North Staffs Regiment - Cornelius Reader

[Caroline]

Hi, 

I've been trying to find out info about my great-great uncle - Cornelius Reader.

I know that he was about 21 at the start of the war and he was a corporal in the North Staffs Regiment. His regimental number was 200158.

Can anyone give me any more info about this - where that regiment was etc 

Many thanks, 

Caroline x 

[sadbrewer]

He was awarded The Silver War Badge and discharged from Service on the 2nd of July 1917.

He had joined the Army on 15th April, 1909.

[Matlock1418]

Medal Index Card [free b/w at the National Archives http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D4797742 and also in colour at Ancestry] shows he had an additional [earlier presumably] regimental number of 898

Award the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal as landed in France 5-3-15

 

Two pension cards at WFA/Fold3 as READER 200158 show he got a disability pension

Born: 1893

Discharged: 2.7.17 [as @sadbrewerreported above]

For a Gun Shot Wound Head & Neck

Lived at: 10 Brook Lane, Newcastle - u - Lyme

:-) M

 

Edited 12 May , 2021 by Matlock1418
added birth year

[Polar Bear]

If he landed in France on the 5th of March 1915 then presumably he was with either the 1/4th or 1/5th battalions. This would likely make him a pre war territorial soldier (a part timer) and that he had joined the army in 1909 seems to support this.

 

Just my thoughts,

 

P

[Matlock1418]

10 minutes ago, Polar Bear said:

If he landed in France on the 5th of March 1915 then presumably he was with either the 1/4th or 1/5th battalions.

Medal Roll for BWM & VM indicates 1/5th N. Staffs

 

War Diary available for free download from the National Archives https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C7354504 - very unlikely to mention him by name but should give a general picture

[free registration at TNA required - no financial details necessary]

:-) M

Edited 12 May , 2021 by Matlock1418
addition

[Polar Bear]

I also note that the original poster wishes to know more about what the regiment did during the war. Well, in this case we need to look at his individual battalion for in the First World War the constituent parts of a regiment did not all fight in the same place.

 

In his case details of the 1/5th Battalion of the North Staffordshire Regiment (and I realize that in my previous post I meant 1/5th or 1/6th and NOT 1/4th or 1/5th!) can be found here https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/regiments-and-corps/the-british-infantry-regiments-of-1914-1918/the-prince-of-waless-north-staffordshire-regiment/ You need to scroll down a little way to find them but as an additional note at the outbreak of the war the 1/5th Battalion didnt exist. Instead it was the 5th Battalion but what happened was that a Territorial Force soldier had not signed up to serve overseas. Instead his terms of service only required him to serve at home. Now whe asked to serve overseas the vast majority (75-80% on average by my records so far but the 1/5th North Staffs is not one I have figures for) agreed to do so but here was the problem. At the time those who didnt could not be forced to do so. Therefore the battalion was split in two with those who volunteered to serve overseas becoming the 1/5th. The remainder were told to go home and eventually became the 2/5th battalion though eventually once conscription was introduced these men coul and indeed were forced to fight overseas.

 

Anyway as to the war service we now need to look at what Brigade and Division the battalion was assigned to. That was in the period of your ancestor's service was the 137th Brigade of the 46th (North Midland) Division. More information on their service can be found https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/order-of-battle-of-divisions/46th-north-midland-division/

 

Hope that gives you somewhere to start,

 

P

 

 

 

Edited 12 May , 2021 by Polar Bear
spelling

[Matlock1418]

1 hour ago, sadbrewer said:

He was awarded The Silver War Badge and discharged from Service on the 2nd of July 1917.

From the SWB Roll, Badge No. 370203, his age at discharge is recorded as 25y 3m which should give a birth c. April 1892

This matches rather nicely with a GRO registration in the 'J' quarter ending June 1892:

Name:                                                  Mother's Maiden Surname: 

READER, CORNELIUS                           HARLEY  

GRO Reference: 1892  J Quarter in WOLSTANTON  Volume 06B  Page 112

:-) M

Edited 12 May , 2021 by Matlock1418
typo

[PRC]

3 hours ago, Matlock1418 said:

This matches rather nicely with a GRO registration in the 'J' quarter ending June 1892:

 

4 hours ago, sadbrewer said:

He had joined the Army on 15th April, 1909

 

The Territorial Force would take him from 17, so seems about right.  The term of enlistment was four years, so Cornelus must have decided to go for another four years in 1913.

 

Edit - 200158 was his number from the start of 1917, when he would have been on the establishment of one of the 5th Battalions of the Regiment. As shown on his Medal Index Card, his original service number was 98. That would have had a prefix so that would have been 5/98.

 

Cheers,

Peter

Edited 12 May , 2021 by PRC
See edit

[Matlock1418]

1 hour ago, PRC said:

As shown on his Medal Index Card, his original service number was 98

98 is the NA transcription - the card has 898

:-) M

[PRC]

 

M.,

 

Thought it seemed a bit low - I should know better by now than to trust the NA catalogue

 

Thanks for checking,

Peter

[Caroline]

Hi, 

Thanks so much for all the information. 

I'm going to see what else I can find out this afternoon - but you guys have definitely given me some good pointers.

C x 

[Ancre1917]

Here’s a regimental history of the North Staffordshire Territorials that you might find interesting. 

 

https://www.midlandshistoricaldata.org/JournalRan5?p=10

 

 

Richard