"C" prefix - King's Royal Rifle Corps

[brianmorris547]

And one page from the Bolton Lads Club ROH. The picture quality of both is not great but I will list the names as I research them.

[MBrockway]

I'll have a look for these, starting with The Fallen.  I assume these are rolls of service, containing all who served, not rolls only of The Fallen?

I have a Rfn James HADFIELD, C/490, 16/KRRC, KiA 15 Jul 1916, born: Bury, Lancs.  Enlisted: Bolton, Lancs.  Residing: Tonge Bridge, Bolton, Lancs. [Source: SDGW].  Almost certainly a High Wood casualty.  Your Bolton Parish Church ROH has a John HADFIELD.  I wonder if this is the same man?

[MBrockway]

Your Bolton Parish Church ROH has an Albert HASLAM and a John HASLAM. 

SDGW has a Rfn Thomas HASLAM, C/945, 16/KRRC, DoW 17 Jul 1916.  Born & enlisted:  Bolton, Lancs.  Again, most probably a High Wood casualty.  A brother or relation perhaps?

[MBrockway]

Rfn James HOLMES, C/498, 16/KRRC, KiA 21 Jul 1916.  Born: Oldham, Lancs.  Enlisted: Manchester, Lancs.  Residing: Castleton, Lancs.

[MBrockway]

Your Bolton Parish Church ROH has a Percy ROSTRON.

SDGW has a Rfn Christopher ROSTRON, C/1405, 16/KRRC, KiA 15 Jul 1916.  Again, a High Wood casualty.  Born & enlisted: Darwen, Lancs.

 

[MBrockway]

On the Bolton Lads Club ROH, there's a Rfn W. STEWART.

I have Rfn William STEWART, C/927, 16/KRRC, DOW 16 Jul 1916.  Most probably another High Wood casualty.  Born: St Matthews, Bolton, Lancs.  Enlisted:  Bolton, Lancs.

[familyhistoryman]

2 hours ago, MBrockway said:

Your Bolton Parish Church ROH has a Percy ROSTRON.

SDGW has a Rfn Christopher ROSTRON, C/1405, 16/KRRC, KiA 15 Jul 1916.  Again, a High Wood casualty.  Born & enlisted: Darwen, Lancs.

 

Christopher Rostron was a member of the Church Lads Brigade, see https://www.cottontown.org/Wars/World War 1/Reveille/Pages/M-to-Z.aspx#018

Tony

[brianmorris547]

Mark

Yes, all these Rolls are for those serving.

Bolton Evening News 21/12/1914 - Grammar School Old Boys.

Andrews R F L/Cpl 14 Bn KRR - This is 2/Lt Robert Freeman Andrews k in a 15/11/1916 serving with 10 Bn Loyal North Lancs. Formerly Y/207. See LOFWW, educated Bolton Grammar School.

Taylor H Lt KRR - No further detail.

Bolton Evening News 22/12/1914 - Municipal Secondary School

Lowe, Norman CLB Bn - No further detail

Yates F S     KRR    No further detail

EDIT: I made a note that under the name F S Yates is Jack Young, poss KRRC but no trace

More to follow

Brian

Edited 21 September , 2022 by brianmorris547
additional info

[brianmorris547]

Junior Unionists - Bolton Chronicle 13/03/1915

J Isherwood  7 Norton St  - Poss Joseph Isherwood R/9953  POW 

W Simm  27 Broad O'Th'Lane - Poss C.186 William Simm MM Card 16 Bn

F Rothwell  155 Deane Rd - Poss Fred Rothwell R/7700  MH 106/119 Adm 18 GH 19/02/1917 5 Bn att 1 Bn gsw finger amputated - SWB D 392 12/09/1917.

G Roscoe  101 Darley St - Poss George Roscoe R/8071 POW 8 Bn

J Leece  273 Halliwell Rd - Poss John Leece C.204 SWB D 392 10/01/1917

R Dewhurst  119 Sapling Rd - Poss Robert Dewhurst R/7593 MM Card 9 Bn

J Heald  890 Bury Rd - Poss James Heald R/8597

J Holt  2 Prosperous St - Poss C.192

P Yates  14 Gaythorne St - Poss Peter Yates C.857 16 Bn k in a 20/05/1917 - WO 363

L Shepherd  66 Astley St - Poss C.191 Levi Shepherd 16 Bn k in a 26/09/1917.

