Info on Royal Guernsey Light Infantry

[Guest Dana]

Hi there,

I am fairly new to this and am trying to trace where and what my great grandfather did in the 1914-1918 war.

He was from Guernsey and as part of the Royal Guernsey Light Infantry fought in France.His name was Fred Tostevin and he was Gunner.I have obtained the book "Diex Aix" by Major Edwin Parks from which I have ascertained that he was sent in with the 4th draft.

What I am trying to find out is where I can obtain a service number for him? where exactly the 4th draft was sent to ? and what happened there.

Can anyone help me with either information or useful website?

Many thanks if you can

[Guest Ian Bowbrick]

Dana,

Do you have his medals? If so in the case of the circular War & Victory medals his number, name & regiment will be around the rims. If you have his paybook it will be in their also.

OK so you have nothing in the family, a visit to the PRO or National Archives as it is now will yield the information you are looking for.

Before setting out on any research, always ask your relatives for any info first. Families have more info than they think

Good luck!

Ian

[Guest Dana]

Hi Ian,

thanks for your help.

Unfortunately I do not have any medals and the family members who may have helped are now deceased, nobody else knows any further information.

Offhand do you know if the records for the RGLI were held at the PRO? I sort of assumed that they weren't with it being based in Guernsey.

The problem I have with my family is that coming from Guernsey there are no online records.I may have to try and send someone to the archives there to have a look for me, and see what they can find out.

Any further suggestions are much appreciated

[HERITAGE PLUS]

There is an older history of the regiment;

Norman Ten Hundred. by A.Blicq: Guernsey Press Co., Ltd., 1920

You could contact the Regimental Museum at Castle Cornet, St. Peter Port, Guernsey, CI on 01481-706963

The Museum contains uniforms and equipment, documents and the regimental silver.

[Terry_Reeves]

Dana

You say that your relative was a gunner. It may well be that he served in the Royal Guernsey Artillery and not the RGLI in that case. They were mobilised as the 9th Divisional Ammunition Column on 7th May 1915 and sent to France, serving with the 9th (Scottish) Division.

Whatever the case, a letter to the local newspaper may well reveal an enthusiast.

Try:

Guernsey Weeky Press

PO Box 91

Braye Rd

Vale

Guernsey

GY1 3BW

Terry Reeves

[christine liava'a]

You could contact the Priaulx Library in Guernsey

Priaulx Library

and ask them for help.

Also various Channel Islands websites might be of value

Guernsey - Genuki

Guernsey Press online

Channel Islands genealogy

[Guest Ian Bowbrick]

Dana,

They say actions speak louder than words! Looked up your grandfather in the medal index card system today. There is only one Fred TOSTEVIN listed:

1254 Pte Fred TOSTEVIN Royal Guernsey Light Infantry.

Interestingly 1253 is a Pte Ernest TOSTEVIN RGLI, is he by any chance related?

Can't explain the Gunner bit - perhaps he was a Lewis/Hotchkiss Machine Gunner?

Ian

[Sue Light]

Dana

A bit off the subject, but may be of some interest - in Philip Ziegler's book 'Soldiers - Fighting Men's Lives 1901-2001' [Pimlico 2002], he gives biographies of nine soldiers of different generations who eventually became in-pensioners at the Royal Hospital, Chelsea. The first of these, Albert Alexandre, was born on Jersey and lived for some time on Alderney, and joined the Guernsey Light Infantry in 1917, a little before his sixteenth birthday. It gives a taste of life in the Channel Islands, and Albert's training and service.

Regards - Sue

[Guest Dana]

Thank you all very much for your help and advice and information.I will continue to research him more now.

A special thank you to Ian Bowbrick for the detailed information he managed to find for me.

I now hope I can manage to trace exactly where he went and when.

Many,many thanks