Photos wanted!

[TJ12]

Hey guys I'm looking for photos of 3 of my family members who fought in, and didn't survive, WW1

 

1. Edward Richard Field: Sergeant in Australian Imperial Force, 51st Battalion. Died 3 September 1916

 

2. James Faulks: Private in Lincolnshire Regiment 7th battalion (also formerly in Sherwood Foresters Notts and Derby Regiment) died 4 November 1918

 

3. Henry Faulks (brother of James): Private in Sherwood Foresters Notts and Derby Regiment 12th Battalion. Died 10 August 1917

 

If anyone could find any photos of them it'd be greatly appreciated 

[PRC]

Hi @TJ12 and welcome to the Forum.

Identified photo's of men who served in the great War can be a bit elusive. Soldiers were not routinely photographed for identification purposes, so even where their service records survive they will not include a headshot type picture. And official war photographs seldom identify units, let alone naming individuals. While we are all familiar with the panoramic whole unit photograph with the individuals named underneath, but these were more a peace-time \ home service only type event. Many men went out as drafts to units serving overseas, and giving the likely turnover of unit members there was little point, let alone chance, of taking such a picture in the field.

So you're best chance of finding a picture is usually the local press. These were totally dependant on pictures supplied by family or friends. So the first point is identifying where the family might have been living during the war years. From that you can identify the likely newspapers that might have covered the area, and then whether or not those titles are online, or might require a visit to the relevant local county archive. Bear in mind a picture might turn up at any point, not just in the weeks following a death. A picture could turn up when a man volunteered, when they went off to a Theatre of War, home on leave, wounded, in connection with another family member or to show off how many family members were serving, or on the anniversary of the death, are just a few examples. Many newspapers depended on free-lancers who might have gathered together pictures of men from a location or place of employment who were now serving or had made the ultimate sacrifice.

The best starting place is the online sources. For UK Newspapers that is usually the subscription site British Newspaper Archive, (BNA), although FindMyPast and AncestryUK I believe offer backdoor access to the BNA via the relevant level of subscription. I say best starting place simply because they are searchable by computer - although the software used by BNA to transcribe the images into text is, to put it mildly, "quirky". A visit to a UK county archive will involve scrolling through miles of mirco-film with no real idea if there is anything to find.

So the Commonwealth War Graves Commission has the following for the two English Casualties.

Private 52430 James Faulks. Died 4th November 1918 aged 22. Son of Charles and Eliza Faulks, of Bramble House, Morton Rd., Pilsley; husband of Kate Faulks, of Pilsley, Chesterfield.
https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/175906/JAMES FAULKS/

Private 63030 Henry Faulks. Died 10th August 1917. Has no known grave. No additional family information. https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/1612075/HENRY FAULKS/

Doesn't look like the International Committe of the Red Cross received a missing person enquiry for him.

The address information shown against James would have been contact information gathered in the mid-1920's at the earliest, as the CWGC, (or rather its predecessor, the Imperial War Graves Commission), looked to put in place a permanent memorial for him and wrote to the next of kin asking them to check details and giving them the opportunity to have a few personal words added.

To check that it was relevant to the war years I looked for the family on the 1911 Census of England & Wales and yes, Charles and Eliza were to be found at Bramble House, Morton Rd., Pilsley along with their family which included the 20 year old Henry and the 15 year old James.

Checking out the Library Edition of FindMyPast, which includes access to Newspapers and Periodicals I found the same image of Henry reproduced twice, one with a piece on his death and one in a photo gallery of the fallen.

Derbyshire Times and Chesterfield Herald 25th August 1917.

Derbyshire Courier 25th August 1917.

Both images courtesy of FindMyPast - restrictions on re-use will apply.

Not finding anything for James, but that could simply be because the relevant text has been so badly mangled as to make search terms like "Faulks" and "Pilsley" fail to bring up the relevant page.

I believe the equivalent to the BNA for Australia is Trove. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/

There are also many excellent local Australian websites remembering the Great War fallen, many of them with pictures of the names on the memorial, so may well be worth tracking down where Sergeant Field is commemorated.