More tomorrow

Brian

[brianmorris547]

On the Municipal Secondary School ROH there is the name Percy Badrock, but he was Rifle Brigade and Machine Gun Corps. 

Ridgways Endowed School ROH Bolton Journal 08/10/1915.

8247 Davies, Harry - R/8247 8 Bn d of w 03/06/1915

490 Hadfield, Joseph - C.490 is James Hadfield 16 Bn

975 Haslam, Tom - C.975 Thomas Haslam 16 Bn

195 Hird, Harry - C.195 Henry Hird 16 Bn

616 Hulme, Albert - C.616 16 Bn

206 Long, Edward - NFD

7511 Pickup, James - R/7511 k in a 04/04/1917

9490 Smith, Henry E - R/9490 

170 Stanley, Edward - NFD

205 Stanley, Harry - NFD

971 Vickers, Stanley - C.971 16 Bn

Four others were named as KRR but they were three from Kings Own Royal Lancaster and one Lancs Fusiliers

On 11/12/1915 another Ridgways Endowed ROH was printed in the Bolton Chronicle. This showed Edward Long, Edward Stanley and Harry Stanley as 14th or 16th KRR. Hard to read but I'm 90% sure it reads 16th)

Brian

[brianmorris547]

The Bolton Evening News and Bolton Journal ROH - BEN 15/10/1915. (Employees and Journalists).

Smith, H E  116 Dorset St, Bolton (See Ridgways Endowed above)

Breightmet ROH - Bolton Chronicle 06/11/1915

James Heald - R/8597

William Ratcliffe - R/8600 SWB D 392 24/01/1917

Frank Massey - R/9311 MM Card 3 Bn

Harry Davies - R/8247 d of w 03/06/1915

Reginald Ramsden - NFD

Thomas Ramsden - poss R/15030

Mawdsley St P.S.A. Brotherhood ROH (Stands for Pleasant Sunday Afternoon, a Vicar in Bolton Library once told me) - Bolton Chronicle 27/11/1915

Joseph Furniss - NFD

Members of P S A Orchestra

James Hignett - NFD

William Howcroft - NFD

Fern St Wesleyan Sunday School ROH - Bolton Chronicle 18/11/1915

Fred Stott 1 Bn

Fred Heys 1 Bn

The last two are Bolton Parish Church and Bolton Lads Club which I will post later today.

Brian

[MBrockway]

7 hours ago, brianmorris547 said:

Ridgways Endowed School ROH Bolton Journal 08/10/1915.

206 Long, Edward - NFD

170 Stanley, Edward - NFD

205 Stanley, Harry - NFD

<snip>

On 11/12/1915 another Ridgways Endowed ROH was printed in the Bolton Chronicle. This showed Edward Long, Edward Stanley and Harry Stanley as 14th or 16th KRR. Hard to read but I'm 90% sure it reads 16th)

Brian

206 Long, Edward -

Rfn E. LONG, C/206, 16/KRRC.  Son of Edward and Bertha Long, of 126 Waterloo Street, Bolton, Lancs.  Embarked 16 Nov 1915.  Transferred to Royal Flying Corps on 22 Oct 1917 and ended war as 104739 LONG, E., Royal Air Force.  His 1914-15 Star is on the RAF roll, but I cannot find his British War and Victory Medal roll entries.  Mostly likely my difficulties are because it was handled by the Air Ministry not the War Office and I have zero knowledge of navigating those records!  If he got the Star, he should also have got the pair. 

 

170 Stanley, Edward

The KRRC rolls have a gap at C/170. 

16/KRRC were in 100 Bde, 33rd Division.  Edward Stanley originally enlisted into 16/KRRC as C/170, but transferred to the divisional cyclists of 33rd Divn (as Pte Edward STANLEY, 8455, 33rd Divisional Cyclist Company, Army Cyclist Corps) while still in Blighty and went out with them on 15 Nov 1915. 

The 33rd divisional cyclists company was formed on 27 Jul 1915 from men transferred from the infantry battalions of the divn at Clipstone Camp, MANSFIELD, Notts., where the division was assembling. 

He later transferred as Rfn 25808, to 1/Scottish Rifles, 19 Bde, who had joined 33rd Divn on 25 Nov 1915.  This appears to have been in May 1916 - in early May 1916 orders were received to consolidate divisional cyclist companies into corps cyclist battalions.  Surplus cyclist troops were compulsorily transferred to infantry battalions.  In the case of the 33rd divnl cyclists, this was to 1/Scottish Rifles in 19 Bde.  It looks like this was the background to Edward's move back to the infantry.

