Pat Twomey Posted 8 July , 2020 Share Posted 8 July , 2020 I wonder would anyone be able to help me advance my research into the above soldier. The MIC gives him as Pte Thomas Sharples Lab.Corp 404464 and AOC S/9380. CWGC mentions that that he was born in Ballymoney, Co Antrim and Irish Casualties of the GW says formerly Inniskilling Fus. 4/29040. There is a photo of his grave (see below) on the IWM site. But can't find him on any census, birth or marriage on Ancestry - it seems a dead end. Would really appreciate if anyone could tell me how to progress with the quest. Thanks in advance, Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Rayner Posted 8 July , 2020 Share Posted 8 July , 2020 Courtesy of Ancestry he has Soldier's Effects-you don't mention it so hope it is new Shows NoK is Brother Richard George Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corisande Posted 8 July , 2020 Share Posted 8 July , 2020 Always strange when a man is "invisible" prior to WW1. The usual answer is that he has changed his name, though it usually comes out with his death The closest I could find to a suitable birth is this one. He is "Sharpe" here not "Sharple, but it is the right year and the place is just outside Ballymoney Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travers61 Posted 8 July , 2020 Share Posted 8 July , 2020 Soldiers Effects record on ancestry shows that his back pay and allowances were paid in 1919 & 1920 to his brother Richard. No war gratuity shown, so can't use that to calculate his length of wartime service. Soldiers died in the Great War also adds that he enlisted in Nottingham. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Twomey Posted 8 July , 2020 Author Share Posted 8 July , 2020 Thanks George, Corisande and Travers 61 that is really helpful. I will check to see if Thomas Sharp had a brother Richard, if so then it might be another clue as to his true identity. It's great to get a few leads so thanks again. Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Twomey Posted 10 July , 2020 Author Share Posted 10 July , 2020 No luck with connecting the Thomas Sharpe above as I couldn't find a brother named Richard. I did come across a ref to him in WO 363 the burnt records on 'Find my past' but not sure if I want to subscribe to this site as well as 'ancestry' as I'm not sure how good the record might be. The ref in FmyP is: T Sharples — 404464 Labour Corps but when I try to find this on Ancestry it doesn't seem to be there. Does Ancestry not have the Burnt Records available to subscribers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajsmith Posted 10 July , 2020 Share Posted 10 July , 2020 The burnt record shows that he had an interesting and eventful war. See attached from FMP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Twomey Posted 10 July , 2020 Author Share Posted 10 July , 2020 (edited) Wow! That is an interesting war. Thanks a million AJSmith for posting this. Do you read it as his real name was T Pilkington and that he signed up under the alias Thomas Sharples? 5 or 6 times deserting from duties over the course of the war seems like he did have an interesting war. Did the burnt records say anything about his Murmansk adventure or his address when attesting? Thanks again Edited 10 July , 2020 by Pat Twomey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajsmith Posted 10 July , 2020 Share Posted 10 July , 2020 The record doesn't really specify what his real identity was it's just records of cables between various military authorities as to whether they should try him for fraudulent enlistment (they decided against it). No mention of Murmansk or what his address was at the time of enlistment. It's not really a service record in the normal way there's none of the usual standard forms present. I think Ancestry hasn't indexed these miscellaneous records and FMP has, hence the discrepancy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Twomey Posted 10 July , 2020 Author Share Posted 10 July , 2020 Thanks for that AJSmith - really adds a curious detail to the story! I thought there might be a MIC to a T Pilkington but couldn't find any. Love to find out something more but not sure where to start. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Rayner Posted 11 July , 2020 Share Posted 11 July , 2020 I suppose you have seen the MIC for Sharples on Ancestry? https://www.ancestry.co.uk/interactive/5119/41629_636897_11229-00006?pid=174888&backurl=https://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv%3D1%26dbid%3D5119%26h%3D174888%26tid%3D%26pid%3D%26usePUB%3Dtrue%26_phsrc%3DcIF6782%26_phstart%3DsuccessSource&treeid=&personid=&hintid=&usePUB=true&_phsrc=cIF6782&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&_ga=2.214647967.946197563.1592825413-1233040757.1573990318 George Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Rayner Posted 11 July , 2020 Share Posted 11 July , 2020 I think this-FMP extract-shows he joined as Pilkington which may have been