New Forum member - Hello All! Help with Labour Corps please

[Guest Ian Mac]

I just discovered this site today and I have to say that it is absolutely brilliant.

I hope that somehow I will be able to contribute to it in future.

My name is Ian McLaren and I collect medals to men who came from

the county of Somerset where I was born and bred (despite the suname!).

I also collect medals named to McLarens and as a result find myself finding

out about a variety of (so far exclusively) Army units.

My latest aquisition is the British War Medal to to 352286 Pte David McLaren

Labour Corps. I have other medals to men who served with line regiments

and other Corps and then finished their service in the Labour Corps but

this is the first that I have had where the Medal Index card states Labour

Corps only.

I see from other postings that it is possible to identify individual Labour Corps

units somehow (from the service number?). Could one of you experts out there

help me with any information about David McLaren's unit.

Including this latest I have no less than 14 broken WW1 groups to McLarens:

If anybody out there has any medals with this name on, please let me know!

ian.mclaren2@btinternet.com

Thanks

[ypres1418]

Welcome Ian,

enjoy your time here, I am unable to help you in your quest at this time but maybe another time I will.

Mandy

[John_Hartley]

Ian

Welcome to the Forum.

We used to have an active member called Ivor Lee who is an acknowledged expert on the Corps. Ivor hasnt been active here for some time (due to other committments) but his website is worth checking out (and he may be able to help). Clickety click

John

[Guest Ian Mac]

John and Mandy

Thanks for your welcomes and assistance.

Ivor has e-mailed back already!

Unfortunately he cant help me but your

quick response was superb.

Thanks

Ian

[John_Hartley]

Ian

I don't know how much this might help but:-

The CD "Soldiers Died in the Great War" records two men in the Labour with similarish service numbers (in the range 3522??).

Both came from Yorkshire and both were originally in the 80th Training Reserve Battalion. One (Reuban Fryars - died 21/3/18) is listed as being attached to "base depot, labour corps". The other (Herbert Bailey - 22/12/17) was atatched to 160th Company Labour Corps. It's not a guarantee, of course, but 160th Coy may be as good a starting point as anywhere else.

John

[Guest Ian Mac]

John

Thanks very much for that info. I have done this type of search with line

regiments and the possibility of doing it with the Labour Corps had not

occurred to me. Of course it makes sense for a 'newly formed' unit like that.

With there being no papers for him, do you have any tips for getting any

further info?

Ian