He was posted missing on 20 Jul 1916 and later accepted as having been killed.  19 Bde, including 1/Scottish Rifles, made the second major 33rd Divn attack on High Wood at dawn on 20 Jul, so Edward was also another High Wood casualty  His body was eventually recovered and he is buried at DELVILLE WOOD CEMETERY, LONGUEVAL.

He was 21 years old, born 1894-5 at Doffcocker, Heaton, Bolton, Lancs., son of Police Sergeant Bradshaw Dymond Stanley and Agnes Stanley, of 78, Bradshaw Road, Bradshaw, Turton, Bolton and younger brother to Rfn Harry P. STANLEY, C/205, 16/KRRC

 

205 Stanley, Harry

Rfn Harry Pearson STANLEY, C/205, 16/KRRC.  Born 17 Jun 1893 at Bedford, Leigh, Lancs.  Son of Police Sergeant Bradshaw Dymond Stanley and Agnes Stanley, of 78, Bradshaw Road, Bradshaw, Turton, Bolton and elder brother to Rfn Edward STANLEY, 25808, 1/Sco Rif above.

 

 

14/KRRC was a Reserve bn based in the UK.

 

Ancestry links to the sources of some of the above (subscription required):

Edward Long -  MIC; RAF 1914-15 Star Roll. 

Edward Stanley - MIC; Scottish Rifles BW&VM Roll.  CWGC Entry.  SDGW Entry.  Census results: 1901; 1911, also 1901 (mother & brother Harry in hospital)

 

 

Are you assembling some sort of Bolton roll?

Hope this helps.

Mark

 

Edited 20 September , 2022 by MBrockway
Additonal info on reorganisation of cyclists in May 1916

[MBrockway]

7 hours ago, brianmorris547 said:

On the Municipal Secondary School ROH there is the name Percy Badrock, but he was Rifle Brigade and Machine Gun Corps. 

 

Always very interested in any Rifle Brigade as well - I alert Andy Pay and in any case there was a great deal of interchange between the two sister regiments.

Any CLB enlisting into the RB would be of particular interest.

Mark

 

[brianmorris547]

Mark

I copied all these Rolls from the Bolton papers to identify those serving with the Bolton Artillery. From November 1914 to November 1915 the Bolton Evening News also named all the recruits at the Town Hall on a daily basis in a column called "Rally to the Flag". I got all the Bolton Artillery from this as well. I can look up the KRRC recruits if you wish, and also get the pictures and bios of those killed in action. The Historian at the Library has done a massive amount of work on WW1.

Just one more ROH before I post the names on the Bolton Parish Church and Bolton Lads Club RsOH.

John Musgrave & Son, Globe Ironworks - Bolton Chronicle 28/04/1916

Apprentice Moulders

Walter Nuttall KRRC - Poss S.6544 Rifle Brigade MM or 14530 KORL

Labourers

Adam Edge  CLB

George Ainsworth  CLB - C.984 16 Bn

William Brown  KRRC - NFD

I can not find a Service Number in the Rolls for Adam Edge but there are two possibles. MH 106/1148 & 1204 Adm 18 GH 20/03/1918 19151 A Edge 16 KRRC gassed

No trace of 19151 but there is also this list of Casualties dated 30/03/1918 which looks like 16 KRRC, on which is named A Edge C.1746. 

Brian

[MBrockway]

Brian - where did you find the piece of 16/KRRC Casualty List?

[brianmorris547]

On 19/09/2022 at 14:51, MBrockway said:

Your Bolton Parish Church ROH has an Albert HASLAM and a John HASLAM. 

SDGW has a Rfn Thomas HASLAM, C/945, 16/KRRC, DoW 17 Jul 1916.  Born & enlisted:  Bolton, Lancs.  Again, most probably a High Wood casualty.  A brother or relation perhaps?

Albert and John Haslam are under Loyal North Lancs (left hand column)

Brian

[brianmorris547]

On 19/09/2022 at 14:58, MBrockway said:

Rfn James HOLMES, C/498, 16/KRRC, KiA 21 Jul 1916.  Born: Oldham, Lancs.  Enlisted: Manchester, Lancs.  Residing: Castleton, Lancs.

James Holmes is also under LNL. The left hand col is LNL, see the first page left hand col which ends Charles Hardcastle and Harry Harris,

Brian

On 19/09/2022 at 15:20, MBrockway said:

Your Bolton Parish Church ROH has a Percy ROSTRON.

