1/6th Gloucestershire regiment

[KevW]

Hi everyone. This is my first post. So if i do anything wrong please let me know

My Grandad and great grandad both served with the Glosters at the same time in WWI.

This is the information i was sent by the soldiers of Gloustershire museum.

"Thank you for your e-mail of 29 May concerning your grandfather and great grandfather.

While we are not a record office we are lucky enough to have a database which covers most of those members of the Gloucestershire Regiment who served in the Great War.

Checking the database the record for FC Williams senior it shows him to be a Company Quartermaster Sergeant and with his number of 256008. He was awarded the MSM on the 1st January 1919 having first been mentioned in despatches on the 30th May for 1918 for distinguished service in Italy. There is a reference for this, although we cannot confirm it, in the Gloucester Journal in the 1st June 1918. Our record shows that he enlisted with the Bristol Rifles 4th Battalion The Gloucestershire Regiment TA in 1889 and transferred to the 6th Battalion The Gloucestershire Regiment in 1907 and served with them throughout the First World War. He was finally discharged in 1924 after 35 years service as a volunteer and a territorial. A note here shows that he had three sons all of whom served in the Regiment.

Unfortunately I can find no record of 5174421 FC Williams. I suspect the best answer is for you to pop in at some stage and we can go through the database to see if we can identify him. Perhaps you can give me some notice of when you would visit."

I have some information about their medals etc and copies of their MICs.

But i have found out that there is a war diary for their regiment that covers when my great grandad would have earned his MSM. I have managed to find a part transcription online(thanks to some help from one of the members here) and wondered if anyone had access to a full copy.

Also F C Williams Jnr did show on the museum database as he has another number they sent me this.

"FC Williams Jnr shows up under 265089 and served in the 1/6th Battalion The Gloucestershire Regiment. The number 001754 also shows up and would indicate that he served in another battalion, details unknown."

Also any info on the Bristol rifles would be wonderful.

Thank you all.

Kev.

[CROONAERT]

Company Quartermaster Sergeant and with his number of 256008.  .

...Unfortunately I can find no record of 5174421 FC Williams.

....."FC Williams Jnr shows up under 265089 and served in the 1/6th Battalion The Gloucestershire Regiment. 

The number 001754 also shows up and would indicate that he served in another battalion, details unknown."

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Kev.

I hope this info on the numbers you supplied helps...

256008 (Territorial 1917-1919) indicates the 5th Battalion of the Glosters

5174421 is a post 1920 number for the Glosters

265089 is, indeed, a (1917 - 1919) number for the 6th Glosters

001754 (if the zeros are actually correct) would be a 1919 "temporary" number before the issue of the 1920 Army Number.

Dave.

[Wienand Drenth]

Hello Kev,

As for the Bristol Rifles, please find below a lineage overview of the battalion. In fact, a second battalion was formed in Bristol in 1900 so I have included that one as well.

Hope you find that of use,

Cheers,

Wienand

4th (City of Bristol) Bn, The Gloucestershire Regt

(1st Gloucestershire Rifle Volunteers)

Raised 13 Sep. 1859 as City of Bristol RVC. Ten coys by Jun. 1860 and now desig 1st Gloucestershire (City of Bristol) RVC. Became a vol bn of the regt 1 Jul. 1881. Redes 1 May 1883 as 1st (City of Bristol) Vol Bn. Eleventh coy formed 1902. Tsfd 1 Apr. 1908 to the TF as 4th Bn with HQ and A - E Coys at Clifton, Bristol, F Coy at St. George, Bristol, G, H Coys at Bristol; by Mar. 1909 redes as 4th (City of Bristol) Bn. Emb 4 Aug. 1914; renumb Mar. 1915 as 1/4th. Disemb 4 Apr. 1919. Reconst 7 Feb. 1920 as 4th (City of Bristol) Bn with HQ and A - D Coys at Bristol. Conv 1 Nov. 1938 to a SL role with additional title "(66th SL Regt)" with 447 - 449 Coys. Tsfd 1 Aug. 1940 as 66th SL Regt, RA (Gloucesters) with 447 - 449 Btys. 559 Bty (formed 13 Feb. 1941 at Oswestry fr cadre 74th SL Regt, RA in 236th Trg Regt, RA) regtd by 5 May 1941; 559 Bty disb 25 Feb. 1944 (completed 24 Mar. 1944). E Tp, 461 Bty, 70th SL Regt, RA joined as E Tp, 448 Bty. S/A 16 May 1945 at King's Lynn, completed 17 Oct. 1945. Reconst 1 Jan. 1947 as 601st (M) HAA Regt, RA (Gloucesters) with HQ at Bristol. Subtitle changes ca 1950 to "(City of Bristol)". Amalg 10 Mar. 1955 with 266th HAA Regt, RA (GVA) and 312th HAA Regt, RA (Gloucestershire) as 311th (City of Bristol) HAA Regt, RA (p.) forming R (City of Bristol) Bty.

