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Remembered Today:

Help with grandfather please, GC Day RWK


Tonyd

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Need some help please my grandads army number starts with the letter L followed by 5 numbers does anyone know what the L stands for thank you 

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Welcome to the forum Tony. In order for members to help you, we need a lot more information. Name, at least for starters.

Michelle 

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While we wait for the extra info I can start the process. The prefix L was used for Lancers, much of the infantry, and men locally enlisted into the Royal Field Artillery.

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Tony is looking for information about George C Day, 1/Royal West Kents. 

(Tony, you don't need to start a new topic every time you want to say something, just reply to this topic.)

Michelle 

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H is original number was L/10138. He then went to the MGC before going back to the West Kents. He was an Old Contemptible; he landed in France on 14 Aug 14. 

Edited by Gareth Davies
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5 minutes ago, Gareth Davies said:

H is original number was L/10138. He then went to the MGC before going back to the West Kents. He was an Old Contemptible; he landed in France on 14 Aug 14. 

46 minutes ago, Michelle Young said:

Welcome to the forum Tony. In order for members to help you, we need a lot more information. Name, at least for starters.

Michelle 

 

Ok michelle my name is Tony Day live in kent 

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Thank you gareth do you know anything about 1st battalion qorwks going to russia in december 1918

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42 minutes ago, Gareth Davies said:

While we wait for the extra info I can start the process. The prefix L was used for Lancers, much of the infantry, and men locally enlisted into the Royal Field Artillery.

 

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33 minutes ago, Tonyd said:

Thank you gareth do you know anything about 1st battalion qorwks going to russia in december 1918

 

I am not sure it did. It went back to India in 1919. 

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Tony, welcome to the Forum.

 

Whilst with the MGC he was admitted to Hospital in April 1917 with a back infection. The Register of admissions gives his unit as 11th coy MGC.  (service number MGC 16869). That Service nuber suggests a transfer to the MGC in 1916.

45 minutes ago, Tonyd said:

1st battalion qorwks going to russia in december 1918

Have a look at this thread which may help you. There were various composite Battalions involved so perhaps your grandfather transferred from 1st Bn at that time ?

 

Charlie

Edited by charlie962
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Given that the Medal Roll (1914 Star) says he was transferred to Section B Army Reserve in 1923 (edit 7/6/1921) with service number 7807867 then the Ministry of Defence, Glasgow,  might still hold his service file. A look at the index of such files on Ancestry doesn't bring up a hit. However it is still worth asking the MoD. What was his exact date of birth?

 

Charlie

Edited by charlie962
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His RWK number L/10138  (L= local) number was issued c April1913 so he was a serving Regular at the outbreak and seems to have landed France with the 1st Bn RWK. It does not mean that he stayed with that Bn throughout his RWK service.

 

Charlie

 

 

Edit:  It is of course possible( in fact probable) he was still in the MGC when he went to Russia (where do you get this information from ?) and that he was returned to The RWK afterwards and for his transfer to the Reserve.

Edited by charlie962
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Hi Tony,

 

Welcome to the forum.

 

2 hours ago, Tonyd said:

my grandads army number starts with the letter L followed by 5 numbers does anyone know what the L stands for

 

On his service number website (link) Paul Nixon says:

 

"L - Regular enlistments. I have always assumed that L represents "Line" but I would be pleased to stand corrected. This prefix first starts appearing in 1902 and is found on regular enlistments into the following regiments: The Buffs (East Kent Regiment), East Surrey Regiment, Middlesex Regiment, Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regiment), Royal Fusiliers, Royal Sussex Regiment and the Royal West Kent Regiment. All of these regiments, with the exception of the Royal Fusiliers, formed the Number 10 Grouped Regimental District. My thanks to David Langley for his inputs on this prefix. ".

 

Looking at other Royal West Kent Regiment men that have surviving service papers...

