Did your granddad fight in Passchendaele?

[KateJ]

Name: HASLER, LEONARD MELSOME

Initials: L M

Nationality: United Kingdom

Rank: Lieutenant

Regiment: Essex Regiment

Secondary Regiment: Machine Gun Corps

Secondary Unit Text: attd. 117th Coy.

Age: 21

Date of Death: 21/09/1917

Awards: MC

Additional information: Son of Mr. and Mrs. W. Hasler, of The Croft, Dunmow, Essex.

Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead

Grave/Memorial Reference: IV. F. 27.

Cemetery: RENINGHELST NEW MILITARY CEMETERY

I feel that I'm getting nearer to finding a photo of this man.

I have now located the school he went to and there is a possiblity that a school photo of him still exists in their archives although it's going to take some time locating him. I'm going to meet up with the school's newly appointed archivist to see if his photo exists and what we can do to locate it. I might be some time.......

Kate

[greatspywar]

Hi Kate,

You're really getting into this business are you? Keep up the good work!!

I look forward hearing form you!

Kind regards,

Jan

[shelley]

Jan,

Did you receive the form and photo of Dixon Entwistle 1/5 Lancashire Fusiliers?

cheers Shelley

[greatspywar]

Hi Shelly,

I did receive all the info you've sent me. Time hasn't allowed me to anwser last week's and this week's emails... . I'll be in touch as soon as I can.

Kind regards,

Jan

[Colin P]

Hi Jan

Please forgive my slowness in venturing into this but I have only recently joined the forum & only found out about your project tonight.

My wifes great uncle was killed at Passchendaele on 26 October 1917 and is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial. We have a photograph and a couple of letters he wrote home plus a Field Service Post Card stamped 15 October 1917 just 11 days before he was killed. We also have his Death Plaque & some background information. We could certainly let you have copies and possibly borrow the originals.

His details:

Private James John Thomas PRIOR

No. 253412 (although on a letter he writes 253413 ??) , No 11 Platoon, 'C' Company

2nd/3rd London Regiment., Royal Fusiliers

I hope this is useful & look forward to visiting your museum again.

Colin

[greatspywar]

Hello Colin,

I have received your mail as well in the meantime. Please allow me some time before you'll get a decent reply. Things are very hectic at the moment. I'm working on the Tyne Cot project as well. But I will be in touch, hopefully in no time. I'm sorry for that.

More information is on our provisional website: http://www.passchendaele.be

kind regards,

Jan

[shelley]

Jan,

I just emailed you three photographs of Dixon Entwistle and his wife and daughters. I hope you can use them. A long lost relative found them and mailed them to me when he heard I was looking for information on Dixon.

cheers Shelley

[greatspywar]

Hello Shelly,

I have received the photos in my mailbox this mroning, but due to a very busy schedule I will not be able to answer my mails for a short period. Hopefully I will be able to next week. Would you be able to get the scans at a higher resolution? 300 or 600 dpi?

Thanks,

Kind regards,

Jan

[shelley]

Hello Shelly,

I have received the photos in my mailbox this mroning, but due to a very busy schedule I will not be able to answer my mails for a short period. Hopefully I will be able to next week. Would you be able to get the scans at a higher resolution? 300 or 600 dpi?

Thanks,

Kind regards,

Jan

Jan,

I shall do my best!

cheers Shelley

[shelley]

Jan,

I am still attempting to do this, will have to wait until one of my kids comes over!

cheers Shelley

[Peter Beckett]

Jan,

Does my Great Uncle qualify for the project?

Richard Whiteside Pte 28548, 7th Battalion, East Lancashire Regiment Killed 31st July 1917 at Messines Ridge

Peter

[greatspywar]

Hello Peter,

I do think he qualifies fo be included in the project. Bet was probably killed just south of Hollebeke.

It's a bot between the Gheluvelt plateau and the Messinesridge.

He's body was probably lost during further stages of the battle or he was missing in action, that's why he's on the Menin Gate. You probably have some more info on him, I presume?

I look forward hearing from you.

Kind regards,

Jan

[Peter Beckett]

Hello Jan,

It is with thanks to both Chris Baker and Dave O'Mara (Croonaert) that I do have a bit of information on Richard Whiteside. I unfortunately do not have a good photo of him in uniform but do have a good picture of his wedding in 1911. I can send you digitally of what I have and give you a hard copy of a booklet of his war career, when I am in Belgium in June this year.

I have discovered where his original capbadge and shoulder titles are but have had no luck in getting hold of them (they are in OZ) and still looking for his medals and plaque.

