George Graham 2nd Essex

[shaymen]

George Graham Born Islington, Res Heckfield, Enlisted Stratford.

Name: GRAHAM

Initials: G

Nationality: United Kingdom

Rank: Private

Regiment: Essex Regiment

Unit Text: 2nd Bn.

Date of Death: 02/02/1915

Service No: 7373

Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead

Grave/Memorial Reference: I. F. 8.

Cemetery: CALVAIRE (ESSEX) MILITARY CEMETERY

Family notified he was killed on 26-08-1914 - Then he was a POW - Did he escape and the get KIA - or were there 2 George Grahams in the 2nd Essex - who knows and maybe we never will

Anyway I will pay my repects as I will be visiting Calvaire next week.

Puzzled

Glyn

[Chris_Baker]

Could the man referred to in the article actually be this chap? The combination of name and date...

GRAHAM

Initials: G H

Nationality: United Kingdom

Rank: Corporal

Regiment: Royal Irish Regiment

Unit Text: 2nd Bn.

Date of Death: 26/08/1914

Service No: 8788

Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead

Grave/Memorial Reference: D. 4.

Cemetery: BETHENCOURT COMMUNAL CEMETERY

[shaymen]

Chris

The newspaper cutting was in my local Herts and Essex paper printed on Dec 19th 1914.

Do you think it possible they notified the wrong family about the George Graham you mentioned and then they recieved the postcard from him as a prisoner but that still does not account for him the being KIA - Did prisoners escape very often?

Glyn

[stevem]

Glyn

There is a Pte. George Arthur Graham, 10199, Essex Regiment shown on the MICs. No battalion was shown, but maybe a possibility.

Steve

[shaymen]

Steve

Thanks - Thats a possibility he might have survived but postcard home had him as a prisoner.Not on POW database.

Confused but working on it

Glyn

[GrandsonMichael]

Hi Guys,

Steve was on the right track. Part of the mystery is solved but there remain question marks.

I can confirm that there were indeed two Graham’s, G.:

- Graham, G., 2nd. Bn. Essex Regiment, 7373, Killed in Action;

- Graham, G., 2nd. Bn. Essex Regiment, 10199, Prisoner of War.

Source: Medal Index Cards.

I am analyzing all the relevant information I have gathered, as there are things here that don’t add up. More later.

Cheers,

Michael

[GrandsonMichael]

Back again...

This is an interesting but very puzzling case. Graham, G., Service 7373, now that really caught my eye. My Grandfather: 2nd Bn. Essex Regiment, 7318, sent to France Aug. 22nd, 1914. Battle of Le Cateau, August 25th/26th. Note how close these two numbers are. My Grandfather joined the 2nd. Bn. in 1903, knowing this is a dangerous thing to say, Graham could have joined not long after......this would make him a regular for quite some years.

It sort of fits…..War Diary entry for Aug. 26th, 1914:

“Casualties – Cap Vandeleur, 9 men killed Lt. Round (since dead) Lt. Smith Masters & 40 men wounded. Lt. Northey (3rd Bn) & 98 men missing.

--- signed F.Gore Anley, Lieut. Colonel, O.C. 2nd Bn Essex Regiment.”

9 men killed and 98 missing ( wounded, taken prisoner, killed?) Logic says Pte. Graham was most likely killed on the 26th during the fierce rearguard fighting, as his family was notified of this fact. If we accept this as the truth it is not possible that this Pte. Graham was buried at Calvaire (Essex) Cemetery on 02/02/1915 as the CWGC mentions…..not only because the date is wrong but this cemetery wasn’t begun until November 1914. The 2nd Essex Regiment was entrenched from Nov. 1914 till the Second Battle for Ypres started at the end of April 1915, near the Cemetery.

But, the M.I.C. shows the following information:

Pte. Graham, G., 7373, entered Theatre of War: 31.8.14, Killed in Action. Date of entry 31.8.14.??? What a mess….

