(Gunner) James McGregor Harper - 259th Siege Bty. Royal Garrison Art

[rivalfish]

I am piecing together my great-grandfather's service history. 

Just starting to scratch the surface so I only have basic information - most of which is in the title I suppose - but I wanted to see if I could ascertain more on this great forum. 

Some of his information can be found on the Cheshire Roll of Honour (see link):

112240 Gunner James McGregor HARPER (cheshireroll.co.uk)

Beyond this rather basic information though I am rather stumped. So, any information your wonderful people can provide would be greatly appreciate by myself and my family.

I want to keep James's memory alive and share his story with my children as best I can. 

Thank you. 

 

 

 

[George Rayner]

Good luck with the research and welcome to the forum.

Fold3-a subscription site-holds a Pension Card for him which gives a deal of information. This is included below for your information but copyright does not enable you to publish it further.

George

[George Rayner]

If you subscribe to Ancestry his 'Enlistment' papers are here-19 pages

https://www.ancestry.co.uk/discoveryui-content/view/885798:1219?tid=&pid=&queryId=f94b66f0-c25a-4404-aabc-2fba2fb539e2&_phsrc=DUQ2812&_phstart=successSource

or subscribe to Fold3

https://www.fold3.com/image/412939196?terms=112240,harper

or Find My Past-medal index card, CWGC reference etc

https://www.findmypast.co.uk/search/results?sourcecategory=armed+forces+%26+conflict&sid=101&lastname=harper&soldiernumber=112240&keywordsplace_proximity=5&sourcecountry=great+britain

George

 

 

 

[Matlock1418]

1 hour ago, George Rayner said:

Thanks George - you have just beaten me to posting that PIC!   Saved me a small task. 

I do think these records are very interesting as a record of the sad aftermath of a man's death.

As is my regular habit to new members I offer, below, my interpretation of a few things seen on the card - I hope of added interest to the OP and his children, and that this will also help avoid any potential misinterpretation ...

His widow made an initial claim for a war pension for herself and for a pension allowance(s) for her children under the prevailing Royal Warrant [which in this case would initially have been the 1917 RW] - Article 11 [widow] and Article 12 [child(ren)].  There were later RW in 1918 and 1919

This pension index card was in the soldier’s name and there was another briefer card in the widow’s name so they could be cross-referenced/accessed [unfortunately not found]  These came from/lead to a ledger page(s) via the claim case references and then to an awards file. Unfortunately, the initial ledger is also not found [probably destroyed] and the awards file was also probably deliberately destroyed once its use was passed [as was the common case]

The original Case No. 1120 claim reference was potentially replaced by a later Ministry of Pensions one of 3/WH/xxxx - 3 representing the pension region [NW England Region], W a widow’s claim, H for surname and xxxx being the new case number for later stages of the claim.  Often we can see this later sort of MoP reference, but not in this case

Form 104-88 = Death notification of a married man sent from the man’s Record Office to the War Office.

Form 104-76 = Declaration made by the Widow of a Soldier in support of claim to pension for herself and children

Date of birth: 18.6.1877 = his widow’s - required because her pension could be age-related/supplemented if she was >45 [which she obviously was not]. Such an age banding of pension is believed to address the less likely possibility of re-marriage with increasing age.

This was a standard pension initially paid to his widow of 28/9 per week from 5.11.17 [there usually was an approx. six-month gap between death and paying of a pension [to allow six months for any presumption of death and for calculation] - in the meantime standard Separation Allowances continued to be paid – so, unlike what many observers think when they first see such a card, there was not a complete absence of monies in the intervening period]. 

1917 RW 13/9 pw for a widow <45y plus increments of 5/0 [60d], 4/2 [50d], 3/4 [40d], 2/6 [30d] pw for the children = 28/9 pw.  The rounded figures in pence for the children make you wonder if those figures really were the cost of raising a child(ren) or if they just made things simpler for the pension clerks [I suspect the latter]

The child(ren)'s allowance(s) were paid to their mother, typically until they reached 16 when such payments ceased [occasionally up to 21 if they were in some form of further vocational training or sometimes if they had impairment/disability] - then the child(ren) would certainly be expected to go out to work to earn their keep. Or paid until the earlier death of a child. Hence their recorded dates.

