Pte James Harbin L/14810 - Middlesex Regiment

[MH834]

Hi, I’ve recently found my Grandads WW1 medals from the Middlesex Regt. He was L-14810 Pte J Harbin. Whilst his name is inscribed on the Great War Memorial in Bushey, Herts; I can’t seem to find any record of him. Any thoughts most welcome. 

[Allan1892]

His Medal Index Card shows that he entered a Theatre of War (France) on the 11th December 1914. He was awarded the 1914/15 Star Medal; the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. (image courtesy of Ancestry)

[Allan1892]

His entry in the British War Medal and Victory Medal rolls shows that he was with the following battalions of the Middlesex Regiment:-

• 2nd Battalion
• 1st Battalion
• 18th Battalion
• 23rd Battalion

(image courtesy of Ancestry)

[MH834]

Thank you so much for such a swift and informative response. Very much appreciated. 

[Allan1892]

Unfortunately his service was one of the 60%+ records that were destroyed during the bombing of London in WW2

[MH834]

I didn’t know that and thank you for sharing that. 

[charlie962]

6 hours ago, Allan1892 said:

His entry in the British War Medal and Victory Medal rolls shows that he was with the following battalions of the Middlesex Regiment:-

• 2nd Battalion
• 1st Battalion
• 18th Battalion
• 23rd Battalion

(image courtesy of Ancestry)

Those changes of battalion sometimes followed from a prolonged absence due to wounding.

Harbin was wounded 1915 with 2nd Midx ( published in The Times 24/6/15, report date 7/6/15 - which I think would suggest actual wounding late May 1915). This could mean upon recovery he was then posted to 1st Midx.

He was reported wounded again in 1916 (published in the Times 31/5/16- which suggests actual wounding perhaps end April/start May 1916). Battalion not specified.

These daily casualty lists published in The Times give no further details.

Charlie 

 

ps The Hertfordshire Mercury of 3/6/16 says this was his second wounding and gives his address as School Lane, Bushey.

Edited 28 April by charlie962
Extra info

[AndrewSid]

You stated his name is on the Bushey Great War memorial.  He was not a casualty of the war so I’m curious how he is recorded?

You may be interested in the below link.  School Lane had 15 fatalities during the war in total. 

http://www.busheyworldwarone.org.uk/biographies/

His star medal roll shows he arrived in France on the 11th Dec 1914 with the 2nd Battalion as per the MIC above.  The Battalion were a regular army unit and  fresh from Malta. After returning from there they quickly went on to France on the 7th of November 1914 . Whether your grandfather was a regular soldier returning from Malta and delayed a while in the UK or a new volunteer could be discoverable from work on his regimental  number. 

https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/regiments-and-corps/the-british-infantry-regiments-of-1914-1918/the-duke-of-cambridges-own-middlesex-regiment/

War diary for 1914 is here and free if you register, noting it will almost certainly not name him:

https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C7352481

Andy

[MH834]

9 hours ago, charlie962 said:

Those changes of battalion sometimes followed from a prolonged absence due to wounding.

Harbin was wounded 1915 with 2nd Midx ( published in The Times 24/6/15, report date 7/6/15 - which I think would suggest actual wounding late May 1915). This could mean upon recovery he was then posted to 1st Midx.

He was reported wounded again in 1916 (published in the Times 31/5/16- which suggests actual wounding perhaps end April/start May 1916). Battalion not specified.

These daily casualty lists published in The Times give no further details.

Charlie 

 

ps The Hertfordshire Mercury of 3/6/16 says this was his second wounding and gives his address as School Lane, Bushey.

Many thanks Charlie. I’ll get a photo of the memorial but will double check as I was led to believe it included those who served in Bushey. Thanks again as very informative. 

[MH834]

8 hours ago, AndrewSid said:

You stated his name is on the Bushey Great War memorial.  He was not a casualty of the war so I’m curious how he is recorded?

You may be interested in the below link.  School Lane had 15 fatalities during the war in total. 

http://www.busheyworldwarone.org.uk/biographies/

His star medal roll shows he arrived in France on the 11th Dec 1914 with the 2nd Battalion as per the MIC above.  The Battalion were a regular army unit and  fresh from Malta. After returning from there they quickly went on to France on the 7th of November 1914 . Whether your grandfather was a regular soldier returning from Malta and delayed a while in the UK or a new volunteer could be discoverable from work on his regimental  number. 

https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/regiments-and-corps/the-british-infantry-regiments-of-1914-1918/the-duke-of-cambridges-own-middlesex-regiment/

War diary for 1914 is here and free if you register, noting it will almost certainly not name him:

https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C7352481

Andy

Thanks Andrew. My mistake. It’s actually Cpl J Harbin wrt WW2 and those fallen. 