 

L/10102 Chatfield - attested 27.3.1913

L/10116 Goff - attested 19.3.1913

L/101Waghorn - attested 3.4.1913

L/10133 Probbits - attested 14.4.1913

L/10138

L/10141 Godwin - attested 23.6.1913

L/10158 Croxford - attested 28.6.1913

L/10164 Hunt - attested 25.6.1913

L/10172 Bastick - attested 13.8.1913

L/10174 Bovis - attested 18.8.1913

L/10191 Fisher - attested 27.9.1913

 

Regards

Chris

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Hello charlie thanks got your information the part about him going to russia comes from a relative he told my dad sbout it but my dad has now passed away and so has the relative so sat the moment it has come to a dead end 

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Thank you clk 

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  • 4 weeks later...

Tony,

We need to know where and when he was born, where he lived, when he married and to whom, children  and any other similar bits of info if we are to make any progress by trying other search routes. Anything more you can tell us ?

 

Charlie

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thanks charlie i think i am in the right thread now so do i just continue with post in this thread thanks again tony

 

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Just now, Tonyd said:

thanks charlie i think i am in the right thread now so do i just continue with post in this thread thanks again tony

yes, right thread. See my post that was just before yours !

charlie

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yes i did i know some

 will put what i can and have to get some info from aunts 

the info i know is

his name george charles day

married martha sands

children walter t day, eileen day, pauline day

lived in hartley and longfield kent

dob 10/04/1891

 

thanks tony

 

 

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his army number is l10138

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evening all is it possible to find out what company my grandad was in he was in 1st qorwk battalion i belive there are 5 companies with in this thank you 

 

tony 

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1 hour ago, Tonyd said:

evening all is it possible to find out what company my grandad was in he was in 1st qorwk battalion i belive there are 5 companies with in this thank you 

Tony,

I am struggling to find anything more to help you. The absence of his service record is the problem. It may have been destroyed like most in the WW2 bombing of the storeage warehouse. Or as I said earlier, it just might still be held by the Ministry of Defence in Glasgow. You need to apply to them giving his full name, date of birth and Service numbers (particularly that 7... number)

This is the link to the MoD website.

 

Another vague possibility is to trawl through the Regimental Magazine. It is available online here

Click on the 'Queen Own Gazette' and you get date ranges. They can be a bit slow to download.

 

eg   page 3931 of the June 1919 Gazette shows a short list of men going to Russia from the 1st Bn.  Day is not amongst them.

 

Even Service Records often omit Company.

 

Charlie

Edited by charlie962
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hello charlie thanks for your help i now know he did go to russia now he was in 236th brigade went to Murmansk am waiitng on some papers that a great uncle has hope to find more in there i been told there are letters he sent home i will try mod also will visit museum at maidstone when it opens again thanks again 

 

tony

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236th Infantry Brigade, North Russia Expeditionary Force (Murmansk Command) was primarily a 'local Russian' brigade commanded by Brigadier Martin Turner, CB, CMG, Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry, comprised of White Russian volunteers of the Slavo-British Legion and local Karelian Regiment (although the Karelian people who lived on the frontier with Finland did not consider themselves 'Russian').

 

Order of battle in 236th Brigade was fluid, especially early on and at times also included Royal Marines Field Force North Russia,420th/434th Battery's Royal Artillery, a company of 13th Yorkshire's, 253rd Coy., MGC and even Italian Carabinieri, Neopolitans and Besagliers.

 

Artillery support for the brigade was provided by British troops of 236th Trench Mortar Battery (Stokes Mortar's).

 

If he was serving with MGC at the time he would have been with either 253rd Company or 19th Battalion (summer 1919), if he was still Royal West Kent's at the time I would guess he was with the Trench Mortars as they were made up of soldiers from a mix of regiments and RWKR did not serve as a unit at Murmansk.

 

If he was a Sergeant or above he might have been with the original 'SYREN Force' training mission which arrived in June 1918 which was made up of SNCO's and officers from a mix of regiments however his Medal Index Card shows him as a Private: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D2139744

541.jpg

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