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Remembered Today:

Norman Pinkerton 6791 died 21st July 1918


Meadowfield

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I am researching Norman Pinkerton  born 1891 who enlisted in the Manchester Regiment in 1914. At some stage he transferred to the Lincolnshire regiment . ( 32609). What I'm finding difficult to understand is that he died in Darjeeling and is buried in the Lebong cemetery India, not in a military grave.

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/234834569/norman-pinkerton

How would he have ended up there?  Thanks in advance.

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Someone with newspaper subscription may help.

Alderley & Wilmslow Advertiser Cheshire, England

9 Aug 1918

Also, very similar regarding wounding with service number 167914

Alderley & Wilmslow Advertiser Cheshire, England

7 Jul 1916

 

Edited by busterfield
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3 hours ago, Meadowfield said:

How would he have ended up there?

To answer the specific question he is commemorated by the CWGC on the Madras War Memorial

https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/1466036/n-pinkerton/

"The MADRAS 1914-1918 MEMORIAL was built to commemorate more than 1000 servicemen and women who died in India during the First World War, who were buried in civil and cantonment cemeteries in India* whose graves were considered to be unmaintainable after India gained its independence in 1947. For several years now, the Commission has been working to reinstate the original graves of a large number of these individuals and to date, the official commemoration of over 900 individuals have been reverted back to their original burial location. However, their names will remain on the MADRAS 1914-1918 MEMORIAL for the foreseeable future." CWGC Cemetery Information.

There are seven WW1 Graves in the Lebong Cantonment New Cemetery, including one other from the 1st Garrison Battalion Lincolnshire Regiment.  The documents tell us that Lebong was a small British Infantry hill Cantonment in the Darjeeling District.  In other words a typical policing station for the British Army

The British soldier had been in India from the sixteenth century in one form or another and by the time of the First World War postings to India was one of the main duties of the British Army.  When war was declared the regular battalions were brought home to fight on the Western Front, or frequently in the Dardanelles.  Their place was taken by Territorial Battalions initially, some of whom remained throughout the war and later Garrison Battalions formed from Category B fitness men who were no longer considered fit for active duty at the Front.

You say you are researching this man, whom I suspect succumbed to the influenza pandemic, India was very badly hit, if you tell us what else you know it may save duplication of effort.  The 14-15 Star Medal Roll tells us he first landed in France on the 8th November 1915 with the 1 Battalion (actually the 16th Battalion), and his death was due to 'sickness".  The BWM and VM Roll confirms the 16th Batttalion and then a posting to the 1st Garrison Battalion Manchester Regiment in India.

See:-

http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/regiments-and-corps/the-british-infantry-regiments-of-1914-1918/manchester-regiment/

Near number sampling indicates Garrison soldiers of the Manchester Regiment were transferred to the 1st Garrison Battalion Lincolnshire on or around the 19th July 1918 to date from the 21st July.

As India was not a theatre of war, (save for a couple of exceptions on the NWF, there was no requirement to maintain a war diary.

 

 

 

 

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4 hours ago, busterfield said:

Someone with newspaper subscription may help.

Alderley & Wilmslow Advertiser Cheshire, England

9 Aug 1918

Also, very similar regarding wounding with service number 167914

Alderley & Wilmslow Advertiser Cheshire, England

7 Jul 1916

 

Images courtesy of Find My Past

Pinkerton_1916.jpg

Pinkerton_1918.jpg

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A general view of the Cantonment

https://web.archive.org/web/20160412123331/http://www.imagesofasia.com/html/india/lebong.html

It had been in use by the Army since 1882, typically soldiers would be stationed there from April until September/October.  It would have been quite pleasant after the Western Front, therefore tragic he died of sickness whilst there.

https://wiki.fibis.org/w/Darjeeling

As the newspaper date his posting to India in the Spring of 1917 he was, in all probability in the reinforcement draft to the 1st Garrison Battalion Manchester Regt. who disembarked at the beginning of May.

I doubt he knew much about his transfer to the Lincolnshire Regiment.

The war diary for the 16th Battalion can be downloaded from TNA for free if you register

https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C7353656

It's also on Ancestry if you subscribe

 

 

 

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Thank you to everyone for your answers. I now understand why Private Pinkerton was in India. It is sad to think that to him it must have seemed a wonderful chance to escape the war, but that it ended up with his death at the age of 27. 

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Norman Pinkerton was an original member of the 1st City or Pals Bn, later redesignated as 16th Bn.  He trained at Heaton Park in 9 Pln of C Coy.  You can find a Platoon photo on FMP or the Manchester Forum.  Ken provided a good explanation of the men serving in India with 1GB.  Many of these had been wounded / sick overseas, transferred to 3rd or 4th Bn in the Humber Garrison and then posted to 1GB of the Lincs before leaving for India to serve in 1 GB of the Manchesters.  I was interested to learn about the status of the graves and Memorial.

Tim

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15 minutes ago, 8055Bell said:

Ken provided a good explanation of the men serving in India with 1GB.  Many of these had been wounded / sick overseas, transferred to 3rd or 4th Bn in the Humber Garrison and then posted to 1GB of the Lincs before leaving for India to serve in 1 GB of the Manchesters. 

Thank you, but to clarify these men were not posted to the 1st GB Lincolnshire Regiment before embarking for India, they were reinforcement drafts from the Reserve Battalion(s) for the 1st Garrison Battalion Manchester Regiment.  A surprising number of records survive and they show the soldiers were transferred from the 1st GB Manchester Regiment to the 1st Garrison Battalion Lincolnshire Regiment in Feyzabad on the dates previously given, i.e. 19 July 1918.

Extract from service record 32607 Douglas courtesy FMP:-

Screenshot 2023-03-21 at 10.31.06.png

 

Extract from service record 32613 Ashworth courtesy FMP:-

Screenshot 2023-03-21 at 10.23.10.png

Therefore 32609 was almost certainly subject to the same Adjutant General telegram cited in the above records. It was in  all probability an administrative transfer which made little difference to their day-to-day duties.  We can't say with certainty when Pte Pinkerton was posted to India, although the newspaper tells us it was in the Spring of 1917 but we can say he was transferred to the Lincolnshire Regiment a mere two days before he died.

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