She also got £3 Grant 19.5.17 - as was usual, since his body had been recovered, this was quite quickly awarded - a grant to cover urgent expenses arising from her husband's death - often for mourning dress [though not worn much at that time of the war], sometimes for moving home [typically downsizing as she would no longer be expected to keep a home in the same level of comfort as her husband might have expected had he returned!] - commonly used for local newspaper death notice inserts [these quite often had a photo = so a good place to search, e.g at British Newspaper Archive or through Find my Past]

N/N is thought to mean 'Noted for Novel' i.e. special treatment/calculation.

S.A. means Separation Allowance - A portion of a soldier's pay which was matched by the government and sent to his dependants to make sure they were not left destitute while he was on active service.  SA were often slightly more generous than pensions and children’s allowances because a wife had to maintain a home in the same level of comfort as before ready for her husband’s return whilst a widow did not have such a need and costs – after all, apparently, she could then cut back and down-size her home!  Typically, the No. for whom SA is paid on the card reflected the number of children – as we can see here

50F 5.10.17  is Form 50F used to cease the Separation Allowance and start the pension.

I think the MN 3219 was possibly a certificate identity number to allow for the collection of the pension and allowances from a Post Office - but I am rather more cautious about that.

The printer's marks at the bottom show the printing dates [8/16 & 1/17] and large numbers [batches of 25,000] of these index cards sadly required to be used to help manually administer pensions using ledgers and files [by a small army of pension clerks, most of them female - No computers in those days!].

There a few other pensions admin annotations but probably not now of much significance really.

 ... I hope that did the job.

Physical personal effects recovered from his body would usually be returned to his widow by the Army with/as recorded on Army Form W. 3032. Typically: Bible and/or prayer book and/or hymn book, metal cigarette case and/or pipe [but probably not usually the tobacco - which would have likely been enjoyed by his mates!], match box holder [probably less matches], watch, photograph(s), letter(s) and/or card(s), and similar items.

His widow would later typically get the balance of her late husband’s pay/’Effects’ and a War Gratuity [based on the length of his War Service] – possibly through a soldier’s Will or as NoK - But surely those, like her relatively small pension [often well below his former income], wouldn’t have really made up for the loss of a husband and father – See the Army’s Register of Soldiers’ Effects [A financial ledger - From the National Army Museum now typically available via Ancestry].

He left a Will - available for a small fee at https://probatesearch.service.gov.uk - may not say much but should have his signature. [Likely to be a single page and to have been taken from his pay book after his death]

      Last name  First name   Date of death   Regiment number

      HARPER     JAMES         19 April 1917   112240

CWGC commemoration at https://probatesearch.service.gov.uk Son of Joseph and Mary Ann Harper; husband of Emma Harper, of 5, Ince St., Heaton Norris, Stockport [as we can also see on the PIC above]. Born at Shaw, Oldham.

Grave photo available at Find a Grave https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/24736984/james-mcgregor-harper

All the best.

M

Edited 6 March by Matlock1418
typo

[Allan1892]

I don't know if you have this newspaper report on his death from the Alderley & Wilmslow Advertiser, 18 May 1917

(image courtesy of Find My Past)

[rivalfish]

9 hours ago, Matlock1418 said:

Thanks George - you have just beaten me to posting that PIC!   Saved me a small task. 

I do think these records are very interesting as a record of the sad aftermath of a man's death.

As is my regular habit to new members I offer, below, my interpretation of a few things seen on the card - I hope of added interest to the OP and his children, and that this will also help avoid any potential misinterpretation ...

His widow made an initial claim for a war pension for herself and for a pension allowance(s) for her children under the prevailing Royal Warrant [which in this case would initially have been the 1917 RW] - Article 11 [widow] and Article 12 [child(ren)].  There were later RW in 1918 and 1919

This pension index card was in the soldier’s name and there was another briefer card in the widow’s name so they could be cross-referenced/accessed [unfortunately not found]  These came from/lead to a ledger page(s) via the claim case references and then to an awards file. Unfortunately, the initial ledger is also not found [probably destroyed] and the awards file was also probably deliberately destroyed once its use was passed [as was the common case]

The original Case No. 1120 claim reference was potentially replaced by a later Ministry of Pensions one of 3/WH/xxxx - 3 representing the pension region [NW England Region], W a widow’s claim, H for surname and xxxx being the new case number for later stages of the claim.  Often we can see this later sort of MoP reference, but not in this case

Form 104-88 = Death notification of a married man sent from the man’s Record Office to the War Office.