[Keith_history_buff]

It would appear, from the info on the Paul Nixon site, that he enlisted in 1914, prior to the outbreak of the war:
https://armyservicenumbers.blogspot.com/2009/07/middlesex-regiment-1st-2nd-3rd-4th.html

Quote

14821 joined on 2nd March 1914
L/15019 joined on 15th August 1914

Those men enlisting as regular, career soldiers, still received their numbers from the old series, prefixed with the letter L/.

 

[charlie962]

On 28/04/2024 at 16:32, MH834 said:

Hi, I’ve recently found my Grandads WW1 medals from the Middlesex Regt. He was L-14810 Pte J Harbin. Whilst his name is inscribed on the Great War Memorial in Bushey, Herts; I can’t seem to find any record of him. Any thoughts most welcome. 

MH834. It would be worth correcting the service number that appears in the title and in your opening post. You should be able to do this by going to your opening post.

Charlie

(Unless your gf's medals are telling you otherwise?)

[MH834]

Thanks Charlie but your assumption is correct. His medals do state L-14810 and not L-14910. 

[charlie962]

4 minutes ago, MH834 said:

Thanks Charlie but your assumption is correct. His medals do state L-14810 and not L-14910. 

Error in numbering of medals?? The roll sequence clearly shows 14910 is correct but the typing could have caused an error?? Do you have any original paperwork?

Charlie

[MH834]

I’m currently on the road on business but apart from his medals I really don’t have any other paperwork to support this. Unfortunately his side of the family have all passed away. 

[charlie962]

23 hours ago, charlie962 said:

He was reported wounded again in 1916 (published in the Times 31/5/16- which suggests actual wounding perhaps end April/start May 1916). Battalion not specified

I've looked up a few others in that same Times list published 31/5/16 and they (the ones I sampled out of a total of sixteen Mdx names ) all seem to be 2nd Midx and actual wounding 11/5/16 according to the few service records I found.

Brown 13278 bomb wound 11/5/16

Williams 13855 finger cut by wire 11/5/16

Rock 11792 shellsplinter face 11/5/16

It would be worth checking the war diary of this date. If you wanted to check out others on the same list you may get further clues and who knows, maybe a newspaper report on one of them. I did note that although these men survived their wounding few survived the war. Your gf was fortunate. Perhaps his wounding was more serious needing evacuation and upon recuperation he went to the 1st Midx?? 

Edited 29 April by charlie962

[MH834]

Thanks Charlie. I remember my Dad saying that he had his tongue shot off. He died when I was 5 years old so sounds feasible that it may be the injury sustained that involved a move between battalions. 

[charlie962]

War diary 2nd Middlesex 11/5/16 shows there was a trench raid carried out by some 70+ men of the Battalion. A detailed appendix describes the events. 

We cannot say yet that Harbin was one of these 19 casualties reported but looking very possible?

Edited 29 April by charlie962

[MH834]

Also wonder why he joined the Middlesex Regt and not the Herts. Maybe a recruiting quota 

[MH834]

6 minutes ago, charlie962 said:

War diary 2nd Middlesex 11/5/16 shows there was a trench raid carried out by some 70+ men of the Battalion. A detailed appendix describes the events. 

We cannot say yet that Harbin was one of these 19 casualties reported but looking very possible?

So looks like the Somme in 1916 of 2nd Battalion

[AndrewSid]

9 hours ago, MH834 said:

Also wonder why he joined the Middlesex Regt and not the Herts. Maybe a recruiting quota 

Give Bushey was just a couple of miles from the Middlesex border it’s not a huge geographical puzzle.  Noting his number appears to indicate  a prewar enlistment his choice of the Middlesex regiment may well have been down to who was more actively recruiting locally or any other number of reasons. The training Depot was in Mill Hill, so again, not far from Bushey. 

A thought from me is whether he ever actually joined the 2nd Battalion in Malta or not? If he joined late Feb early March 1914 as his number suggests he would have undergone a period of training at the depot first. The 2nd Bn would have been reinforced with new recruits in late October early November as it passed through the UK after returning from Malta. He may have joined them then from the depot. Or equally may have gone out to Malta  just before the war started in August. 
 

Andy