SDGW has a Rfn Christopher ROSTRON, C/1405, 16/KRRC, KiA 15 Jul 1916.  Again, a High Wood casualty.  Born & enlisted: Darwen, Lancs.

 

Also LNL

[brianmorris547]

1 hour ago, MBrockway said:

Brian - where did you find the piece of 16/KRRC Casualty List?

Mark

I searched FMP using A Edge with Royal Rifle in Keywords. It came up as British Army Service Records. Source WO 363 John Robert Russell 59991 Rifle Brigade. (Ancestry WO 363 Rus 76523/89814).

Brian

[brianmorris547]

As well as the ROH dated 04/12/1915 there is another Bolton Parish Church ROH in the Chronicle 14/04/1916. It has the same names but where the first list has H E Smith and Joseph Wallwork under KRR the 14/04/1916 list also shows:

Samuel Hardman - Poss C.1681 16 Bn

H E Smith - R/9490

Joseph Wallwork - Poss R/13383 MH 106/711 adm 08/10/1916 gsw chest D Co 12 KRR

C.L.B.

Simeon Booth - Poss C.489 16 BnSWB D 392 10/10/1917

F Chamberlain (shown as Frank on later list) - C.706 16 Bn

John Cummings - Poss C.181 

Evan Davies - Poss C.751 16 Bn

Albert Foster - Poss C.664 16 Bn

James Gallagher - Poss C.705 16 Bn

Jim Harris - Poss C.1606 James Harris

John Hadfield - NFD poss James

James Hindle - Poss C.172 16 Bn

William Hindle - Poss C.945 16 Bn

Harry Hird - Poss C.195 Henry Hird 16 Bn

Henry D Hinde (Henry Douglas Hind on later list) - C.709 16 Bn

James Horridge - C.496 16 Bn SWB D 392 02/06/1917

Albert Hulme - Poss C.616 16 Bn

George Jackson - Poss C.492 16 Bn

T Leach (L/Sgt Thomas Leach on later list) - C.494 

Thomas Leach - C.976 16 Bn k in a 14/04/1916 

Edward Long - (C.206 as per Mark's post)

John McLoughlin - C.178 - 1919 Convicted for desertion

William McLoughlin - C.616 16 Bn - DCM card

Wm Nightingale - C.193 16 Bn

Fred Pardon - Poss C.1091 16 Bn

James Parkinson - NFD

Charles Rigby - C.614

Edward Stanley (170 as per Mark's post)

Harry Stanley (205 as per Mark's post)

Wm Smethurst - C.619 16 Bn k in a 28/06/1917

George Shepherd - C.974 SWB D 392 10/04/1916

Thomas Tong - C.491 16 Bn SWB D 392 14/04/1917

James Wimbush - C.495 

[brianmorris547]

Bolton Lads Club ROH. Bolton Chronicle 25/12/1914

KRR

J Higginson - Poss R/3649 John Higginson k in a 31/08/1915

J Howarth - NFD

W Monks (killed Sep 26th) - R/8115 Wilfred Monks WO 363 A F B 103 shows wounded 26/09 1 Bn d of w same day

J Taylor - NFD

C L B

C Ainscow - NFD (See Manchester Employers ROH Saville Mill Bolton)

J Cummings - John Cummings see Bolton Parish Church ROH

T Entwistle - NFD

James Lord - C.188

R Pilkington - Poss C.955 Richard Pilkington

W Stewart - C.927 - Bugler d of w 16/07/1916

D Taylor - C.931 k in a 16/07/1918

J Thornton - NFD

J Wilding - Poss C.973

Attached is the Manchester Employers ROH showing C Ainscow and Also Lt H Taylor (see Bolton Grammar School ROH)

Brian

 

[stiletto_33853]

OK so what about the RB men that were attached to the 16th KRRC or the 16th KRRC men that went into the RB and were re-numbered under the S Prefix.

 

KRRC & RB used to alternate prefix, i.e. A - KRRC, B - RB, C - KRRC. Then you had of course the Training Reserve really screwing prefix numbering up with soldiers issued 1 number, then a TR number then another Prefix number.

 

Andy

[MBrockway]

5 hours ago, brianmorris547 said:

This list was published as the Daily Casualty List for 22 April 1918, Part VI - Other Ranks, Wounded.

viz

Your 31 Mar 1918 Casualty List appears in Rfn Russell's service record purely because the reverse of the list was blank and it has been recycled as memo paper at the Rifles Record Office.  It is newly used other side that relates to Rfn Russell's record.