Form 104-76 = Declaration made by the Widow of a Soldier in support of claim to pension for herself and children

Date of birth: 18.6.1877 = his widow’s - required because her pension could be age-related/supplemented if she was >45 [which she obviously was not]. Such an age banding of pension is believed to address the less likely possibility of re-marriage with increasing age.

This was a standard pension initially paid to his widow of 28/9 per week from 5.11.17 [there usually was an approx. six-month gap between death and paying of a pension [to allow six months for any presumption of death and for calculation] - in the meantime standard Separation Allowances continued to be paid – so, unlike what many observers think when they first see such a card, there was not a complete absence of monies in the intervening period]. 

1917 RW 13/9 pw for a widow <45y plus increments of 5/0 [60d], 4/2 [50d], 3/4 [40d], 2/6 [30d] pw for the children = 28/9 pw.  The rounded figures in pence for the children make you wonder if those figures really were the cost of raising a child(ren) or if they just made things simpler for the pension clerks [I suspect the latter]

The child(ren)'s allowance(s) were paid to their mother, typically until they reached 16 when such payments ceased [occasionally up to 21 if they were in some form of further vocational training or sometimes if they had impairment/disability] - then the child(ren) would certainly be expected to go out to work to earn their keep. Or paid until the earlier death of a child. Hence their recorded dates.

She also got £3 Grant 19.5.17 - as was usual, since his body had been recovered, this was quite quickly awarded - a grant to cover urgent expenses arising from her husband's death - often for mourning dress [though not worn much at that time of the war], sometimes for moving home [typically downsizing as she would no longer be expected to keep a home in the same level of comfort as her husband might have expected had he returned!] - commonly used for local newspaper death notice inserts [these quite often had a photo = so a good place to search, e.g at British Newspaper Archive or through Find my Past]

N/N is thought to mean 'Noted for Novel' i.e. special treatment/calculation.

S.A. means Separation Allowance - A portion of a soldier's pay which was matched by the government and sent to his dependants to make sure they were not left destitute while he was on active service.  SA were often slightly more generous than pensions and children’s allowances because a wife had to maintain a home in the same level of comfort as before ready for her husband’s return whilst a widow did not have such a need and costs – after all, apparently, she could then cut back and down-size her home!  Typically, the No. for whom SA is paid on the card reflected the number of children – as we can see here

50F 5.10.17  is Form 50F used to cease the Separation Allowance and start the pension.

I think the MN 3219 was possibly a certificate identity number to allow for the collection of the pension and allowances from a Post Office - but I am rather more cautious about that.

The printer's marks at the bottom show the printing dates [8/16 & 1/17] and large numbers [batches of 25,000] of these index cards sadly required to be used to help manually administer pensions using ledgers and files [by a small army of pension clerks, most of them female - No computers in those days!].

There a few other pensions admin annotations but probably not now of much significance really.

 ... I hope that did the job.

Physical personal effects recovered from his body would usually be returned to his widow by the Army with/as recorded on Army Form W. 3032. Typically: Bible and/or prayer book and/or hymn book, metal cigarette case and/or pipe [but probably not usually the tobacco - which would have likely been enjoyed by his mates!], match box holder [probably less matches], watch, photograph(s), letter(s) and/or card(s), and similar items.

His widow would later typically get the balance of her late husband’s pay/’Effects’ and a War Gratuity [based on the length of his War Service] – possibly through a soldier’s Will or as NoK - But surely those, like her relatively small pension [often well below his former income], wouldn’t have really made up for the loss of a husband and father – See the Army’s Register of Soldiers’ Effects [A financial ledger - From the National Army Museum now typically available via Ancestry].