Hope that gets you started,

Cheers,
Peter

[TJ12]

@PRCthank you SO much! Yes that's definitely Henry! I looked on BNA and found Derbyshire Courier Newspaper from November 1918 for the day after James died and so forth and there were photos of soldiers but blurred because you have to subscribe to see, so its possible he could be on them but I'm unable to use debit or credit for online so viewing was impossible. I had hoped or somehow felt that there would possibly be obituaries for them. As far as I know, Edward was from Wirksworth, or at least born in Wirskworth. I know that during the great war, British soldiers were shipped to Australia, if I'm not mistaken but I'm happy that at least one of them now has a face to put a name to and I am very grateful for your help and suggestions

 

Thanks again, Tiegan

[PRC]

10 minutes ago, TJ12 said:

As far as I know, Edward was from Wirksworth, or at least born in Wirskworth. I know that during the great war, British soldiers were shipped to Australia, if I'm not mistaken

The Australian service record for Sergeant 2713 Edward Richard Field says place of birth is "Warksworth", England but given the Faulks connection to Derbyshire, Wirksworth does seem more likely. Hope this link works https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=3555137

Looks like his next of kin, his father John Edward Field, was originally shown as resident "Warksworth", but at some point after Edward enlisted on the 30th June 1915 he moved to Bulls Head, Bradwell, Sheffield, England. Edward was 26 when he enlisted.

Edward had some previous service - 4 years with the 2nd Derby and 2 years with the 6th Notts & Derby. Those are both likely to be militia units but I can't see any surviving service records for him in the National Archive series WO96.

Mother and father made a subsequent claim for a pension based on the loss of their son - looks like father is described as a brewer and they were still living at Bradwell. Initially turned down as having adequate means, it looks like there was a subsequent award to each of them of 10 shillings per fortnight, although the paperwork is filed out of order.

Couldn't see a place of residence for Edward mentioned. However there is a copy of a letter to his sister in 1925 about the relocation of his remains to the Pozieres British Cemetery. He had been originally reported missing. She was a Mrs J. Moresby, of 378 Albany Road, Victoria Park, Western Australia. She had initially wriiten in response to the receipt of the medals of her late husband, J.S.W. Moresby, ex 849, Private, 44th Battalion.

Edward enlisted at Blackboy Hill, Western Australia, and had his initial medical done at Meekatharra, Western Australia.

He is on a Roll of Honour for Meekatharra, but doesn't look like the war memorial itself has names on it. https://highgate-rsl.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Meekatharra_RoH_AWMDVA.pdf

Hope that helps,
Peter

[TJ12]

12 minutes ago, PRC said:

The Australian service record for Sergeant 2713 Edward Richard Field says place of birth is "Warksworth", England but given the Faulks connection to Derbyshire, Wirksworth does seem more likely. Hope this link works https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=3555137

Looks like his next of kin, his father John Edward Field, was originally shown as resident "Warksworth", but at some point after Edward enlisted on the 30th June 1915 he moved to Bulls Head, Bradwell, Sheffield, England. Edward was 26 when he enlisted.

Edward had some previous service - 4 years with the 2nd Derby and 2 years with the 6th Notts & Derby. Those are both likely to be militia units but I can't see any surviving service records for him in the National Archive series WO96.

Mother and father made a subsequent claim for a pension based on the loss of their son - looks like father is described as a brewer and they were still living at Bradwell. Initially turned down as having adequate means, it looks like there was a subsequent award to each of them of 10 shillings per fortnight, although the paperwork is filed out of order.

Couldn't see a place of residence for Edward mentioned. However there is a copy of a letter to his sister in 1925 about the relocation of his remains to the Pozieres British Cemetery. He had been originally reported missing. She was a Mrs J. Moresby, of 378 Albany Road, Victoria Park, Western Australia. She had initially wriiten in response to the receipt of the medals of her late husband, J.S.W. Moresby, ex 849, Private, 44th Battalion.

Edward enlisted at Blackboy Hill, Western Australia, and had his initial medical done at Meekatharra, Western Australia.

