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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

13221 Pte Albert George Cheeseman 2nd Bn Grenadier Guards - was he really that lucky?


Jim Hastings

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Good afternoon all,

I'm distantly related to the above mentioned Guardsman and, if I've researched him correctly, he must have been a very lucky soldier. I'm really wondering if we have any Grenadier Guards experts out there and just to confirm what I've researched is in fact correct, because having seen Major Ma Jeffrey's quoted in many books, 2nd Gren Gds seem to have been virtually wiped out by the end of First Ypres. Albert was born in Cliffe near Sittingbourne but by 1911 he is living with his older brother in Plumstead, unemployed. I researched his army number using Paul Nixon's site and he appears to have a 1907 enlistment number. So I deduced he had done 3 years Colour Service and was on the Reserve then. He deploys to F&F on 22nd August 1914 according to his MIC, but it, and the 1914 Star and War Medals rolls indicate he was discharged in 1919. Forces War Records indicates no wound reports or similar, but there is Pension Card for him on the WFA site. Could he really have served from 1914 to 1918 with the 2nd Gren Guards without a injury?! If so, I now know where all the family good fortune went! Am I missing something here? 

Appreciate a confirmation, along with anything Guards specialists may be able to add

Many thanks 

Jim

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55 minutes ago, Jim Hastings said:

there is Pension Card for him on the WFA site.

There is a pension card which indicates he was transferred to the Army Z Reserve, G.G., 17.4.19 [as it turned out he was essentially discharged/demobbed that date but the Army obviously thought he could be called upon/remobilised if necessary, which generically for the Z Reserve it wasn't].  There is a second card but it doesn't add.

His pension of 8/3 pw from 18.4.19 to 21.10.19 was indicative of 30% disablement at that point [but the card doesn't give any indication of the cause/nature of disability]

His address was given as: 6 Sydney Cottages, King's Highway, Plumstead E

I couldn't see his pension file amongst the very few retained 'PIN 26' files at TNA - His file will be long deliberately destroyed after its use was ended.

M

Edited by Matlock1418
typo
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Evening Matlock

Thank you for deciphering the Pension Card for me, I used it to ensure I had the right man as that address matched his 1911 one with his brother, but I was not sure what his pension allowance suggested so thank you for the heads up on that. So it does look like he served throughout the war but did suffer something along the way to warrant the pension. There is nothing on FWR to suggest any wounding, as mentioned above, but I suppose that may not necessarily mean he was not harmed in some way (?). Maybe he was just patched up in an RAP and send back to his Coy. 

Thanks again, very intriguing

All the best

Jim 

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