20th Bn Royal Fusiliers

[Lachlan]

My wifes grandfather was killed on the 29th Oct 1916. His name is listed on the Thiepval memorial. He was a private William Robert Wingrove of the 20th Bn Royal Fusiliers. Can someone help me regarding where I should look regarding the history of the regiment and there uniform. The last time we were back in England we were told that a number of the regiments joined each other and it was thought there was a regimental museum in the grounds of the Tower of London can anybody confirm that. regards Michael

[bmac]

There is no history of the 20th Royal Fusiliers. I can tell you that the battalion, as part of the 19th Brigade, 33rd Division, went into the trenches north of Morval (Somme) on the 28th October where they suffered 75 casualties which will have included your wife's grandfather. Conditions there were pretty terrible at this time, it had rained on six of the seven previous days, and the 'trenches' were in a very poor state. Bodies there were easily lost in the mud.

There is a regimental museum at the Tower of London but I have never managed to get a response out of them. Others may have been luckier. The battalion's War Diary at the National Archives will be informative but it is unlikely that an 'other ranks' name will be mentioned. The file is WO 95/2423 and you can get the National Archives to copy sections using their web site (http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/)

[Paul Reed]

As mentioned most records will be at the National Archives. There is indeed a regimental museum in the Tower of London, but having spent a great deal of time going through their archives there is very little on the 20th Bn. The recorded memoirs of veteran Don Price, who served with this unit, are held in the Imperial War Museum sound archives in London. Hope that helps.