Interpretation of Medal Card Index/Roll Info

[CampbellSJ]

Can anyone translate the following info from a Medal Index Card/Roll?  Many thanks.

 

First Name: Thomas

Surname:Lavelle 

Received Wound Strip 1918

1/7th Durham Light Infantry

52nd Grad Battalion

Regiments served with:

Unit	Rank	Service Number
Durham Light Infantry	Private	85184
Graduate Battalion	Private	TR/5/118175

[familyhistoryman]

Hi

I am not to clear as to what part of the Medal Card you need help with. If you need need help with the regiments then see https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/regiments-and-corps/the-british-infantry-regiments-of-1914-1918/durham-light-infantry/

Tony

[Chris_Baker]

The medal roll entry implies that he went overseas as a Pte of the 52nd (Graduated) Battalion and then transferred to the 1/7th Battalion. A normal pattern.

 

I know from previous work that his transfer dates to early April 1918.

 

 

Edited 17 October , 2019 by Chris_Baker

[rolt968]

To explain a couple of points:

 

The functions of graduated battalions of the Training Reserve is explained here:

https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/regiments-and-corps/training-reserve/training-reserve-remodelled-in-1917/

 

It may seem surprising that he seems to have gone to France as a member of Training Reserve battalion. (I think this has been discussed in a couple of threads before.) he was not allocated to 1/7 Durham Light Infantry until after he arrived in France - hence the Graduated Battalion and the Training Reserve number on his medal roll entry.

RM 

[Chris_Baker]

It happened a lot in the crisis of late March and early April 1918.

[CampbellSJ]

Thanks for all the feedback. Much appreciated.

Family 'lore' indicates he "was gassed and kind of went off his head".  ...who wouldn't?!

Will follow up on links suggested.

 

[clk]

Hi,

 

On 16/10/2019 at 23:19, CampbellSJ said:

Received Wound Strip 1918

 

He appears to have been named on a daily casualty list of 25.5.1918 - link. His actual date of wounding would have been several weeks prior though. You could try to date it by looking for surviving service papers from the regiment to see if there is a commonality of wounding dates recorded (within a day or so), make a reasonable inference, then cross reference to the battalion war diary (link) to see if it might give you anything more.

 

The service record for (TR/) 5/118176;  85185 Liddle looks like it may be relevant, but is difficult to read in places - link. It should also be on Ancestry.

 

Regards

Chris

[CampbellSJ]

Thanks much, clk! Will check these out.

[Loraine]

Hello everyone,  I wonder if you could help me at all. I recently was able to discover my grandfather's army number (he had written it on a census paper). This was the first time we could track any of his service. He died when my father was a lad. My grandfather's service we thought begun in 1925. However when looking closely at an application form he has written a previous serving number that reads 52BN Grad Essex Rifles - his number TR16/47181. Dated 04-02-1917 - 22-031918. From my research I see it was Graduated BN. He would have been 16 years old. His name Frederick Stanley Morris. I'd be so very grateful for any tips or information, my father is now 83 and I would dearly love to tell him something about his father.  Kind regards Loraine 

[Chris_Baker]

It actually reads Royal Sussex Regiment.

 

 

Edited 5 February , 2020 by Chris_Baker

[Loraine]

21 minutes ago, Chris_Baker said:

It actually reads Royal Sussex Regiment.

 

 

Thank you Chris. I assumed it was just Essex rifles as he joined them later.

Regards Loraine