Thomas with right and left sections manned the Sugar Factory guns." At the Sugar Factory on 5 Dec 17 "the line to the forward position cut and repaired by Lt.. Brandon Thomas and signalers." On 8 Dec 17 at the Sugar Factor Lieuts. Greaner, Faulkener, Squire and Brandon Thomas were casualties. Decorated with the Belgian Croix de Guerre in the London Gazette of 15 April 1918 Demobilized in February 1919 An actor and playwright Author of Passing Brompton Road and other plays. Commissioned 2nd Lieut, RA on 31 De 1940 and advanced to Captain Sources: War Diary of No. 230 Siege Battery RGA from January 1917 to January 1918 The Record of Old Westminsters, Vol. II, 1928 The Record of Old Westminsters, Vol. III, 1964 Honor the Recipients of Foreign Awards, Michael Maton The absence of medal awards on his MIC is no doubt because officers had to apply for WW1 medals, and he did not. My thanks to rfloryfor this comprehensive account, and to all others who contributed. Daggers Edited 13 October , 2019 by daggers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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