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Finding a Soldier


jimmie

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Hello everyone,

I'm trying to find any information about a soldier called Pte. D. Black 9221 D Company 21 Stationary Hospital 1st. Battalion Salonika Force Royal Scots. That's all the information I have other than he had seven brothers all killed at Ypres in 1915. I've no reason to believe he was killed himself in the war and I can find no record of him with the CWGC.

Here's hoping someone can help.

Jim

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Jim

His Battalion was in 81 Brigade of 27 Division in Salonika. See:

http://www.1914-1918.net/salonika.htm

http://www.1914-1918.net/27div.htm

for some background info. I can't find him on the MIC rolls by entering his initial and surname and number. I have taken info away to try to get it to pop up but only get thousands of Blacks when that is all I enter,as it doesn't give info on any other combinations !

Best wishes

Sotonmate

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Jim,

Bit more background reading via a thread from this site about Salonika:

http://invisionzone.com/forums/lofiversion...php/t26737.html

There are a few in that thread with a bit more knowledge of Salonika than most of us.

Sotonmate

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Jim

Sorry,my last link was not working,even though I religiously checked it before posting. I can't think why.

Suffice to say that other members have contributed to it and it concerns the Salonika hospitals setup with some pics.so you might have to do a bit of delving on the theme in the Long Long Trail.

Sotonmate

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That's all the information I have other than he had seven brothers all killed at Ypres in 1915.

If he had that many brothers killed and in such a short period of the War, then there is bound to be information about him around on the internet.

Do you have any details of the brothers that might help to pin things down?

John

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I have checked SDGW for Blacks in the Royal Scots killed in 1915 and I can only find 4, none of whom appear to be related, likewise with Pte D Black 9221, no trace of him of TNA. I have quite a lot of clippings from the Edinburgh Evening News for 1915/16 and can find no mention of any of them, however they may have came from outwith the area, it does seem a lot of brothers killed to not get mention, CWGC does not bounce anything up either- sorry.

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Hello everyone,

I'm trying to find any information about a soldier called Pte. D. Black 9221 D Company 21 Stationary Hospital 1st. Battalion Salonika Force Royal Scots. That's all the information I have other than he had seven brothers all killed at Ypres in 1915. I've no reason to believe he was killed himself in the war and I can find no record of him with the CWGC.

Here's hoping someone can help.

Jim

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Hello everyone,

I'm trying to find any information about a soldier called Pte. D. Black 9221 D Company 21 Stationary Hospital 1st. Battalion Salonika Force Royal Scots. That's all the information I have other than he had seven brothers all killed at Ypres in 1915. I've no reason to believe he was killed himself in the war and I can find no record of him with the CWGC.

Here's hoping someone can help.

Jim

Dear Everyone,

I'd like to thankyou all for the very helpful responses I've received, particularly Sotonmate whose pointers towards further information I'll pursue and also Johns' Hartley and Duncan who ask for further information.

My information about Pte. D Black and his brothers comes from a small diary I now have, kept by a nurse called Jessie Ritchie who was at Salonika and died there in 1916( she is mentioned in the CWGC records). Attached in her handwriting is the only information I have regarding the brothers and I hope this is of interest and that it might lead to the discovery of more information.

Jimmie

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Dear Everyone,

I'd like to thankyou all for the very helpful responses I've received, particularly Sotonmate whose pointers towards further information I'll pursue and also Johns' Hartley and Duncan who ask for further information.

My information about Pte. D Black and his brothers comes from a small diary I now have, kept by a nurse called Jessie Ritchie who was at Salonika and died there in 1916( she is mentioned in the CWGC records). Attached in her handwriting is the only information I have regarding the brothers and I hope this is of interest and that it might lead to the discovery of more information.

Jimmie

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Jim's been having some trouble trying to post the handwritten original, but this is a transcript which he sent me:-

"Seven Brothers

The Royal Scots Age

Pte. Robert Black St Elgi 22

" James Black 36

" Thomas Black 16.5

" George Black 39

Peter Black 18

" David Black 24

" William Black 15

All of them lost their Lives fighting for their Country at Ypres, 1915

Brothers of

Pte. D. Black 9221

D Coy 21 Stationary Hospital

1st Batt Salonika Force

Royal Scots"

As John Duncan says there doesnt seem to be any confirmation evidence here. I've had a look at CWGC for 1915 and there are no likely candidates with the Royal Scots for Robert, George, Peter, David or William. I havnt looked outside 1915 or at the possibility of confusion between Royal Scots and Royal Scots Fusiliers. Another point is that I can't see a Medal Index Card for a Pte D Black , 9221. Seems to me that Nurse Ritchie has written up a rather fanciful tale for herself.

John

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Jim's been having some trouble trying to post the handwritten original, but this is a transcript which he sent me:-

"Seven Brothers

The Royal Scots Age

Pte. Robert Black St Elgi 22

" James Black 36

" Thomas Black 16.5

" George Black 39

Peter Black 18

" David Black 24

" William Black 15

All of them lost their Lives fighting for their Country at Ypres, 1915

Brothers of

Pte. D. Black 9221

D Coy 21 Stationary Hospital

1st Batt Salonika Force

Royal Scots"

As John Duncan says there doesnt seem to be any confirmation evidence here. I've had a look at CWGC for 1915 and there are no likely candidates with the Royal Scots for Robert, George, Peter, David or William. I havnt looked outside 1915 or at the possibility of confusion between Royal Scots and Royal Scots Fusiliers. Another point is that I can't see a Medal Index Card for a Pte D Black , 9221. Seems to me that Nurse Ritchie has written up a rather fanciful tale for herself.

John

After much investigation into this matter John, it had crossed my mind that one possibility was that Nurse Ritchie had spun a tale. Or that she had got some of the information confused. Or that she was spun a tale. Who knows, but perhaps someone can throw some light on the matter.

Jim

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