12190 Percy Williams, RFA

[ianshuter]

I am looking for any information regarding Sgt 12190 Percy Williams of 19th Brigade RFA (CWGC or 69th Brigade Register of Effects or 124th Brigade - Medal Card) who we believe "died in hospital of heat stroke" (Roll of Honour book) at what looks like Beet Mamma or Beet Mamna or perhaps Beit Mamma etc.

UPDATED: Actually it could be Beit Nama and the "No 3 British General Hospital (BGH) arrived at Basra in November 1915 and was located close to the Beit Nama Officer’s Hospital"

I did not find him in the Daily Casualty lists or Army Medical Records on Find My Past, no trace of his service record

He is named on the Rowington War Memorial https://www.swfhs.org.uk/index.php/war-memorial-transcriptions/war-memorial-transcritions-l-r/rowingtonwm
Percy not have the best of starts in life having been born in Warwick Workhouse and having no recorded father. He was brought up by his grandparents in Rowington. Before the war he was a coal miner living in Perry Bar (1911) and perhaps later further north as he enlisted in Aug/Sep 1914 at St. Helens, Lancs.

His older brother Thomas was also raised by his Grandparents and he died of appendicitis in France in 1916
 

Edited 10 November , 2023 by ianshuter

[Alisonmallen62]

Just found this on ancestry 

[Alisonmallen62]

Is it Bells mania?

[David Porter]

2 hours ago, ianshuter said:

Sgt 12190 Percy Williams of 19th Brigade RFA (CWGC or 69th Brigade Register of Effects or 124th Brigade - Medal Card)

The number 12190 was issued at No. 2 Depot RFA, Preston, in early September 1914.
The 124 is a Medal Roll reference and 19th Brigade RFA served in France and Salonika.
69th Brigade RFA served in Egypt then, on arrival in Mesopotamia with 13th Division, was split into separate batteries.
However, members of 69th Brigade RFA who disembarked in Egypt on July 6, 1915 should have a Star medal.
Percy appears not to have a Star medal.

For Mespot, 69th Brigade RFA was distributed as follows:
A (H)/69 Bty joined 55th Brigade RFA on November 23, 1916, then 14th Indian Division on June 29, 1917
B (H)/69 Bty joined 4th Brigade RFA, 3rd (Indian) Lahore Division on November 20, 1916
C (H)/69 Bty joined 13th Brigade RFA, 14th Indian Division on November 20, 1916
D (H)/69 Bty joined 9th Brigade RFA, 7th (Indian) Meerut Division on September 1, 1916

That is a few War Diaries to check but it may provide some more detail.

 

[RussT]

3 hours ago, ianshuter said:

Sgt 12190 Percy Williams of 19th Brigade RFA (CWGC

CWGC states 19th Bde on his digital record but 69th Bde on his original paper records.

So is this a simple scanning error during digitisation?

You can simply report the error to CWGC and they will correct his digital record.

[RussT]

3 hours ago, ianshuter said:

124th Brigade - Medal Card)

You have confused his Medal Roll Ledger number (124B) with an RFA Brigade number - everyone makes that mistake so don't worry !

Russ

PS: just spotted that David has also noted this in his post above.

[ianshuter]

12 hours ago, David Porter said:

The number 12190 was issued at No. 2 Depot RFA, Preston, in early September 1914.
The 124 is a Medal Roll reference and 19th Brigade RFA served in France and Salonika.
69th Brigade RFA served in Egypt then, on arrival in Mesopotamia with 13th Division, was split into separate batteries.
However, members of 69th Brigade RFA who disembarked in Egypt on July 6, 1915 should have a Star medal.
Percy appears not to have a Star medal.

For Mespot, 69th Brigade RFA was distributed as follows:
A (H)/69 Bty joined 55th Brigade RFA on November 23, 1916, then 14th Indian Division on June 29, 1917
B (H)/69 Bty joined 4th Brigade RFA, 3rd (Indian) Lahore Division on November 20, 1916
C (H)/69 Bty joined 13th Brigade RFA, 14th Indian Division on November 20, 1916
D (H)/69 Bty joined 9th Brigade RFA, 7th (Indian) Meerut Division on September 1, 1916

That is a few War Diaries to check but it may provide some more detail.

 

Thank's David it is clear from the above that he was in 69th Brigade and as his CWGC record stated B Battery then with 4th Brigade - 3rd Indian Div, I am now trying to find the War Dairy

Many thanks to all who commented - it really does help clear my cluttered mind...

[ianshuter]

19 hours ago, David Porter said:

The number 12190 was issued at No. 2 Depot RFA, Preston, in early September 1914.
The 124 is a Medal Roll reference and 19th Brigade RFA served in France and Salonika.
69th Brigade RFA served in Egypt then, on arrival in Mesopotamia with 13th Division, was split into separate batteries.
However, members of 69th Brigade RFA who disembarked in Egypt on July 6, 1915 should have a Star medal.
Percy appears not to have a Star medal.

For Mespot, 69th Brigade RFA was distributed as follows:
A (H)/69 Bty joined 55th Brigade RFA on November 23, 1916, then 14th Indian Division on June 29, 1917
B (H)/69 Bty joined 4th Brigade RFA, 3rd (Indian) Lahore Division on November 20, 1916
C (H)/69 Bty joined 13th Brigade RFA, 14th Indian Division on November 20, 1916
D (H)/69 Bty joined 9th Brigade RFA, 7th (Indian) Meerut Division on September 1, 1916

That is a few War Diaries to check but it may provide some more detail.

 

I think I solved the mystery of his Star Medal, in Feb 1916 he was in Scotland training recruits according to the Stratford on Avon Herald...

[alf mcm]

Ian,

  The place Percy died may be Beit-Nama {sometimes written as Beit-Namma}. This was an Officers Hospital in Mesopotamia. Not sure why a Sergeant would be there, but the war diaries may help;-

Lines of Communication Troops: Officers Hospital (BEIT-NAMA) | The National Archives

Lines of Communication Troops: Officers Hospital (BEIT-NAMA) | The National Archives

Regards,

Alf McM