He left a Will - available for a small fee at https://probatesearch.service.gov.uk - may not say much but should have his signature. [Likely to be a single page and to have been taken from his pay book after his death]

      Last name  First name   Date of death   Regiment number

      HARPER     JAMES         19 April 1917   112240

CWGC commemoration at https://probatesearch.service.gov.uk Son of Joseph and Mary Ann Harper; husband of Emma Harper, of 5, Ince St., Heaton Norris, Stockport [as we can also see on the PIC above]. Born at Shaw, Oldham.

Grave photo available at Find a Grave https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/24736984/james-mcgregor-harper

All the best.

M

 

That is a marvelous overview of the pension card. Thank you for sharing. 

The pension and the allowance for his children would have been a real lifeline for the family after his passing. 

[rivalfish]

6 hours ago, Allan1892 said:

I don't know if you have this newspaper report on his death from the Alderley & Wilmslow Advertiser, 18 May 1917

(image courtesy of Find My Past)

 

I can only express my deepest thanks for sharing this. I certainly was not aware of it.

We have little information about James in truth, beyond what I have learned in the last 48hrs - mostly from his service record.

I know something of his parentage (he was born in Oldham before moving to Stockport, but his parents were both of Irish stock - he was therefore the last 100% Irish member of my mother's family) and I understand a decent amount about the circumstances surrounding his death. For instance, I know with relative accuracy that he fell at the Battle of Aras, somewhere in/around Feuchy Chapel as part of VI Corps drive towards the German lines.

The death notice is interesting and does provide a clue as to the manner of his death.

If his commanding officer's quote is accurate, then I suspect James died during a German bombardment, which may have lined up with the timeline of a counter-offensive after April 15th and his death four days later. At any rate this would seem plausible for a gunner's death as they were often the target (and victims) of German shelling.

I am still working on a definitive answer but that is my educated guess at the moment as to the manner of his passing. 

 

10 hours ago, George Rayner said:

Good luck with the research and welcome to the forum.

Fold3-a subscription site-holds a Pension Card for him which gives a deal of information. This is included below for your information but copyright does not enable you to publish it further.

George

It is a very noble thing to share that document with a complete stranger. From my family to yours, I am much obliged to you. 

[Colin W Taylor]

Hi,

The war diary held by the National Archives for 259 Siege Battery doesn't start until May 1917 (Army Troops. 264 Siege Battery Royal Garrison Artillery (1917 Jan - 1917 Mar) 259 Siege... | The National Archives). The battery was attached to 65th Heavy Artillery Group from 12 April 1917; sadly the war diary for that unit does not include April 1917 (Army Troops. 65 Brigade Royal Garrison Artillery. Note: Diaries for Dec 1916-Apr 1917... | The National Archives). This means that there is no obvious war diary covering the time of his death. Sadly, even if there was there is no guarantee he would have been mentioned.  

Many apologies,

Colin

Edited 6 March by Colin W Taylor

[rivalfish]

44 minutes ago, Colin W Taylor said:

Hi,

The war diary held by the National Archives for 259 Siege Battery doesn't start until May 1917 (Army Troops. 264 Siege Battery Royal Garrison Artillery (1917 Jan - 1917 Mar) 259 Siege... | The National Archives). The battery was attached to 65th Heavy Artillery Group from 12 April 1917; sadly the war diary for that unit does not include April 1917 (Army Troops. 65 Brigade Royal Garrison Artillery. Note: Diaries for Dec 1916-Apr 1917... | The National Archives). This means that there is no obvious war diary covering the time of his death. Sadly, even if there was there is no guarantee he would have been mentioned.  

Many apologies,

Colin

As part of my obsession with scouring this forum I did run into this issue on another post from someone looking into the 259th. 

It does seem as if there is a blind spot in the records covering the time of his death. I have reached out to a member here that may have material to fill in that gap, so we will see. Beyond that it may be a question without a conclusive answer frankly.

I know roughly where he was in/around April 15th, somewhere with VI Corps possibly in a position in or near the Feuchy Chapel. I can assume he died as a consequence of German shelling, which as an educated guess I can live with. Still, I will exhaust my options before I give up the scent. 

Also, looking into those field pieces it does raise one's spirits about seeing his name somewhere - if there were indeed crewed by small groups of men (10), then 259th was a small band of brothers indeed. Anywhere they are mentioned James's name by default stands a better than average chance of following, if only because the unit is so small. 

We shall see.