ilovechestnuts Posted 18 March Share Posted 18 March Good day all I am new to ancestry researching & wondered it anyone could elaborate on this info supplied by a distant cousin or how I might obtain my great grandfathers service records... Thomas Snashfold Date of birth 06 September 1876/1877 TIA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin kenf48 Posted 18 March Admin Share Posted 18 March 32 minutes ago, ilovechestnuts said: Good day all I am new to ancestry researching & wondered it anyone could elaborate on this info supplied by a distant cousin or how I might obtain my great grandfathers service records... Thomas Snashfold Date of birth 06 September 1876/1877 TIA Welcome to the GWF Thomas Snashfold a scaffolder living at 90 Edward Road Croydon born 1877 appears in the Surrey Recruitment Registers on FindMyPast He was conscripted aged 39years and 11 months and attested at Kingston on the 16th August 1916. He was posted to the 29th (Works) Battalion Middlesex Regiment which became the 5th Labour Company of the Labour Corps in April 1917. He was allocated the regimental number 17735. If he transferred to the Labour Corps he would have been given a new number. https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/regiments-and-corps/the-british-infantry-regiments-of-1914-1918/the-duke-of-cambridges-own-middlesex-regiment/ If new to researching soldiers we recommend you study the above site. Over 3/5ths of WW1 service records were destroyed following a fire at the warehouse where they were stored when it was bombed in WW2. His service record has not survived. He does not appear to have served overseas in a theatre of war therefore no medals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Rayner Posted 19 March Share Posted 19 March 9 hours ago, kenf48 said: He does not appear to have served overseas in a theatre of war therefore no medals. He has another service number... oops my apologies that is Benjamin Snashfold (43714 Middlesex Regiment; 584684 Labour Corps) George Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Rayner Posted 19 March Share Posted 19 March 9 hours ago, kenf48 said: Surrey Recruitment Registers courtesy Ancestry George Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilovechestnuts Posted 19 March Author Share Posted 19 March 9 hours ago, kenf48 said: Welcome to the GWF Thomas Snashfold a scaffolder living at 90 Edward Road Croydon born 1877 appears in the Surrey Recruitment Registers on FindMyPast He was conscripted aged 39years and 11 months and attested at Kingston on the 16th August 1916. He was posted to the 29th (Works) Battalion Middlesex Regiment which became the 5th Labour Company of the Labour Corps in April 1917. He was allocated the regimental number 17735. If he transferred to the Labour Corps he would have been given a new number. https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/regiments-and-corps/the-british-infantry-regiments-of-1914-1918/the-duke-of-cambridges-own-middlesex-regiment/ If new to researching soldiers we recommend you study the above site. Over 3/5ths of WW1 service records were destroyed following a fire at the warehouse where they were stored when it was bombed in WW2. His service record has not survived. He does not appear to have served overseas in a theatre of war therefore no medals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilovechestnuts Posted 19 March Author Share Posted 19 March Thank you very much for your response kenf48. It's a real shame his records were destroyed. My cousin also sent me this, but I've no idea what it is... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilovechestnuts Posted 19 March Author Share Posted 19 March 15 minutes ago, George Rayner said: courtesy Ancestry George Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilovechestnuts Posted 19 March Author Share Posted 19 March 17 minutes ago, George Rayner said: courtesy Ancestry George Hi & thank you George Rayner...what do the numbers in the columns represent? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin kenf48 Posted 19 March Admin Share Posted 19 March 24 minutes ago, ilovechestnuts said: It's a real shame his records were destroyed. You are fortunate to have the records you have and a relatively unusual surname. I think the document above may be extracted from the card in the Pension Records on Fold 3 and it shows his Labour Corps number 138334 t is a poor reproduction buT that number, according to Lee and Starling seminal study ' No Labour No Battle' was associated with the 3rd Labour Battalion (Home Service). It's not complete and no idea why it is but perhaps @Matlock1418 can confirm and interpret. It also shows other regimental numbers but they are too blurred in your copy to make sense of. 16 minutes ago, ilovechestnuts said: .what do the numbers in the columns represent? His medical examination on attestation i.e. age 39 years 11 months; his height 5ft 11 inches; chest size 35 inches; expansion 2 inches; weight in pounds 156; eyesight 45 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilovechestnuts Posted 19 March Author Share Posted 19 March Thanks again kenf48. Just thirsty for knowledge to pass down to the grandchildren, as relatives who might have been able to help have passed...I didn't realise it would be quite so challenging, but yes, at least I have a little information to share. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Rayner Posted 19 March Share Posted 19 March Thanks Kenf48 for the column heading George Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Rayner Posted 19 March Share Posted 19 March (edited) The pension card gives an address in Croydon. Any evidence for Thomas living there? Edward Road that is…I can see he was in Croydon from earlier posts George Edited 19 March by George Rayner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Rayner Posted 19 March Share Posted 19 March Is Thomas’ wife Edith? Just trying electoral rolls George Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilovechestnuts Posted 19 March Author Share Posted 19 March Hi George Yes he lived at Edward Road since at least 1911 from what I can gather until he died on 14/05/1958 & had daughters Edith, Ada, Nellie & Amy, sons Charles & Thomas (my grandfather). His married Charlotte Phillipson on 21/02/1904 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin kenf48 Posted 19 March Admin Share Posted 19 March 1 hour ago, ilovechestnuts said: Just thirsty for knowledge to pass down to the grandchildren, A good place to start is the Long Long Trail, this is the page on the formation of the Labour Corps https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/regiments-and-corps/the-labour-corps-of-1917-1918/ As previously noted Thomas Snashfold was conscripted under the terms of the Military Service Act 1916 (as amended - initially married men were exempt) https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/soldiers/a-soldiers-life-1914-1918/enlisting-into-the-army/the-1916-military-service-act/ You can find out more about the Labour Corps in the book No Labour No Battle which I understand is available as a Kindle book. In all probability due to his age and physical development he was not considered medically fit for service overseas and therefore was engaged in the Home Army. In other words a 'Category' man. As explained here:- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matlock1418 Posted 19 March Share Posted 19 March (edited) 3 hours ago, ilovechestnuts said: Thanks for the nod @kenf48 Even in its blurred state due to the stamped 116397 I immediately spotted that it was a Rejected disability claim [such a number more usually being stamped top centre] - the clearer version of this pension index card image confirms this interpretation. Image thanks to WFA/Fold3 His final unit was the Labour Corps, 138324 - this was the essential number required for a claim. All soldiers got the opportunity to put in a claim, on Army Form Z.22, on demob / transfer to the Army Z Reserve 5/6/19 - but there had to be an on-going disability condition(s) at the time of claim [just suffering something during service was not enough for an award] We can also see his previous Middlesex regiment number 37161 and the Devons/Devonshire Regiment number 39304 [this I would usually read as his first number and unit, but this needs better checking] M Edited 19 March by Matlock1418 typo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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