Pte/Cpl/Sgt Richard Eves 1st and 2nd Royal West Kent Regiment

[mithrandir1967]

I am after some further information about my great Grandfather, Richard Eves, who served in both the 1st and 2nd Bn Royal West Kent Regiment. I believe the was in the regular army from about 1907 left and then re-enlisted on 15th August 1914. I believe that he was awarded the MM in Mesopotamia in 1915/16. I would be grateful if you point me in the direction of the correct war diaries, MM citation and his service history. He survived the war. I assume that he had the 1914 star (and clasp?) as well as the VM and WM. As he re-enlisted on 15th August was he an “Old Contemptible”? Any help gratefully received. 

[George Rayner]

Forces War Records has this...

First Name:

R

Surname:

Eves

Resided Town:

Gravesend

Rank:

Corporal

Rank (2nd):

Acting Sjt

Service Number:

L/6569

Gazette Info:

Gazette issue 31512. Military Medal. His Majesty the King has been graciously pleased to approve of the award of the Military Medal for bravery in the field.

Gazette Date:

19/08/1919

Gazette Page:

10575

Duty Location:

Mesopotamia

Service:

British Army

Regiment:

Queen's Own (Royal West Kent Regiment)

Battalion:

2nd Battalion (Why is this important?)

a little later than you propose. Is it the correct man?

 

George

 

[mithrandir1967]

Thank you. This is definitely him. I had his regimental number but forgot to post it. Thank you again. 

[George Rayner]

There are also records-mostly medal type records-on both Ancestry and Find My Past

 

George

[mithrandir1967]

Thanks. Any idea where I might find further details of his service record and maybe what he did to win the MM? 

[George Rayner]

It is probable that the service record is one of those destroyed in WW2 by the German bombing and subsequent fire if it hasn't turned up in those other sites sorry to say.

The MM details needs a more expert eye than mine but will look at London Gazette

 

George

[George Rayner]

The Gazette just has what is in the extract above.

 

Perhaps the war diary may include it...

 

Or an expert has knowledge!!

 

George

[kenf48]

SPaul Nixon’s indispensable site shows he originally enlisted in late summer 1903 

http://armyservicenumbers.blogspot.com/2009/07/royal-west-kent-regiment-1st-2nd.html

 

Enlistment at this time was for three years with the colours, and nine years on Reserve.  The reservists were called up on the 5th August and reported to the Depot at Maidstone and posted to the 1st Battalion on the 6th.  The war diary for the 1st Bn,which is on Ancestry, shows that on the 6th ‘A party of 320 Reservists ...arrived from Maidstone’ and later,

‘A party of 270 Reservists joined the Battalion from Maidstone’, entry timed at 7.30a.m on the7th.  He was in one of those ‘parties’.

 

The 1st Bn was stationed in Dublin when mobilised for war.  They steamed out of Dublin Bay on the SS Gloucestershire in the early hours of the 14th, berthing at Le Havre at 2. 30pm on the 15th. His date of entry into theatre evidences he was with this cohort.

 

Probably wounded with the 1st Battalion and on recovery posted to the 2nd on dates to be determined.

 

He was awarded the ‘clasp only’ no mention of the ‘roses’ on the Medal Roll, which seems odd unless they were issued with the riband.

 

Ken

 

[mithrandir1967]

Thanks. I have wondered what the difference criteria were between the clasps and the roses? And why two roses when only one was on the ribbon? 

Edited 24 January , 2020 by mithrandir1967

[kenf48]

 

5 hours ago, mithrandir1967 said:

Thanks. I have wondered what the difference criteria were between the clasps and the roses? And why two roses when only one was on the ribbon? 

I'm not a medal expert but  the clasp was attached to the medal riband, or hanger.  The two roses were issued to attach to the medal ribbon when worn without the medal.  The rose, for obvious reasons was not issued where the soldier was deceased as he could not wear the ribbons.  Therefore it seems odd, to me at any rate, that as he survived he was only issued with the clasp.

 

Not especially significant in the grand scheme but no doubt a medal expert could tell us why.

or you could look at this thread

Not so odd then!