Graham, G., 10199, entered Theatre of War: 22.8.14. P. of War. This date of entry does fit with the date of death, Aug. 26th. wrong regimental number….but indeed a prisoner of war.

Last bit of information: the date 31.8.14 more or less corresponds with info in the War Diary: on the 5th and 6th Sept. reinforcements arrived. My guess is from the 3rd Service Bn. Essex Regiment, but I can’t corroborate this.

I think all the above information indicates that somewhere along the line both men were mixed up. It would be very interesting to know when the postcard was sent.

Glyn, is what you posted the complete newspaper article or/and do you have any other information at all?

Cheers,

Michael

[shaymen]

Michael

Thanks for all that info - as you say puzzling.

Unfortunately that was the complete article from my local newspaper The Herts and Essex Observer dated 19/12/1914 and I dont have any other info except the postcard was obviously sent shortly before that date.

Do we draw a conclusion that the family of GEORGE GRAHAM 10199 were mistakenly told of there sons death and he ended up as a POW as per the postcard and survived the War.

Meanwhile another G GRAHAM 7373 was kia on 02/02/1915.

Both from the same Regiment ?

Depends how we all believe in TOTAL COINCIDENCES.

Regards

Glyn

[GrandsonMichael]

I would put forward the following hypothesis:

Pte. G. Graham, 7373, sent to France with the 2nd Bn. Essex Regiment 22nd Aug. 1914. During the battle of Le Cateau was among the 98 missing men. His parents were informed that he had died, but via the postcard it appeared he was not killed but taken prisoner of war. This happened.

Pte. G. Graham, 10199, sent to France Aug. 31st as part of reinforcements and was killed on 2nd Febr. 1915, hence buried at the Calvaire (Essex) Cemetery.

The article in the newspaper of Dec. 19th, 1914 is correct.

The information on both M.I.C.’s is incorrect, mixed up.

The regimental number on the CWCG website is incorrect. If their source is the N.A. this would be self evident.

The proof in the pudding could well be in your visit to Calvaire next week! I'd conclude from the information on the CWCG that there is actually a gravestone or at least a mention of Pte. Graham there.....If you can find it, we'll know which reg. number we're talking about.

Cheers,

Michael

[shaymen]

Michael

Thanks for that.

I should be visiting Calvaire next Friday pm on my way to Ypres from the Somme.

Lets hope the answer is there

Regards

Glyn

[shaymen]

Here it is

RIP

Conclusions - ?

[GrandsonMichael]

Hi Glyn,

Conclusion: I'm starting to get a headache......after thinking about this for about two hours.

What I expected really was that the gravestone would show service number 10199.

I've been redoing my headbanging and still stick to my hypotheses. Actually this photo might prove my point even more so:

The initial mistake which was made is that Graham, 7373, was certified as killed in action and this was never officially rectified. That would mean that it is the other Graham, 10199, who is buried at the cemetery......I realise that means a whole series of mistakes kept on being made, but I wouldn't be surprised at all.

My Grandfather has a so-called split medal card. One for Gambles, C. and one for

Gambles, Charles F. There are several mistakes on these cards which reflect the mistakes made earlier on the actual medal rolls. Someone, at some time (I think when the clasp and rosettes for his 1914 Star medal were issued) noticed there was something wrong. The actual mistakes were not rectified, they just made a cross reference to both M.I.C.'s!

Add to this that the regimental number 7373 is so close to my Grandfathers – 7318 – that I’m convinced he and George Graham were sent to France – as regulars – on the same day, 22nd August, 1914.

Will we ever know for certain? There is a chance because I’m stubborn and tend to get hold of at least the medal rolls of both Graham’s and who knows their service records in the end, if they survived.

I would welcome any comments from other forum members on this issue. It might turn up more information as to the 'soundness'of my theory and more important to solving this mystery in the end.

Michael