He is on a Roll of Honour for Meekatharra, but doesn't look like the war memorial itself has names on it. https://highgate-rsl.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Meekatharra_RoH_AWMDVA.pdf

Hope that helps,
Peter

Most of my family are from Derbyshire and have been for a long time but the Faulks and Fields have no connection to each other themselves. The Faulks are from my mother's side and the Fields my father's side.  Is it possible their could be obituaries from Warksworth or Meekatharra? Or both? And is it possible to view the letter to his sister discussing the relocation of his remains?

[PRC]

39 minutes ago, TJ12 said:

And is it possible to view the letter to his sister discussing the relocation of his remains?

If the link works then it should take you through to his Australian Army service record, and his sisters correspondence and the responses are towards the end of the file.

40 minutes ago, TJ12 said:

Is it possible their could be obituaries from Warksworth or Meekatharra?

Its possible - but bear in mind theese were likely to be submitted by family or friends - who were also most likely to be the source for inclusion of any war memorial. It seems likely that Edwards' parents had moved during the war years, so it could be just as likely that any mention will come up in connection with their Bradwell, Sheffield address. Of course if siblings, aunts and uncles or grand-parents, (maternal or paternal), were resident at Warksworth \ Wirksworth then still leaves that in play.

As Edward gave his age as 26 when he enlisted on the 30th June 1915 the only likely birth registration in England & Wales is that of an Edward Richard Field, mothers' maiden name Bradbury,  which was registered with the civil authorities in the Derby District in the January to March quarter, (Q1), of 1888 - which would actually make him 27.

There is a 3 year old Edward "M" Field, born Derny, recorded on the 1891 Census of England & Wales living at 17 Richardson Street, Derny. This was the household of his married mother Harriett, (aged 40, born Tilford, Staffordshire). On the 1901 Census of England & Wales the 13 year old Edward R was recorded living at 9 Chapel Street, Wirksworth. This was the household of parents John Ed., (aged 50, a Joiner, born Oldbury, Worcestershire), and Harriet, (aged 51, now also shown as born Oldbury). By the time of the 1911 Census of England & Wales Edward is no longer recorded. His parents were living at the Crown Hotel, 4, Market Place, Wirksworth, with father John Ed. (60) described as a Foreman Joiner.

It may be a co-incidence but an Edward R. Field sailed from London aboard the SS Oroya bound for Fremantle, Australia in 1909.

2 hours ago, TJ12 said:

I know that during the great war, British soldiers were shipped to Australia, i

A significant number of those who served with the Australian Army were first generation immigrants - but that reflected the population of the country. The same could be said of all the "white" Dominions of the British Empire. They came from many parts of the world, not just the UK. But there were no British soldiers, either as units or as individuals shipped to Australia as far as I'm aware.

Cheers,
Peter

[TJ12]

7 minutes ago, PRC said:

If the link works then it should take you through to his Australian Army service record, and his sisters correspondence and the responses are towards the end of the file.

Its possible - but bear in mind theese were likely to be submitted by family or friends - who were also most likely to be the source for inclusion of any war memorial. It seems likely that Edwards' parents had moved during the war years, so it could be just as likely that any mention will come up in connection with their Bradwell, Sheffield address. Of course if siblings, aunts and uncles or grand-parents, (maternal or paternal), were resident at Warksworth \ Wirksworth then still leaves that in play.

As Edward gave his age as 26 when he enlisted on the 30th June 1915 the only likely birth registration in England & Wales is that of an Edward Richard Field, mothers' maiden name Bradbury,  which was registered with the civil authorities in the Derby District in the January to March quarter, (Q1), of 1888 - which would actually make him 27.

There is a 3 year old Edward "M" Field, born Derny, recorded on the 1891 Census of England & Wales living at 17 Richardson Street, Derny. This was the household of his married mother Harriett, (aged 40, born Tilford, Staffordshire). On the 1901 Census of England & Wales the 13 year old Edward R was recorded living at 9 Chapel Street, Wirksworth. This was the household of parents John Ed., (aged 50, a Joiner, born Oldbury, Worcestershire), and Harriet, (aged 51, now also shown as born Oldbury). By the time of the 1911 Census of England & Wales Edward is no longer recorded. His parents were living at the Crown Hotel, 4, Market Place, Wirksworth, with father John Ed. (60) described as a Foreman Joiner.