the fraudulent part of the charge(?) George Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Rayner Posted 11 July , 2020 Share Posted 11 July , 2020 Just found this on Ancestry https://www.ancestry.co.uk/interactive/1219/30973_183821-00412?pid=1564780&backurl=https://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv%3D1%26dbid%3D1219%26h%3D1564780%26tid%3D%26pid%3D%26usePUB%3Dtrue%26_phsrc%3DcIF6797%26_phstart%3DsuccessSource&treeid=&personid=&hintid=&usePUB=true&_phsrc=cIF6797&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&_ga=2.185286817.946197563.1592825413-1233040757.1573990318#?imageId=30973_183821-00414 George Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Rayner Posted 11 July , 2020 Share Posted 11 July , 2020 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Twomey Posted 11 July , 2020 Author Share Posted 11 July , 2020 Thanks George that is very helpful. You must tell me how you accessed these files on Ancestry as I couldn't find them despite what I thought was a thorough search. From the information gathered from the above I think this might be the likely series of events: 23/2/1916 Enlists as Pte Thomas Sharples in 4/Bn R Innis. Fus. at Ludden Camp Buncrana 19/5/1917 AWOL while Bn still in Ireland and makes his way to the Curragh Camp 25/5/1917 Enlists as Pilkington, Thomas in 327th (Q) Coy RE (Curragh Camp) 1/6/1917 Embarks as Pilkington for the Western Front 10/7/1917 Arrested and goes AWOL 12/9/1917 Reports to IBD Etables and confesses to deserting from R Innis. Fus. Tried for desertion and sentenced to 42 days FP No.2 29/11/1917 Released from detention and as Pte Sharples posted to 7/8 Bn Innis. Fus. 2/12/1917 Classified as ‘Unfit’ and sent to 16th IBD 18/12/1917 Arrested at Amiens for desertion from 327th (Q) Coy RE the court isn’t aware of his previous desertion from R Innis Fus. 5/2/1918 released and resumed service with the 327th (Q) Coy RE 11/5/1918 AWOL 15/5/1918 Reports to 862 AE Coy Lab Corps and is arrested 19/5/1918 Admitted to 30 General Hospital Calais 5/6/1918 Released from hospital and held under close arrest for further investigation. 8/6/1918 Charged and confesses to Fraudulant Enlistment 14/10/1918 Dispension of Court Martial Trial. The trial was dispensed with but Pte Sharples would suffer forfeiture and deductions as if he had been convicted of said offence. Not sure what happens then but the next piece of information seems to be his death. 5/8/1919 Pte Sharples, Thomas S/9380 RAOC dies and is buried in Kem. Cem. Murmansk (formerly Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers) enlisted Ballymoney, Northern Ireland. Would love to know how he got from Calais when he was with the Labour Corps to Murmansk when he was with the RAOC. Any thoughts? Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Rayner Posted 11 July , 2020 Share Posted 11 July , 2020 Persistence and luck in unequal measure I'm afraid! George Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Twomey Posted 11 July , 2020 Author Share Posted 11 July , 2020 Yes that does pay off alright in the long run! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Twomey Posted 2 August , 2021 Author Share Posted 2 August , 2021 I’m just bumping this up in the hope that someone can help me to determine if the following individual is one and the same as the Thomas Sharples at the core of this post. Thomas Pilkington Sharples was born in Bury Lancaster in 1871 to Thomas and Elizabeth Sharples. In 1881 the family were living in Daisy Hill, Ramsbottom Thomas Pilkington aged 9 now had two siblings (Richard William aged 4, and Elizabeth Hannah aged 5mths). Then in the 1891 census Thomas Sharples is living in Henry Street, Ramsbottom and working as a train conductor. He is living with a few other railway workers in a house quite close to the Ramsbottom railway station. Couldn’t find him in the 1901 census but in 1911 he was an inmate in the Goole workhouse and his occupation is given as ‘Seagoing Steamship’ – as Goole is near the Humber estuary he may have worked as a steamship operator on one of the ferries there. If this is the same Thomas Sharples then the next piece of information I can find is his enlistment (February 1916) in the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers at Ballymoney, Co Antrim. Would be great if I could find a link to confirm that these two individuals are one and the same person. Three pieces of evidence tends to make me believe that this is the same person. First his age (born in 1871 would make him 48 in 1919) is correct, the next clue is he has a brother Richard (a brother Richard is mentioned on ‘Soldiers Effects) and finally the name Thomas Pilkington Sharples (Pte Pilkington and Pte Sharples were used by our man) is very convincing that it’s the same person. Would be very grateful if anyone has any suggestions as to how I might strengthen the above links. Thanks, Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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