There are only a few names on the published list additional to those on your chance survival list and I think it safe to assume they would have appeared in the bottom part, which has been chopped off.  Thus all the names on the published version are most probably all from 16/KRRC.  For security reasons men's battalions were not detailed and the lists were always a little behind.  None of the KRRC letter prefixes are given, probably again as this, in theory anyway, have given clues to the battalion identity.  As you can see though from your list, the original schema had by now become very thoroughly jumbled up!

 

I note there are further Bolton riflemen listed.

Mark

 

[MBrockway]

2 hours ago, stiletto_33853 said:

OK so what about the RB men that were attached to the 16th KRRC or the 16th KRRC men that went into the RB and were re-numbered under the S Prefix.

 

KRRC & RB used to alternate prefix, i.e. A - KRRC, B - RB, C - KRRC. Then you had of course the Training Reserve really screwing prefix numbering up with soldiers issued 1 number, then a TR number then another Prefix number.

 

Andy

Quite right.  Excellent point Andy.

Here's an good example of this problem.

Andy recently alerted me to Rfn Joshua MOSS from Altrincham, who enlisted as C/23 into 16/KRRC on 18 Sep 1914 a month before his 22nd birthday.  One of the earliest to join the bn and almost certainly a former Church Lads Brigade member in Altrincham.

Promoted acting Sergeant 24 Mar 1915.

On 04 Sep 1915, he reverted to acting Corporal and was posted to 19/KRRC at Cooden Camp, Bexhill-on-Sea.  19/KRRC was a Reserve battalion formed from the depot companies of 16/KRRC.

Appointed Lance Sergeant, 19/KRRC on 12 Nov 1915, days after 19/KRRC had moved to Andover, and was around the same time as the parent battalion went out to the Front.

In Feb 1916, 19/KRRC moved to Banbury and then to Wimbledon Common in May.

On formation of the Training Reserve on 01 Sep 1916, 19/KRRC became 109th Training Reserve Battalion and Moss was formally transferred as acting Sergeant and re-numbered TR/13/25768.

On 09 Nov 1916, we was transferred to the Rifle Brigade, renumbered (again) to S/27345 and posted overseas.  At this stage, he had qualified as Drill Instructor and Marksman, so likely to be a valuable NCO.  He landed at 47 IBD on 10 Nov 1916 and was posted to 13/RB, which he joined in the Field on 29 Nov 1916. 

He was reported Missing on 28 Apr 1917 and eventually accepted as dead in early 1918.

Because all of Moss's KRRC service was in the UK, his MIC only lists S/27345, Rifle Brigade and he only appears, again as S/27345, on the Rifle Brigade's British War & Victory Medals roll.  There is absolutely no clue that he enlisted in September 1914, was one of the very early 16/KRRC CLB "originals" and gave 2 years 53 days significant service before going out to the Western Front.  We only uncovered all of this when Andy came across him as part of some work we're doing on transfers/attachments between the RB and 16/KRRC.  Prior to Andy's brilliant discovery, I just had C/23 as an allocated 16/KRRC service number, soldier unknown.

Mark

[brianmorris547]

Mark

I realised that the list in John Robert Russell's WO 363 was a recycled bit of paper, thanks for the WOCL 22/04/1918 which seems to indicate that Adam Edge may well have been C.1746. 

Later today I will go through the RsOH again to check for Rifle Brigade and next Tuesday I will visit Bolton Library to go through "Rally to the Flag". This should identify those who enlisted into the KRRC and RB. I have been meaning to go through the Bolton Papers again to see if I have missed any Bolton Artillery. This will be my winter project. I will also try and get pictures and biographies of Rifle casualties for you and Andy.

Brian

Edited 21 September , 2022 by brianmorris547

[stiletto_33853]

Another case on point, and a new one to Mark as I had not informed him as yet of this one:-

Frederick Hart, aged 19 years 1 month of Beaconsfield. C/1397, enlisted 20/9/1915 and posted to 16th KRRC, transferred to R.D.C. no.1 Observer Company, to 109th TR as TR/10/26809, transferred to BEF 4/11/16 posted to 13th RB as S/27424 18/11/16. Died of Wounds 9/4/17. Once again no mention of any 16th KRRC, MIC and Medal Rolls listed as S/27424 RB solely.

 

Andy