It may be a co-incidence but an Edward R. Field sailed from London aboard the SS Oroya bound for Fremantle, Australia in 1909.

A significant number of those who served with the Australian Army were first generation immigrants - but that reflected the population of the country. The same could be said of all the "white" Dominions of the British Empire. They came from many parts of the world, not just the UK. But there were no British soldiers, either as units or as individuals shipped to Australia as far as I'm aware.

Cheers,
Peter

Thanks so much for your help and your information, you've given me a lot to work with and I appreciate it because I had no idea where to look at first. Things can sometimes be confusing but I found the regular files, a few oddities, and such about all 3 but for details it's a lot about digging deep. Baically due to online payments being "unallowed" for me at the moment, I can only use what has been given free. So ancestry, my Heritage, crrtain records and BNA are very very limited or unable to be used in my aspect. Things might also not be accurate or have changed over time. During covid I had a lot of time for doing research and such but now I don't have as much time but I always try to fit things in. Thanks again for your help, I don't know anyone else personally who'd have done as much as you have done for me in less than a day. I will look much closer at the links you have sent. Greatly appreciated and should I find anything else, I will let you know immediately

Thank you for taking your own time to try and help me. I am very grateful

Tiegan

 

[PRC]

4 hours ago, TJ12 said:

Baically due to online payments being "unallowed" for me at the moment, I can only use what has been given free.

Tiegan,

I'm a researcher on a very tight budget, so have to make use of all the free resources I can find! At least it disciplines me to think a bit more creatively

The Australian National Archive and Trove are free resources.

On the Genealogy side sites like:-
familysearch: https://www.familysearch.org/search/
freeBMD: https://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/search.pl
FreeReg: https://www.freereg.org.uk/
Find A Will (UK Probate Service): https://probatesearch.service.gov.uk/#wills
FindAGrave: https://www.findagrave.com/
Billion Graves: https://billiongraves.com/

Are all free to use

The UK National Archive is currently allowing free downloads. Items like the War Diaries for the two battalions James and Henry were serving with at the time of their deaths can be found there. You do have to sign in with your account, but if you don't have one, even that can be set up as part of placing your first order. Just click on "sign in" and follow the instructions. No financial details are required. The diaries are very unlikely to mention your relatives by name, but they will give you some idea of where they were and what they were up to.

The War Diary for the 7th Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment from July 1915 to March 1919 can be found in the National Archive here: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C7352935

The War Diary for the 12th Battalion, Sherwood Foresters, covering from August 1915 to May 1919 can be found here:https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C7353293

The Official Regimental History of the Lincolnshire Regiment is also free to read \ download here https://archive.org/details/TheHistoryOfTheLincolnshireRegiment1914-1918

Some basic information on both battalions can be found on our parent site here https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/regiments-and-corps/the-british-infantry-regiments-of-1914-1918/lincolnshire-regiment/

and here: https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/regiments-and-corps/the-british-infantry-regiments-of-1914-1918/sherwood-foresters-nottinghamshire-derbyshire-regiment/

If you have signed up to Ancestry in the past that means you should have access to the most basic free account with your sign in details. This doesn't give you access to very much, but one of the few military documents you can see for the Great War period is the medal index cards (MiC). These are literally what it says on the tin - an index card created at the relevant records office late 1918 \ early 1919 to keep track of documents relating to the issue of medals and the related correspondence. Most contain only basic information and a wodge of admin coding. These were after all to make the clerks lives easier, not help us poor researchers over 100 years later!

James' MiC can be found on Ancestry here: https://www.ancestry.co.uk/imageviewer/collections/1262/images/30850_A000526-01878?treeid=&personid=&hintid=&queryId=dc489ca001cf8c5b843ab635e632ad47&usePUB=true&_phsrc=Bky6426&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&pId=1460536

Henrys' Mic is https://www.ancestry.co.uk/imageviewer/collections/1262/images/30850_A000526-01900?ssrc=&backlabel=Return&pId=1460558

Both are shown as only qualifying for the Victory Medal and British War Medal so did not enter a Theatre of War until some point on or after the 1st January 1916.

