toofatfortakeoff Posted 30 October , 2022 Share Posted 30 October , 2022 Hi all a bit of head scratching going on here. More info if remotely possible required on Pte. Harold Davis Notts & Derby Regt. Numbers first 1905 then 308296 Are these 1st/8th battalion numbers? Born 1896, died mid 1980s. Worked on Nottingham railways (grandson doesn't know the company) until retirement. Lived on Curzon St, Netherfield until death. born in or near Narrow Marsh.Nottingham 1896 ''Shot through knee in 1917''. No silver badge record or pension, Id imagine a shot through the knee would have him discharged, knees take a long while to knit, and personal exp. some 70 years later it took me a year to get trotting again. working on hospital admission, whatever the 1st/8th Notts & Derby Field Ambulance was. 1/1,2,3 FA at a half guess North Midlands. Obviously Harold Davis is a bit of a needle in a haystack. Also the medals got sold in the 80s and family would love to buy them back, long shot someone might have them. Have we got the right battalion for Harold? Harold in photo in Brodie Helmet. Feel free to point me to group photos etc. Thanks TFFTO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matlock1418 Posted 30 October , 2022 Share Posted 30 October , 2022 24 minutes ago, toofatfortakeoff said: Pte. Harold Davis Notts & Derby Regt. Numbers first 1905 then 308296 MIC rather looks like 305296 ??? What does the BWM & VM medal roll record? Both for number and perhaps Bn. ?? M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivor Anderson Posted 30 October , 2022 Share Posted 30 October , 2022 Medal roll (Ancestry) shows 305296 - 1/8th just means 8th Bn: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matlock1418 Posted 30 October , 2022 Share Posted 30 October , 2022 4 minutes ago, Ivor Anderson said: Medal roll (Ancestry) shows 305296 - 1/8th just means 8th Bn: just what I had hoped someone would find. M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clk Posted 30 October , 2022 Share Posted 30 October , 2022 (edited) Hi TFFTO 51 minutes ago, Matlock1418 said: MIC rather looks like 305296 Image sourced from the National Archives The 305296 number does belong to the number block allocated to 8/Sherwood Foresters under the 1917 renumbering of the TF - link. His MIC indicates that he first entered France/Flanders on 2.3.1915 (- on Ancestry his Star role is here). However, according to the LLT (link), the 1/8 Bn first landed overseas on 25.2.1915, so it seems that he followed them over slightly later - possibly sent from the 2/8? 'Near number' sampling for surviving files for men from the Regiment/Battalion may allow you to establish an enlistment date. 1/8 = 1st line, 8th Bn. There was also a 2/8 - (2nd line, 8th Bn), and later a 3/8 (3rd line, 8th Bn) Regards Chris Edited 30 October , 2022 by clk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toofatfortakeoff Posted 30 October , 2022 Author Share Posted 30 October , 2022 (edited) Magic, thanks so far, my eyes failed me there!! HIs national archive card shows a bit of a squiggle for that 5 and no lance corporal either! Edited 30 October , 2022 by toofatfortakeoff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PRC Posted 30 October , 2022 Share Posted 30 October , 2022 1 hour ago, toofatfortakeoff said: Born 1896, died mid 1980s. Worked on Nottingham railways (grandson doesn't know the company) until retirement. Lived on Curzon St, Netherfield until death. born in or near Narrow Marsh.Nottingham 1896 Date of birth 10th August 1896 according to information given to the Registrars Office when his death was recorded in Nottingham in the last quarter of 1986. He was shown as Harold Davis, no middle name. No obvious probate so can't be 100% sure it's the Curzon Street, Netherfield man. But with only three people with the name Harold Davis who died in the Nottingham Civil Registration District between 1980 and 1990 - assuming that is where he died - then the other two have middle names and were born in 1900 and 1915. That date of birth would mean he could have been registered in either Q3 or Q4 1896. There are five Harold Davis's registered in England & Wales, but only one had no middle name and that individual was registered in the Basford District of Nottinghamshire in Q3 1896. Mothers' maiden name was Starten. 1901 Census, aged 4, and 1911 Census, aged 14, both have him born Netherfield. A 1917 wounding would tilt it towards him appearing in the casualty list under his six digit number - whether 308296 or 305296 but not finding him so far under either. Does however look like FMP \ BNA have some newspapers reports from the thirties and forties has several newspaper mentions for a Harold Davis of Netherfield, a railwayman \ railway official. Unfortunately don't subscribe so can't check them out. Oddly the National Archive catalogue has indexed the 1/8th Sherwood Foresters War Diary as starting from October 1914, so may be worthwhile checking out, if only to see if it records a draft arriving in March 1915. Can be found here https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C7354522 Cheers, Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clk Posted 30 October , 2022 Share Posted 30 October , 2022 Hi Peter, 3 minutes ago, PRC said: Oddly the National Archive catalogue has indexed the 1/8th Sherwood Foresters War Diary as starting from October 1914, so may be worthwhile checking out, if only to see if it records a draft arriving in March 1915. I had a look. It shows a fair bit in the UK and initial mobilization, the creation of the 1st and 2nd line units, and prior to arriving in Southampton, and then arriving in Le Havre on 3rd March. Regards Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PRC Posted 31 October , 2022 Share Posted 31 October , 2022 6 minutes ago, clk said: then arriving in Le Havre on 3rd March. Thanks Chris, So looks like he deployed overseas at the same time as the Battalion, rather than as a subsequent draft. Seems the LLT needs an update Cheers, Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matlock1418 Posted 31 October , 2022 Share Posted 31 October , 2022 (edited) 9 hours ago, toofatfortakeoff said: Magic, thanks so far, my eyes failed me there!! HIs national archive card shows a bit of a squiggle for that 5 and no lance corporal either! TFFTO, Don't beat yourself up too badly - that third digit is certainly is less than absolutely clearly scripted! The Ancestry and Fold3 transcriber(s) erroneously indexed this card as Harold DAVID!! [But that can often seem par for the course for Ancestry] TNA indexed as DAVIS and 305296 though. [Nicely confirmed by that Medal Roll] As for being a LCpl - that was an appointment and not a rank - so if he was so appointed his substantive rank would still have been Pte. M Edited 31 October , 2022 by Matlock1418 comment Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toofatfortakeoff Posted 31 October , 2022 Author Share Posted 31 October , 2022 10 hours ago, PRC said: Date of birth 10th August 1896 Many thanks for this valuable information Peter and to everyone who has contributed, you are a super bunch. Official history states Feb 1915 same as index card by the way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PRC Posted 31 October , 2022 Share Posted 31 October , 2022 18 minutes ago, toofatfortakeoff said: Official history states Feb 1915 same as index card by the way. MiC says 2nd March 1915 unless you're reading it in the States - which unless he was part of an advanced party probably means it was the day he embarked. That seems to fit pre-war practice of recording the date a man came off the home establishment. For France & Flanders it usually makes minimal difference, but something to watch out for when dealiing with MiC information for those who first served further afield. Cheers, Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matlock1418 Posted 31 October , 2022 Share Posted 31 October , 2022 1 hour ago, toofatfortakeoff said: Feb 1915 same as index card I would read card's 2.3.15 as 2 March 1915 [as Peter has suggested] = UK after all. M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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