One mans Company

[Dirty Harry]

Hello,

 

I am looking a bit of understanding in regards to the Company a man was in.  For instance, Private Samuel John Clarke, 10605, R Innis Fus, is shown on the service medal card as serving with the 2nd and then 1st Bn.  An Mh106 file shows he was in 1 Bn,C Company in 1917. There is no service record to refer too. How likely is it he would remain in that company? I would like to be be able to build up Company profiles but im not sure if the Army would not make things more complicated...

 

Thanks,

 

Paul

[FROGSMILE]

2 hours ago, Dirty Harry said:

Hello,

 

I am looking a bit of understanding in regards to the Company a man was in.  For instance, Private Samuel John Clarke, 10605, R Innis Fus, is shown on the service medal card as serving with the 2nd and then 1st Bn.  An Mh106 file shows he was in 1 Bn,C Company in 1917. There is no service record to refer too. How likely is it he would remain in that company? I would like to be be able to build up Company profiles but im not sure if the Army would not make things more complicated...

 

Thanks,

 

Paul

Overall, movement between companies was common in the ‘churn’ of regimental duty.  A combination of sickness, casualties (woundings, deaths, injuries, and prisoners of war), promotions, attending external training courses, and men attached to other arms such as the RE for routine periods, all caused constant to-ing and fro-ing.  Men who did leave the battalion, for any of those reasons, would often only rarely rejoin the company that they left, especially so the longer that they were away.  A battalion’s make up could completely change in a matter of months and a single action could destroy, or decimate a battalion.  Survivors (and so seasoned veterans of battle) would be dispersed throughout the unit as the battalion rebuilt using drafts from the infantry base depots.

Edited 5 September , 2022 by FROGSMILE

[Allan1892]

There are a number of medical records held on the subscription site Find My Past for Samuel J Clark.

• He was admitted to the 18th General Hospital on the 1 November 1916, entry shows that he was with the 2nd Battalion Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, 'C' Company.
• He was admitted again to the 18th General Hospital on the 27 November 1916. His entry shows that he was still with 'C' Company, 2nd Battalion. His age is shown as 20 years; he had been in the Army for 4 full years and in 'the field' for 2 years and 3 months.
• He was admitted to the 18th General Hospital on the 25 April 1917. His entry shows that he was with the 1st Battalion, 'C' Company.
• He was on the 31 Ambulance Train on the 24 April 1917 (slight difference in date with the entry for his admission to the 18th GH). His entry shows that he was with the 1st Battalion, 'C' Company.
• His Discharge Documents record show that he enlisted into the 3rd Royal Inniskilling (Special Reserve) on the 6 August 1913 (service number #4233) and moved into the Regular Army on the 8 December 1913 and was given the number #10605.

[Dirty Harry]

On 05/09/2022 at 16:18, FROGSMILE said:

Overall, movement between companies was common in the ‘churn’ of regimental duty.  A combination of sickness, casualties (woundings, deaths, injuries, and prisoners of war), promotions, attending external training courses, and men attached to other arms such as the RE for routine periods, all caused constant to-ing and fro-ing.  Men who did leave the battalion, for any of those reasons, would often only rarely rejoin the company that they left, especially so the longer that they were away.  A battalion’s make up could completely change in a matter of months and a single action could destroy, or decimate a battalion.  Survivors (and so seasoned veterans of battle) would be dispersed throughout the unit as the battalion rebuilt using drafts from the infantry base depots.

Thanks Frog, I had kinda hoped that Company would remain static to be able to build up Company profiles but it was more a hope than an expectation.  Id guess I must see them as a point in time reference to maybe cover a few months at best.

 

Thanks Alan for the extra information

[FROGSMILE]

3 hours ago, Dirty Harry said:

Thanks Frog, I had kinda hoped that Company would remain static to be able to build up Company profiles but it was more a hope than an expectation.  Id guess I must see them as a point in time reference to maybe cover a few months at best.

 

Thanks Alan for the extra information

I’m glad to help a little Harry.  The key takeaway is that a man might sometimes stay in a particular company, especially if he became well known to the CSM, etc.  However, the point that I have tried to make was that things were constantly moving in such a way that full blown industrial warfare, with its casualties and other unforeseen events, brings on a degree of churn within unit establishments so that movement common, even if not universal for every single man. 

Edited 9 September , 2022 by FROGSMILE