Private 781632 Thomas Belcher 128th Canadian.

[Mick M]

The above was born in Ryall, Worcestershire, 28.3.84, father Soloman Belcher. I have him in the 1891 and 1901 census with his family but he then disappears until joining up in 1916 in Canada.

The only passenger records I can find for this name are two in 1918 clearly not him he died on Vimy Ridge in 1917. I assume he travelled before 1911 but can't find a record.....I also assume he's a volunteer as conscription in Canada wasn't until 1917...Also the pic below is from his file am I reading it right his outstanding pay is £229.7s.4d.?

Are the Battalion war diaries available ?

[jonbem]

11 minutes ago, Mick M said:

Are the Battalion war diaries available ?

 

have a look in

https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/military-heritage/first-world-war/Pages/war-diaries.aspx

 

[Mick M]

24 minutes ago, jonbem said:

have a look in

https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/military-heritage/first-world-war/Pages/war-diaries.aspx

 

Found it thank you.

[Acknown]

I don't know the accuracy of this website, but it has him travelling to Canada on 22 Mar 10: http://www.rememberthefallen.co.uk/casualty/belcher-tom/.

Acknown

[Mick M]

24 minutes ago, Acknown said:

I don't know the accuracy of this website, but it has him travelling to Canada on 22 Mar 10: http://www.rememberthefallen.co.uk/casualty/belcher-tom/.

Acknown

That's exactly what I needed thanks....The preceding facts are correct....The Appendix to the war diary gives an account of the ay  I'm trying to unravel....

Mick.

[Allan1892]

@Mick M

32 minutes ago, Acknown said:

I don't know the accuracy of this website, but it has him travelling to Canada on 22 Mar 10

The transcript of the entry from Find My Past is below. A search of the passengers records for a Thomas Belcher, born 1884 didn't find anything but when I excluded the year of birth, there were a number of Thomas Belchers but the one that sailed in 1910 doesn't show a year of birth.

First name(s)    Thos
Last name    Belcher
Gender    Male
Marital status    S
Occupation    Lab
Departure day    22
Departure month    3
Departure year    1910
Departure port    Liverpool
Departure country    England
Entry struck out    N
Destination port    Halifax
Destination    Halifax
Province or maritime    Nova Scotia
Country    Canada
Destination  place - country    CANADA
Destination country    Canada
Ship name    Grampian
Ship official number    124220
Ship registered tonnage    6516
Ship square feet    39243
Ship master's first name    J M
Ship master's last name    Johnston
Shipping line    Allan Line
Number of passengers    1631
Length of voyage in days    21
Ship departure port    LIVERPOOL
Ship destination port    Saint John NB
Ship destination country    Canada
Record set    Passenger Lists Leaving UK 1890-1960
Category    Travel & migration
Subcategory    Passenger Lists
Collections from    Great Britain, England, Canada, Americas
 

[Allan1892]

@Mick M

Meant to add that my search for a Thomas Belcher in the 1910 passenger lists came up with 16 hits -- 14 went to America (none born in 1884); 1 went to New Zealand and only 1 went to Canada.

[Mick M]

13 minutes ago, Allan1892 said:

@Mick M

Meant to add that my search for a Thomas Belcher in the 1910 passenger lists came up with 16 hits -- 14 went to America (none born in 1884); 1 went to New Zealand and only 1 went to Canada.

Thanks that's most likely him as he was absent for the 1911 census..he is named Tom on the memorial I am researching.

[Tawhiri]

Actually it looks as though he made at least two trips across the Atlantic, the first one being in March 1910 where he is aged 25 and described as a farm labourer, heading to Moosejaw, Saskatchewan. In this case he travelled on the Grampian and landed in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2Q9B-1NR

The second was two years later in February 1912, where a 27-year old Thomas Belcher, from Moosejaw, Saskatchewan, arrives on board the Empress of Ireland at Saint John, New Brunswick. In this case he is described as a returning Canadian in the far right column of the passenger list.

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2HGY-FCH

The dates should mean that he shows up in the 1911 Canada census, but I'm not having any joy finding him unless he travelled to the UK between the dates of the 1911 England and Wales census, which was 2 April 1911, and the 1911 Canada census, which started on 1 June 1911, with all reports being received by 26 February 1912, and so slipped between the cracks.

Edited to add that this can only be him, the address on his attestation record is Moosejaw, Saskatchewan. As his attestation date is 4 January 1916, he also misses the 1916 Prairie Provinces Census, which took place on 1 June, 1916.

Edited 1 June , 2022 by Tawhiri

[Tawhiri]

You didn't mention if you already had his full Canadian service record, but just in case you don't, it can be found online in the Canadian Archives. It includes his will, pages 7 through 10, and notes in various places the same information that was given on the website that Acknown found.

https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/military-heritage/first-world-war/personnel-records/Pages/item.aspx?IdNumber=35268