However the additional value of a free account is that occasionally Ancestry, and its' US sister site Fold3 offer free weekends - for Ancestry round about Remembrance Day is not uncommon, while Fold 3 tends to be around Memorial weekend. Other offers tend to tie in with specific events, and only some of the collections are free to view. I mention it because while looking for the MiC's I notice there were pension records available for James and Henry. Transcripts are available on Ancestry, images on Fold3. Fold3 normally requires a separate subscription, but usually during free weekends you can sign in with your Ancestry login. (The Ancestry transcript gives you the option to see the Fold3 image, so quite easy to jump between the two).

The MiCs are also something you can currently download for free from UK National Archive - however what you get usually is the front face of six different MiC's, (one of which is the one you want), in black and white, (Ancestry is in colour) and with no reverse side, (Ancestry has this, but for most other ranks it is blank anyway).

One of the admin references on the MiC is for the relevant Service Medal Roll. If the clerk completing the roll has followed the instructions on the form - compliance varies enormously - then it should show all the units each man served with overseas. Those Rolls can be seen on Ancestry with a subscription, (or on a free weekend if you don't subscribe!).

Another useful document available to subscribers \ free weekenders is the Army Register of Soldiers Effects. This is a ledger rather than an inventory, and details who the balance of pay went to, and subsequently who received his war gratuity post-war. Very clever people on the forum can usually work out to within a month when a man enlisted based on the amount of the gratuity.

Finally, I don't know where you are in the world, but in the UK most public librartes will subscribe to the British Newspaper Archives and one of either Ancestry or FindMyPast, (sometimes both). You normally have to be in the library to see them, but during the Covid restrictions a number of local library services came to an arrangment with Ancestry \ FindMyPast to allow access from home. Hence why I'm looking up stuff on FindMyPast library edition. If you haven't already checked out the website of your local library service it could be worthwhile taking a look - most even have the facility to join online if you are not already a member. My own local library service seems very reluctant to bring the onsite computer option back online anytime soon, so my access from home could continue for quite a while - touch wood

Of course if your local library is open and allowing use of the computers then that may give you even more access.

Good luck with your search,
Peter

Edited 20 September , 2021 by PRC
Typo

[TJ12]

2 minutes ago, PRC said:

Tiegan,

I'm a researcher on a very tight budget, so have to make use of all the free resources I can find! At least it disciplines me to think a bit more creatively

The Australian National Archive and Trove are free resources.

On the Genealogy side sites like:-
familysearch: https://www.familysearch.org/search/
freeBMD: https://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/search.pl
FreeReg: https://www.freereg.org.uk/
Find A Will (UK Probate Service): https://probatesearch.service.gov.uk/#wills
FindAGrave: https://www.findagrave.com/
Billion Graves: https://billiongraves.com/

Are all free to use

The UK National Archive is currently allowing free downloads. Items like the War Diaries for the two battalions James and Henry were serving with at the time of their deaths can be found there. You do have to sign in with your account, but if you don't have one, even that can be set up as part of placing your first order. Just click on "sign in" and follow the instructions. No financial details are required. The diaries are very unlikely to mention your relatives by name, but they will give you some idea of where they were and what they were up to.

The War Diary for the 7th Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment from July 1915 to March 1919 can be found in the National Archive here: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C7352935

The War Diary for the 12th Battalion, Sherwood Foresters, covering from August 1915 to May 1919 can be found here:https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C7353293

The Official Regimental History of the Lincolnshire Regiment is also free to read \ download here https://archive.org/details/TheHistoryOfTheLincolnshireRegiment1914-1918

Some basic information on both battalions can be found on our parent site here https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/regiments-and-corps/the-british-infantry-regiments-of-1914-1918/lincolnshire-regiment/

and here: https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/regiments-and-corps/the-british-infantry-regiments-of-1914-1918/sherwood-foresters-nottinghamshire-derbyshire-regiment/

If you have signed up to Ancestry in the past that means you should have access to the most basic free account with your sign in details. This doesn't give you access to very much, but one of the few military documents you can see for the Great War period is the medal index cards (MiC). These are literally what it says on the tin - an index card created at the relevant records office late 1918 \ early 1919 to keep track of documents relating to the issue of medals and the related correspondence. Most contain only basic information and a wodge of admin coding. These were after all to make the clerks lives easier, not help us poor researchers over 100 years later!