 

Ken

 

[mithrandir1967]

Thanks Ken. Very useful. I am now clear that he was entitled to the 1914 Star with clasp and roses, and was an Old Contemptible. I will continue to dig aware about his MM and whether there is more about what he did to be awarded it. 

[charlie962]

11 hours ago, kenf48 said:

Probably wounded with the 1st Battalion and on recovery posted to the 2nd on dates to be determined, 

The Daily Casualty List of 1/2/15 with a 'Report Date' of 7/12/14 reports him Wounded, a Pte with the RWK (which would indeed be the 1st Bn). The Casualty List gives no further clues but there were a number of RWK men killed and wounded on this list. Actual Wounding may have been in the week or so preceeding the Report date. Note that his initial is shown as 'G' rather than 'R' but I suspect this was a typo of the time.( this is corrected in the Casualty List that appears in the Regimental Magazine (Jan1915 edition)

 

So it is possible that his wounding was serious enough to require repatriation to UK. After a period at the depot he may then have been sent to Mesopotamia as a reinforcement for the 2nd Bn. They had lost a lot of men when half the Battalion had been captured after the Seige of Kut early 1916.

 

He died in April 1932 (noted on the medal index card) and there is a Pension Record Card on Fold3 that was started at this date for his widow Harriett of 17 Peter St, Gravesend. No other useful info on that card.

 

The Queens Own Gazette is available online for the war period (progressively censored). You may like to browse the early 1st Bn reports and then subsequently 2nd Bn to see if by chance his name is mentioned ?

 

Charlie

 

edit-  His service record is available on Ancestry and inter alia tells us:

 

and actual wounding 18/11/14

He joined IEF Force D (in Mesopotamia) on 10/12/15 which was just after the Kut Siege had started so he was lucky to avoid that terrible episode.

Edited 24 January , 2020 by charlie962

[kenf48]

Dates determined then, well done.  Medal Roll shows date of entry as 15.8.14 whereas record shows to1st Bn 30 August 

the war diary shows the first reinforcement comprising 84 other ranks arrived on the 5th September, which is quite critical.

 

Ken

[mithrandir1967]

Chaps. Even better. thank you. Where is this on Ancestry as I couldn't find it.

[charlie962]

25 minutes ago, mithrandir1967 said:

Where is this on Ancestry as I couldn't find it.

Doesn't the link work ?

[mithrandir1967]

Sorry. It does work. What I meant was that I couldn’t find this information when I had used Ancestry’s search facility. Any idea where I can read the war diaries for RWK? 

[kenf48]

The war diary for the 1st Battalion, as you subscribe is on Ancestry here

 

It can also be downloaded from TNA https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14017149

 

The war diaries for Mesopatamia are not on Ancestry but have been digitised by TNA and can be downloaded for £3.50 each

 

From January 1916 https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/c323b2a40dfe4bde958502f43fd87bb0

 

From September 1917 https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/fc207529c41a4e6987de1bd5fa68e9f8

 

If local you may find this of interest

https://museum.maidstone.gov.uk/our-museums/queens-own/research/

 

Ken

 

 

[charlie962]

14 hours ago, kenf48 said:

the war diary shows the first reinforcement comprising 84 other ranks arrived on the 5th September, which is quite critical.

Well spotted Ken, Indeed the service record shows he enlisted on 3/9 basis on 7th Aug 1902, trf'd to reserve in 1905 and was mobilized 5th Aug 1914 and posted to 3rd Bn next day whereupon he re-engaged fpr 4 yrs from 7/8/14. He was then with  the BEF from 30/8/14. As you say, dates are critical in that he will have missed certain actions of the 1st Bn during Aug 1914. The MIC entry date is thus incorrect.

 

Charlie

Edited 25 January , 2020 by charlie962

[mithrandir1967]

Spoiler

 

Many thanks to everyone. I have found his entry in the war diary for 28th October 1918 and subsequent pages, where he won the MM in an action at Qualat-al-bint, Mesopotamia, during the Battle of Sharqat. He received the medal on 10th December from LG AS Cobbe VC, the corps commander.

Edited 26 January , 2020 by mithrandir1967

[charlie962]

excellent. Thanks for the update

 

Charlie

[kenf48]