Peter

[campaign]

I think a similar initiative is in place for men named on the Thiepval Memorial. It is really excellent. A friend who studies the London Rifle Brigade was able to share a lot of photos and information to help bolster this exercise. Everybody wins by this and the cause of Rememberance greatly assisted too.

An excellent idea leading up to 2007.

Hello - I'm new to this thread and wonder if I can hijack your comment about having a friend who studied the London Rifle Brigaade. My motive is trying desperately to trace a relative who was definitely a rifelman but little else is known. I've posted his photo and capbade etc previously wihtout any luck due to the poor condition of the original photo - save for the black buttons on the tunic etc. If you or your friend could recommend or advise I would much apprecitate it, a London Lad, Charlie Thomas (may have enlisted as William?) aged 19 in 1914 and lived at 16 Citizen Rd, Holloway, London, parents: Henry and Louisa. K in A. Have not traced him on SDGW or GWGC. If I trace him he may well be in this said arena, so I can propose him, but may be a little late now, many thanks. lyn

[SilverSoldier]

Hello Jan.

I realise you are busy at the moment but could you confirm receipt of Documents / Photographs, in respect

of Private Edwin Tidey, posted Registered Mail 22 Mar 06.

Regards,

Terry.

IN MEMORIAM>

30864 Private EDWIN TIDEY. 7th Bn Bedfordshire Regiment. KIA Glencorse Wood, Ypres, Belgium on 10th August 1917.

Commemorated Menin Gate Memorial Panel 31-33.

[greatspywar]

hallo Terry,

Thanks for your enquiry. I have received your sendings. There were a lot of good photographs with it. Thank you very much for that! As soon as I'm able to I will get back to you with a decent answer. We are working on an educational package and it's a bit time absorbing at the moment.

I'll be definitly in touch...

Kind regards,

Jan

[Kathie]

I have information, and photos, of two soldiers died 20th September 1917. Both South Africans and missing. For both I have attestation forms and for one I have him in a school photograph as well as uniform and then death notices compiled by parents. Alas no original letters from these two, only reports in newspapers on letters sent.

They are Roland Hill and Allen Purdon both of the South African Infantry.

Kathei

[greatspywar]

Hello Kathie,

Can you mail me some details at archives@passchendaele.be ?

That would be great, I only have one South African so far...

Thanks,

Jan

[greatspywar]

Hello Kathie,

I have received your email and I have finally been able to answer it.

I look forward hearing from you.

Kind regards,

Jan

[JOSTURM]

Jan,

do you have much information on the 5th London (LRB) men at Passchendaele ?

Peter

[greatspywar]

do you have much information on the 5th London (LRB) men at Passchendaele ?

So far only one... a captain. If you have any more, please let me know. I would be interested in them.

Do you have the battalion's war diaries?

jan

[greatspywar]

Hello everybody,

So far we have collected 2,500 files with photograph!

Regards,

Jan

[J Banning]

Hi Jan,

Here’s hoping you could answer some concerns I have regarding the Passchendaele Archives project. I have read a good few of the posts concerning this subject but could not see anything regarding my questions below.

I know that when the idea of the visitor centre at Tyne Cot and an archive to be housed in the centre was first proposed (incidentally by Peter Barton) the idea was that any information given would be copied by the museum and (provided the donor was happy with this) the material would be donated to the Imperial War Museum. The IWM is the largest archive of its kind and is the rightful place for the letters/diaries/photos type of material you are seeking (even if they are copies from the originals). Furthermore, as the national repository of this kind of material, the IWM has the necessary curatorial and preservation skills required.

As a regular visitor to the IWM, Liddle Collection and many regimental museums across the UK I am very concerned to see material of this sort being donated to a museum situated abroad. Please do not think that this is prejudice against Belgium and Belgians – it is most certainly not. I am just concerned at the sort of material you are accumulating and my personal opinion is that this should be deposited in the IWM.

Can you please explain whether the idea of having the IWM as the depository for the material has been scrapped? Where will the archive be stored? Also, who will have access to this? I read in previous posts that you propose to use the donated material to produce a book. Can you let me know what will happen to the material after that?

Many thanks

[ianw]

I would hope that the information would eventually be made available electronically and thereby be lodged with the world rather than a place in Lambeth or Ypres.

[andyspiller]

Ian

I can but agree with your thoughts as someone who has "donated" info to this project.

In 2006 there seems little point in dumping all Jan's work at IWM, when it could very easily be held electronically for the world to see.

Also I cannot really understand why Ralph is so concerned about the info being donated to a museum "abroad". What I do with my research is my business surely? Does Ralph also have the same concerns about Thiepval?

Rgds

Andy