Photo of unknown officer

[bobpike]

Can Pals help, please? My local paper phoned me to say that they have a photo of an officer dated 1915 inscribed E W Tanner. they want to feature it to see if anyone responds, but would like a bit more to go with it. I have checked SDGW, CWGC & MIC to no avail, suggestions, please?

[SteveE]

Only MIC to an officer, E W TANNER, as far as I can see is this one Here

Tanner, Eustace William

Temporary Second Lieutenant

Royal Army Service Corps

Looks as if he may have a file in the NA as well, link is Here

Hope this helps

Steve

[bobpike]

Steve,

Magic, thank you. I wonder if he has a connection with north-west Essex, specifically Saffron Walden?

Regards,

Bob

[Stebie9173]

Quite an unusual name.

The London Gazette has this entry in 14-8-1934 issue:

Re JOSEPH TATTON, Deceased.

Pursuant to the Trustee Act, 1925.

NOTICE is hereby given that all creditors and

other persons having any debts, claims or

demands against the estate of Joseph Tatton, late

of " Lyncroft," Eastbourne, in the county of

Sussex, deceased (who died on the 15th day of

April, 1934, and whose Will, with a Codicil

thereto, was proved in the Lewes District Registry

of the Probate Division of His Majesty's High

Court of Justice on the 9th day of August, 1934,

by Westminster Bank Limited, Arthur Tatton and

Eustace William Tanner, the executors named in

the said Will), are hereby required to send the

particulars, in writings of their debts, claims or

demands to us, the undersigned, the Solicitors for

the said executors, on or before the 1st day of

November next, after which date the said' executors

will proceed to distribute the assets of the

said deceased amongst the persons entitled thereto,

having regard only to the debts, claims and demands

of whieh they shall then have had notice;

and they will not be liable for the assets of the

said deceased, or any part thereof, so distributed,

to any person or persons of whose debts, claims

or demands they shall not then have had notice.—

Dated this 13th day of August, 1934.

STAPLEY and HURST, Westminster Bank

Chambers, Eastbourne, Solicitors for the

Executors.

Alternatively, try this one:

7th Vol. Bn., Essex Regt.—

Temp. 2nd Lt. E. W. Tanner relinquishes his commission, 10th JMar. 1920, and is granted the hon. rank of 2nd Lt..

http://www.gazettes-online.co.uk/archiveVi...&selHonourType=

Steve.

[bobpike]

Steve,

Fascinating, thank you. As you say not a common name (I couldn't find him on 1901 Census), so a good chance the same chap? Also the Essex Regiment details are the first link with this county,

Bob

[Stebie9173]

Try this one bob - Times 3-7-1918

Extract from an article on a conference on "Enemy Aliens"

Steve.

[bobpike]

Steve,

With reference to the date of this meeting and Tanner's war service, is it the same man, or possibly his father with the same initials? What do you think?

Thanks

[Stebie9173]

Could be either.

The Volunteer battalions were akin to the home guard, I believe, so he could quite possibly have been both in the Volunteers and serving on the Council. Civic duty and all that.

My own local Volunteer battalion got a fair bit of coverage in the papers. If only you knew someone with access to the archives of the local Saffron Walden newspaper....

Steve.

[bobpike]

Steve,

If the RASC chap is the same man, could he have served in that during the war, then gone to the Volunteer battalion of 7th. Essex?

Bob

[Stebie9173]

Birth Registers show

Eustace William Tanner born Wimborne, Dec Qtr 1885.

But also:

Ernest William Tanner born Dunmow, Essex, Dec Qtr 1872.

1901 Census:

High Street, Great Dunmow.

Joseph W Tanner abt 1846 Thaxted, Essex, England Head Great Dunmow Essex (Draper & Grocer)

Emily A Tanner abt 1846 Saffron Walden, Essex, England Wife Great Dunmow Essex

Ernest W Tanner abt 1873 Great Bardfield, Essex, England Son Great Dunmow Essex

Percy B Tanner abt 1877 Great Bardfield, Essex, England Son Great Dunmow Essex

Alice G Tanner abt 1880 Great Bardfield, Essex, England Daughter Great Dunmow Essex

Alice Swan abt 1884 Lindsell, Essex, England Servant Great Dunmow Essex

Purely on connections to Saffron Walden (where Ernest's mother was born), I would say our man may be Ernest William Tanner, and that Eustace William Tanner in the RAMC is a fish of the scarlet variety (i.e. a seperate man, though no doubt the RAMC man and the executor are one and the same)

Steve.

[bobpike]

Steve,

This is great stuff, I'm sure you're right & Ernest, not Eustace is our man. Thank you immensely for all your hard work,

Bob

[bobpike]

Can I ask a further question, please? Why is Edward Tanner on the MIC when the picture shows him in umiform in 1915? Were Volunteer Battalions not eligible?

Bob

[Stebie9173]

No problem, Bob.

Eustace William Tanner, aged 15, was in Christs Hospital, All Hallows Barking, Newgate Street, London City per the 1901 Census - as a Medical Student, not a patient!

He has been transcribed as Eustace William Fanner on the Ancestry Index.

Two separate men.

I've been reading Eustace as RAMC rather than RASC. i wonder if the same has happened with the MIC and that Eustace was a Doctor?

Steve.

[bobpike]

Sorry, Steve, my incompetence, should have read 'why is Edward NOT on the MIC etc....?

[Stebie9173]

Ernest William Tanner was 42 in 1915. Does the man in the photo look that old?

As a responsible official of the town, I doubt he would have been eligible for conscription at any stage. He would have been able to serve in the Volunteer Battalion throughout the war and not be called up to go overseas, unless he wished to, as far as I know.

Steve.

[bobpike]

Steve,

I've just spoken to the paper and they confirm that he could look 40-ish, so things are coming together, thanks to you. How about medals, though, was he ineligible for BWM & VM?

Bob

[Stebie9173]

Unless he served overseas, I think the short answer is Yes, he was ineligible.

I presume that their may have been some sort of recognition of Volunteer service (if only as a Certificate, in the same way that my TF great-uncle got a certificate thanking him for his service). Perhaps, something semi-official at local level, but I'm only guessing.

A wider question for the Forum, perhaps?

Steve.