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Remembered Today:

Help please regarding a family mystery.


GeriCourtney

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I hold a WFA Pension Card issued to a Mrs Rose Strauss, the widow of James Strauss who was previously known as Abraham or Jack. James emigrated to the UK with his wife and family from Russia and set-up business in Manchester. In April 1919 he was declared 'an undesirable Bolshevist' and marked for deportation from Chanak back to Odessa in May 1919 leaving his wife and family behind. He disappeared somewhere between Chanak and Russia and was never heard of again by his family. It was assumed he had died. His wife was paid a pension and the card for which I have a copy describes James as being a member of the 183rd Batt BEF in Chanak. According to his wife he was never in the military, had his own business in the UK, and was not a member of any military group in either the UK or elsewhere. By 1956 the order for deportation was revoked but there are no details as to why, after so many years, this was done. More importantly why was Rose Strauss being paid a pension for someone who was not in any military force, who was apparently held in an internment camp, and for whom there has never been any reason for his disappearance? And what is the 183rd Battalion as I am unable to find one? I am new to this forum so hope that I am complying with its rules. I am unable to download the photo of the WFA Pension Card as I do not have a precise URL, although I imagine that the name could be searched on the website for the WFA. I would welcome any help with this family mystery as this seems such an unusual and unlikely story - and it needs resolution. Thank you for any advice or help.

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welcome to the forum

do you know when he emigrated to the UK?

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I am not certain of the date but after 1905. I need to make a correction here as he arrived in the UK with his parents and family, NOT as typed, his wife and family.  James (Abraham) was born in c. 1894 so would have been approximately 25 years old in 1919. The Register for deportation is very hard to read as there is an ink mark directly on his age, but they appear to have him aged either 21 or 27, but I cannot distinguish which! Thank you for responding to me.

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1 hour ago, GeriCourtney said:

I have a copy describes James as being a member of the 183rd Batt BEF in Chanak

It actually says 'Internment Camp, 183rd Batt BEF Chanak'

 

Charlie

Edited by charlie962
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James Strauss married Rose Crystal,  Registered Salford Q3 1915. What does the Marriage Cerificate give as to his occupation ?

 

Charlie

 

What was the nature of his Manchester business ?

Edited by charlie962
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I am not sure what your posting means Charlie as I have no military background myself, and did say in the latter part of my first posting that James was in an internment camp. I have a copy of the card which states: Man's name-James Strauss, Regiment-183rd Battalion, BEF Chanak. The words Internment Camp are written over the top. If a pension is being paid, the heading of the card is 'Widow's Pension', does this not infer the man named was in the regiment designated on the card? I am not sure what your posting means as there is no question posed. As I cannot find any method to post the photo on this forum, I am merely describing what I see written.

 

I do not have a copy of the marriage certificate, but he owned his own cycle shop in Manchester.

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1 minute ago, GeriCourtney said:

I am not sure what your posting means as there is no question posed.

It was not a question but merely noting what appeared against Regiment on the Pension Card that I have seen. I noted it hoping that it might mean more to someone more informed than you or me ! For example it might indicate that he was held at the Internment Camp run by the 183rd Battalion ?

 

Charlie

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Thank you. I had no idea you could re-post in that way. However my main problem is trying to understand why someone who apparently was never in the forces, (as far as his wife was concerned), and disappeared after Chanak en route to Odessa, was treated as deceased - there wasn't a body - and his 'widow' was in receipt of a pension, according to the WFA Pension Card.  I would like to trace how (and why) he was in Chanak, and why his wife was in receipt of something that on the face of it she had no entitlement. None of this makes sense.

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Don't think there was 183 battalion in British army. Possibly American or Canadian?

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6 minutes ago, Moonraker said:

it has no relevance to this thread.

Indeed. The Canadians were asked to provide a contingent for Turkey 1922 but didn't trust Lloyd George and refused.

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Thank you all - John, Moonraker & Charlie.