James' MiC can be found on Ancestry here: https://www.ancestry.co.uk/imageviewer/collections/1262/images/30850_A000526-01878?treeid=&personid=&hintid=&queryId=dc489ca001cf8c5b843ab635e632ad47&usePUB=true&_phsrc=Bky6426&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&pId=1460536

Henrys' Mic is https://www.ancestry.co.uk/imageviewer/collections/1262/images/30850_A000526-01900?ssrc=&backlabel=Return&pId=1460558

Both are shown as only qualifying for the Victory Medal and British War Medal so did not enter a Theatre of War until some point on or after the 1st January 1916.

However the additional value of a free account is that occasionally Ancestry, and its' US sister site Fold3 offer free weekends - for Ancestry round about Remembrance Day is not uncommon, while Fold 3 tends to be around Memorial weekend. Other offers tend to tie in with specific events, and only some of the collections are free to view. I mention it because while looking for the MiC's I notice there were pension records available for James and Henry. Transcripts are available on Ancestry, images on Fold3. Fold3 normally requires a separate subscription, but usually during free weekends you can sign in with your Ancestry login. (The Ancestry transcript gives you the option to see the Fold3 image, so quite easy to jump between the two).

The MiCs are also something you can currently download for free from UK National Archive - however what you get usually is the front face of six different MiC's, (one of which is the one you want), in black and white, (Ancestry is in colour) and with no reverse side, (Ancestry has this, but for most other ranks it is blank anyway).

One of the admin references on the MiC is for the relevant Service Medal Roll. If the clerk completing the roll has followed the instructions on the form - compliance varies enormously - then it should show all the units each man served with overseas. Those Rolls can be seen on Ancestry with a subscription, (or on a free weekend if you don't subscribe!).

Another useful document available to subscribers \ free weekenders is the Army Register of Soldiers Effects. This is a ledger rather than an inventory, and details who the balance of pay went to, and subsequently who received his war gratuity post-war. Very clever people on the forum can usually work out to within a month when a man enlisted based on the amount of the gratuity.

Finally, I don't know where you are in the world, but in the UK most public librartes will subscribe to the British Newspaper Archives and one of either Ancestry or FindMyPast, (sometimes both). You normally have to be in the library to see them, but during the Covid restrictions a number of local library services came to an arrangment with Ancestry \ FindMyPast to allow access from home. Hence why I'm looking up stuff on FindMyPast library edition. If you haven't already checked out the website of your local library service it could be worthwhile taking a look - most even have the facility to join online if you are not already a member. My own local library service seems very reluctant to bring the onsite computer option back online anytime soon, so my access from home could continue for quite a while - touch wood

Of course if your local library is open and allowing use of the computers then that may give you even more access.

Good luck with your search,
Peter

I can't thank you enough, Peter😊 I keep saying but I really am grateful for all the help you are giving me. I'm actually from Derbyshire myself and currently living there too so in a way I'm quite lucky to be local to where they were. A couple weeks ago, my parents and I were going to visit my great great uncle Albert Faulks' memorial in Tibshelf, the nephew of James and Henry, when my father and I were off work but it hasn't come around yet although I hope soon. Albert himself died in Italy in 1944 and I'm lucky enough to have a very good quality photo of him saved as well as his brother, also called Henry, who perished in Thailand as a POW on the Burma Railway in 1944. But as for the links and websites you've sent me, I'll certainly have a go at checking them over and seeing if I can come up with any other additions to the collection. Before researching my family, I never knew about any of my family heroes. But now it feels like digging up a time capsule and it just makes me happy to think that someone from their own family is remembering them again. I hope it doesn't sound strange but it feels like I know them even if I never met them

 

Thank you for all your help, stay safe

Tiegan