6th Bn, The Gloucestershire Regt

Raised 24 Jul. 1900 as 3rd Vol Bn with HQ and eight coys at Bristol. Tsfd 1 Apr. 1908 to the TF as 6th Bn with HQ and A - H Coys at St. Michael's Hill, Bristol. Emb 4 Aug. 1914; renumb Mar. 1915 as 1/6th. Red/cadre 13 Dec. 1919 in Egypt and disemb 1 Apr. 1920; reconst as 6th Bn with HQ and A - D Coys at Bristol. Conv 1 Nov. 1938 as 44th Bn, Royal Tank Corps; fr Apr. 1939 44th Bn, RTR and known as 44th RTR. S/A later. Reconst 1 Jan. 1947 and amalg with duplicate as 44th/50th RTR with HQ at Bristol, in an armd delivery role. Amalg 31 Oct. 1956 with The North Somerset Yeomanry to form The North Somerset Yeomanry/44th RTR.

[KevW]

Hello Kev,

As for the Bristol Rifles, please find below a lineage overview of the battalion. In fact, a second battalion was formed in Bristol in 1900 so I have included that one as well.

Hope you find that of use,

Cheers,

Wienand

4th (City of Bristol) Bn, The Gloucestershire Regt

(1st Gloucestershire Rifle Volunteers)

Raised 13 Sep. 1859 as City of Bristol RVC. Ten coys by Jun. 1860 and now desig 1st Gloucestershire (City of Bristol) RVC. Became a vol bn of the regt 1 Jul. 1881. Redes 1 May 1883 as 1st (City of Bristol) Vol Bn. Eleventh coy formed 1902. Tsfd 1 Apr. 1908 to the TF as 4th Bn with HQ and A - E Coys at Clifton, Bristol, F Coy at St. George, Bristol, G, H Coys at Bristol; by Mar. 1909 redes as 4th (City of Bristol) Bn. Emb 4 Aug. 1914; renumb Mar. 1915 as 1/4th. Disemb 4 Apr. 1919. Reconst 7 Feb. 1920 as 4th (City of Bristol) Bn with HQ and A - D Coys at Bristol. Conv 1 Nov. 1938 to a SL role with additional title "(66th SL Regt)" with 447 - 449 Coys. Tsfd 1 Aug. 1940 as 66th SL Regt, RA (Gloucesters) with 447 - 449 Btys. 559 Bty (formed 13 Feb. 1941 at Oswestry fr cadre 74th SL Regt, RA in 236th Trg Regt, RA) regtd by 5 May 1941; 559 Bty disb 25 Feb. 1944 (completed 24 Mar. 1944). E Tp, 461 Bty, 70th SL Regt, RA joined as E Tp, 448 Bty. S/A 16 May 1945 at King's Lynn, completed 17 Oct. 1945. Reconst 1 Jan. 1947 as 601st (M) HAA Regt, RA (Gloucesters) with HQ at Bristol. Subtitle changes ca 1950 to "(City of Bristol)". Amalg 10 Mar. 1955 with 266th HAA Regt, RA (GVA) and 312th HAA Regt, RA (Gloucestershire) as 311th (City of Bristol) HAA Regt, RA (p.) forming R (City of Bristol) Bty.

6th Bn, The Gloucestershire Regt

Raised 24 Jul. 1900 as 3rd Vol Bn with HQ and eight coys at Bristol. Tsfd 1 Apr. 1908 to the TF as 6th Bn with HQ and A - H Coys at St. Michael's Hill, Bristol. Emb 4 Aug. 1914; renumb Mar. 1915 as 1/6th. Red/cadre 13 Dec. 1919 in Egypt and disemb 1 Apr. 1920; reconst as 6th Bn with HQ and A - D Coys at Bristol. Conv 1 Nov. 1938 as 44th Bn, Royal Tank Corps; fr Apr. 1939 44th Bn, RTR and known as 44th RTR. S/A later. Reconst 1 Jan. 1947 and amalg with duplicate as 44th/50th RTR with HQ at Bristol, in an armd delivery role. Amalg 31 Oct. 1956 with The North Somerset Yeomanry to form The North Somerset Yeomanry/44th RTR.

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Thank you both for that , its very useful info.

Kev.

[Glosters]

There is no mention of Williams in the War Diary

Steve

[Promenade]

Kev,

If I can add to the thread. It is actually my database that the Glos Regt HQ use and I hope that I can add a little to their reply to you.

CQMS Francis C Williams 265008/25 1/6 Glos Regt

MSM 1/1/19 MID 30/5/18

MID for distinguished service in Italy (Glos Journal? 1/6/18). Died February 1959 at Bristol aged 89. Enlisted in the Bristol Rifles (later 4 Glos TF) in 1889. Transferred to 6 Glos Regt in 1908 (when the TF was formed) and served with them through WW1. He was originally allocated No 25 which early 1917 was changed to No 265008. Finally discharged in 1924 after 35 years service as a volunteer and territorial. Three of his sons have served in the Regiment. (Back Badge Summer 1959)

Private Francis C Williams enlisted in 1/6 Glos Regt as No 1754 in the first half of 1912 and was renumbered to 265089 in early 1917.

The No 5174421 is a post WW1 number. The Glos Regt was allocated numbers in the range 5172001 - 5239000.

Hope the above adds to your knowledge!

Joe

[KevW]

Thanks Joe thats great, has your database or has Steve got any WW2 info on the Glosters, My grandads brother William George Wood of the 5th Glosters died while a pow, i have the info from the cwgc site and a little more, would really like to no more about him and how he died.

Thanks again.

Kev.

[KevW]

also on a slight tangent i have loads of really good photos of my grandad and great grandad whilst in the glosters, anyone know if someone would be interest eg museum or website. There are some really nice ones i can scan and post.

Kev.

[KevW]

I think this is fantastic!!!

Kev.