 

This concurs with what I have found, so far, and makes the reason a pension was paid to Rose Strauss even more puzzling. Do any of you have any idea where I would find records for authorisation of pensions in the WW1 period, please? The National Archives appear to have nothing. Why would the Army be paying a pension to someone who wasn't entitled to it? And what was this money being paid for? Was there anything about this internment camp that was unusual? This is not making any sense, but becoming very strange.

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The leading expert is WesternFront Assoc @David Tattersfield

 

But he may be taking a well earned rest. However he might be intrigued ? (that link I've posted should send him an alert)

Edited by charlie962
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If I have it right, he is son of Louis and Sarah and is on 1911 Census as Abraham Strauss, an Electric Engineer, worker? (the only Manchester man I can find to match)

  You said he had a Cycle business. I am just searching for reasons for him to be employed by HM Govt in 1922 or earlier. Or are you saying you know he was deported from UK to Turkey?

 

The whole Turkish operation seems to have been a disaster.

 

Charlie

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Whilst something triggered the creation of a widows pension card for James Strauss

The card is virtually blank apart from his name James Strauss Internment Camp 183rd Batt BEF Chanak

and widows name Rose Mrs

There is no indication on the card that a pension was paid to his widow or that his widow was entitled to a pension or that she ever received one

 

The deciphering of the pension ledger cards is still in its infancy and not fully understood yet

 

 

 

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4 minutes ago, johnboy said:

The OP refers to 183 Battalion.

Do you know what that is ?

 

4 minutes ago, RaySearching said:

There is no indication on the card that a pension was paid to his widow or that his widow was entitled to a pension or that she ever received one

interesting

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Charlie, yes, he was the son of Louis and Sarah. He was an engineer but then got his own shop. David Tattersfield referred me to this forum and I think he is very busy. I wonder if there is something linked here to the Bolshevism.  Would he have been employed by the military in some other capacity for them given that he came from Russia? His mother and my great grandmother were sisters. No one has ever known what happened to him and he left a wife and 4 very young children.

 

Ray, I have only just seen the card for the first time and have no idea what a normal card would show. Why, though, would it have been created for someone who was a civilian? The family have always believed that Rose received a pension as she had the children to look after. Family believe once he disappeared the military felt obliged to help for some reason. No one really knows.

 

John - I don't know what OP means, could you explain, please?

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Charlie the First World War is not my area of expertise, but the poetry is and that is the only thing I've ever learnt about WW1. Apart from the wholescale loss of life. I do know Turkey was a disaster. The Deportation Register shows he was deported in May 1919, but whether it actually happened is a mystery. All the family knows is that they never saw him again. As to whether anyone had any idea he was in Chanak I do not know, but I believe not. Both his great grandson and I wonder if because of his Russian heritage, his interest in Bolshevism-as detailed on the Register though no one is sure he was a Bolshevik-(it was revoked as I said earlier), then was he working for the Brits back in Russia? The Bolshevik revolution began in 1917 and ended up with the establishment of the Soviet Union in 1923.  Was James infiltrating the set-up? This would explain the revocation, the pension to Rose, and likely also his disappearance. There is definitely something very odd about the entire situation. 

John - obvious once you know, and I should have, but didn't even think of something so straightforward!

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For the benefit of interested parties

I have taken the liberty of adding the document discussed

on this thread 

strauss.jpg.cb7f52e5d8b9592bf330ce1d59419727.jpg

 

 

Ray

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Charlie, this was found by a researcher who my cousin employed to look at the original enquiry. None of my family, but me, live in the UK. I was born here, as were my parents, but the rest of the family were mostly born abroad. The researcher found the card and an entry for deportation. The latter at the National Archives, with just detail of the decision, the place and the dates of (presumably) trial and for deporting. Nothing else, hence the mystery. I plan to go to the NA to see whether there is any other information but the military thing is the puzzle.

Thanks Ray. How did you manage to post this, please? I could not find any method.

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Drag and drop photos ect from your computer to the area shown below right of the paperclip when replying to a topic

drag.JPG.aac79bd48e8060b951c9705d5d393b46.JPG

 

Ray

 

 

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