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soldiers battalion


tom compton

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looking for a soldier in a Middlesex pioneer -works battalion a William Mcfarland born in east London 1900. would like to find out what battalion he was in for his granddaughter . She has no medals or paper work   thanks

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Hi Tom, 

 

Are you aware of a middle name? 

 

There is a William McFarland.. 

 

Service No: 3614

 

Enlisted: 14-6-1915

 

Discharged: 13-1916

 

9th Middlesex Regiment

 

... Would this be your man? 

 

Are you sure about birth date? 1900

Would have made him very young at the time, although it happened. 

 

Edited by James123
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10 hours ago, tom compton said:

looking for a soldier in a Middlesex pioneer -works battalion a William Mcfarland born in east London 1900. would like to find out what battalion he was in for his granddaughter . She has no medals or paper work   thanks

In the Long Long Trail (top left of this page) there are three such Battalions of the Middlesex Regiment:

 

18th, 1st Public Works Pioneer Battalion, with 33 Division,landing in France Nov 1915.

19th,2nd Public Works Pioneer Battalion, with 41 Division, landing in France May 1916,to Italy Nov 1917,and back to France  Mar 1918

26th, 3rd Public Works Battalion with 27 Division, landing in France August 1916.

 

Your man,born in 1900, would not have been eligible for a war zone until he was 18, unless he falsified his age, so you can likely cut out the 1916 moves, and he may have gone in a reinforcement draft in 1918, or just not sent as there is a paucity of this name in the Middlesex on the Medal Rolls.

Edited by sotonmate
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Found a William James McFarlane on 1911 Census who was born in East London (Canning Town) in 1900. James (Dad,47) and Mary (Mum,37 from Co.Wexford). No hits on that either for a Middlesex Regt.man, though the name is popular elsewhere. Had brothers John George (13),Joseph Patrick (8) and George (6), plus sisters. Need to clarify name for search.

Edited by sotonmate
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Thanks everybody . not much to go on with this one, he never like to talk about the war . she has a post card dated 1919 Cologne, he had no middle name. he was born July 1900, mum Mary dad Charles, lied about his age to join up , they ignored that anyway even if they knew . she showed me a photo he is mounted , he has the pick & shovel pioneer collar badge and played the concertina , There is the 20th batt Middx reserves formed in Shoreditch  east end 18-5-15 landed in France 1916 , just wondering local lad, band playing and looking at the soldiers in uniform and thinking I'l have some of that and joined up 

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16 hours ago, tom compton said:

Thanks everybody . not much to go on with this one, he never like to talk about the war . she has a post card dated 1919 Cologne, he had no middle name. he was born July 1900, mum Mary dad Charles, lied about his age to join up , they ignored that anyway even if they knew . she showed me a photo he is mounted , he has the pick & shovel pioneer collar badge and played the concertina , There is the 20th batt Middx reserves formed in Shoreditch  east end 18-5-15 landed in France 1916 , just wondering local lad, band playing and looking at the soldiers in uniform and thinking I'l have some of that and joined up 


I think you’re probably referring to the 19th (S) Battalion Middlesex Regiment (Pioneers), who were the divisional pioneer battalion of the London Division (formed from wartime 41st Div) of the original British Army of the Rhine that was responsible for securing the Cologne Bridgehead, after the Armistice circa 1918-19.  That fits with the postcard that you refer to.  See: http://www.orbat.info/history/volume5/518/Original BAOR.pdf

Edited by FROGSMILE
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Are you all happy that he was in the 19th Bn middx pioneers with the 41st div ? I can now tell his granddaughter the good news for more research on him now we know his battalion. Thanks everybody  

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Tom

 

Yes,happy ! 19th Mx were the only one of the three Pioneer MX Bns. to be in Germany after the Armistice, where they stayed until disbanded in late Sep 1919.

26th Mx posted to the Black Sea operations and disbanded Sep 1919 at Batum. 18th Mx disbanded in France early 1919.

Looking at the 19th Mx War Diary there was a draft received whilst the unit was in Germany, in March 1919, of 4 Officers and 117 ORs. From around this time there were also groups of demob going on.

 

Edited by sotonmate
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3 hours ago, tom compton said:

Are you all happy that he was in the 19th Bn middx pioneers with the 41st div ? I can now tell his granddaughter the good news for more research on him now we know his battalion. Thanks everybody  


At the time he seemed to have joined his battalion it had become a part of the London Division (it’s unlikely he ever served with the 41st, or saw any action).  Almost all the Divisions formed for the original BAOR, were part made up from men gradually demobilising, and part from 18 and 19 years olds who had made up the 51st (Young Soldier) and 52nd and 53rd (Graduated) Battalions held in the UK as a pool of manpower until after the Armistice.  As well as these young reinforcements intended to make use of young men who had been nurtured and trained at considerable expense, battalions still ‘in being’ had to receive drafts of young men to keep them at an agreed operational strength, including the divisional pioneers. To provide some of these drafts, in addition to those already in routine drafting schedules, quite a number (but not all) of the 53rd (Graduated) Battalions were broken up and dispersed to other battalions.  When deployed to BAOR, all three categories (51st to 53rd) were retitled as ‘Service’ Battalions to make clear their operational status.  Most of them were disbanded after up to a year’s service, as the BAOR shrank to peacetime proportions.

Edited by FROGSMILE
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Are you all happy that he was in the 19th Bn middx pioneers with the 41st div ? I can now tell his granddaughter the good news for more research on him now we know his battalion. Thanks everybody , Thanks lads. How could she order a medal card if there are loads of WILLIAM MCFARLAND,S could see ask for one for the 19th Bn Middx and the war diary can she order a copy from somewhere ?

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7 hours ago, tom compton said:

Are you all happy that he was in the 19th Bn middx pioneers with the 41st div ? I can now tell his granddaughter the good news for more research on him now we know his battalion. Thanks everybody , Thanks lads. How could she order a medal card if there are loads of WILLIAM MCFARLAND,S could see ask for one for the 19th Bn Middx and the war diary can she order a copy from somewhere ?


No Tom, I just explained that given his age, if he was sending post cards from Cologne, then he was in the London Division after it had been formed from the 41st Division. He would have been part of a draft of young reinforcements sent to the 19th Middx (Pioneers) from the UK.

Edited by FROGSMILE
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