Pension for death of EGB Shields, M/205360, ASC but not for death of brother, DM Shields, 266470, Seaforth Hrs.

[rolt968]

David Myles Shields, Pte., 266470, 6 Seaforth Highlanders was killed on 23 April 1916.

His younger brother. Edward George Beattie Shields, Sgt, M/205360 died of pneumonia on on 2February 1919.

Both men made wills. Their parenst were the legatees in both cases.

For some reason a pension was awarded to the parents for EGB Shields' death but no pension seems to have been awarded for DM Shields.

Unfortunately in addition to the Soldiers' Records some documents seem to be missing. I can't find Edward Shields' will.

From the documents above can anyone see a reason why either no pension was awarded for David M Shields' service or his parents did not apply for a pension?

RM

 

 

Edited 31 October , 2023 by rolt968

[ss002d6252]

1 hour ago, rolt968 said:

For some reason a pension was awarded to the parents for EGB Shields' death but no pension seems to have been awarded for DM Shields.

I can't see one either - I can't see anything obvious that would have stopped a pension, had one been claimed.

Quote

David Myles Shields, Pte., 266470, 6 Seaforth Highlanders was killed on 23 April 1916.

The effects record says 9 April 1917.

Craig

 

[rolt968]

14 hours ago, ss002d6252 said:

I can't see one either - I can't see anything obvious that would have stopped a pension, had one been claimed.

The effects record says 9 April 1917.

 

Oops! Careless reading of my summary notes. 9 April 1917 is correct. The names on the war memorial are in chronological order of death. I had read the date of death of the man on the next line.

Edward G B Shields enlisted in the Highland Cyclist Battalion in spring 1915 and transferring at a date I haven't found out to the ASC as a motor transport driver. He served in Mesopatamia and arrived in Egypt in the summer of 1917. He was mentioned in dispatches in August 1918. (Most of this from the local newspapers - which got the date of his mention wrong.) I suspect that he was an original member of 967 MT Company (formed in June 1917 -LLT). He doesn't seem to be in Soldiers Died in the Great War.

I haven't found anything in the family circumstances which might lead to his parensts not applying for a pension for David.

RM

[Dai Bach y Sowldiwr]

Were the parents dependents of DM Shields?

[rolt968]

1 hour ago, Dai Bach y Sowldiwr said:

Were the parents dependents of DM Shields?

The simple answer is that I don't know.

Both were living at home at the time of the 1911 Census, aged 14 and 15 and attending school. Their father was an overseer on an estate to the north west of Montrose, Angus.

Edward became a "driver" for a local stables in Montrose (I suspect this also means a car driver since he joined the motor transpost section of th ASC). David became a footman at Brodie Castle in Morayshire.

RM

[Dai Bach y Sowldiwr]

Thanks,

If he was still at Brodie Castle (am I right that it's 100 miles plus from Montrose?) on joining up, his parents  would be unlikely to be dependents. Of course he might have been sending money home to them. Hard to tell.

[rolt968]

6 minutes ago, Dai Bach y Sowldiwr said:

Thanks,

If he was still at Brodie Castle (am I right that it's 100 miles plus from Montrose?) on joining up, his parents  would be unlikely to be dependents. Of course he might have been sending money home to them. Hard to tell.

I had wondered about that and come to no conclusion. It is interesting that the entries about legatees in both men's entries in Regsiters of Soldiers' Effects are virtually identical.

[Dai Bach y Sowldiwr]

I suppose if he were unmarried, then his parents were most likely to be named as legatees, as there was always the risk that a brother in the forces might also meet an untimely end.

[Matlock1418]

19 hours ago, Dai Bach y Sowldiwr said:

If he was still at Brodie Castle (am I right that it's 100 miles plus from Montrose?) on joining up, his parents  would be unlikely to be dependents. Of course he might have been sending money home to them.

In order to claim/be awarded a dependant's pension a parent of an unmarried soldier [which actually meant potentially both parents as a pension could be handed down on the death of the first so awarded, usually the mother and father potentially later picking] had to have proven pre-war/service dependancy [i.e. be in receipt of monies such as an allotment of pay for a reasonable period prior to service or of a Separation Allowance] or for the parent(s) to have been wholly or partially incapable of self-support from infirmity or age.

The lack of claim/award does rather suggest there likely was no prior dependance or other applicable circumstances.

M

Edited 2 November , 2023 by Matlock1418
add

[rolt968]

7 hours ago, Matlock1418 said:

In order to claim/be awarded a dependant's pension a parent of an unmarried soldier [which actually meant potentially both parents as a pension could be handed down on the death of the first so awarded, usually the mother and father potentially later picking] had to have proven pre-war/service dependancy [i.e. be in receipt of monies such as an allotment of pay for a reasonable period prior to service or of a Separation Allowance] or for the parent(s) to have been wholly or partially incapable of self-support from infirmity or age.

The lack of claim/award does rather suggest there likely was no prior dependance or other applicable circumstances.

M

Thank you that makes things a lot clearer. I had wondered if one son had had allotted part of his pay and the other had not.

RM

Edited 2 November , 2023 by rolt968