Gibraltar or Malta?

[jemcareessex]

My Gt Grandmother's brother, James Rowe, "Uncle Jim" had been badly disfigured by shrapnel in the face, he never married after the war because of his face. An elderly relative remembers him saying he was in Gibraltar or Malta during WW1. I have no idea what regiment he was in or anything and the name is common so search engines are no use.

Anyone have any ideas?

[cockney tone]

As you say a common name and quite a task you are setting yourself.

I had a quick look on the Medal Index Cards on www.nationalarchives.gov.uk and it shows that 119 men of that name were entitled to medals in WW1.

If you have a look on the Commonwealth War Graves Site there are 94 'J' Rowes shown as died during the Great War.

A bit labourious but as your relation apparently survived the War you could sift through the CWGC site and delete those men from the 119 entitled to medals to reduce the number of possibles.

With a fewer number of possible men you could then look at the Regiments of these men to see if any of them were posted to Gib or Malta.

A very long winded way to proceed and not gauranteed to identify him but with your limited info the only way I can suggest. Hopefully another pal on the Forum may know different.

If you by any chance have any pictures of him in uniform post the photo as someone my be able to ID Regiment etc from it.

Good luck,

Regards,

Scottie.

[Terry_Reeves]

This might be worth trying, but you will have to visit the National Archive at Kew to access it. There is no guarantee that it the same man of course. Out of interest, do you in which year he died?

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalog...ullDetails=True

Terry Reeves

[jemcareessex]

Thanks Scottie (my maiden name SCOTT) for looking up those sites for me, I think that will be a task I will undertake time consuming it may be. I have also found a site regarding the facial recontruction of servicemen during WW1, I have enquired there. I do not know of any photo's of him. I understand he would not have any taken after the war, not surprising.

Thanks

Elaine

[jemcareessex]

Hi Terry

He lived until the early 1950's although I do not had the date of death.

[cockney tone]

Elaine,

not another 'Scott' on the Forum, hope for your sake you are not related to me somewhere back down the line! My Grandad was born in Essex in the 1880's and lived in Southend (The Cockney Riviera) then Cambridge before moving into the smoke in Wood Green & Tottenham.

Just a thought, i was wondering if your Great Uncle may have been awarded a pension due to his injuries, not researched that area at all so I dont know where you would look for any surviving pension details.

Best wishes with your quest and keep us all posted with your progress.

Regards,

Scottie.

[Greg Bloomfield]

A great many Terrotorial Force battalions went to places such as Malte, Gibraltar and India to allow regular battalions based there to redeploy to France and Flanders. However these were not classed as active theatres to the best of my knowledge. Some units and/or individuals stayed there for the duration and would have been awarded the Terrotorial Force War Medal and the British War Medal. If they subsequently also served in an active theatre they would additionally have been awarded the Victory Medal.

Greg

[MartinWills]

Malta was a naval base of sorts during WW1 and is was also a staging post for troops travelling to the Eastern Med. Some of the Salonika force may have gone out that way. The Gallipoli forces and those going to Egypt & Palestine as well as some bound for Mesopotamia would have gone that way.

Rupert Brooke and other RND officers stopped on whilst bound for Gallipoli and went to the Opera in Malta (they saw Tosca). Many casualties from Gallipoli and elsewhere were hospitalised on Malta and Turkish PoWs were also held there.

[per ardua per mare per terram]

Malta was a naval base of sorts during WW1

Malta was a major naval base. It was the headquarters for the naval Commander in Chief Mediterranean; a dockyard, as well as having a hospital and those facilities had been under British control for 100 years. It was a good place for r&r, convalescence or major surgery. The hospital had its origins with the Knights of St John, was well constructed and probably much better than shipping someone with major injuries, sustained in any of the Mediterranean theatres of war, back to Blighty!