Nominal Rolls

[cmf]

Hi all,

Does anyone know of a nominal roll existing for men of the Great Northern Railway (GNR) or North Eastern Railway (NER) who served during WWI (the National Railway Museum couldn't help), and in addition do any of you chaps know if a nominal roll for the 9th DLI exists?

Many thanks,

Chris

[Malcolm Linham]

Chris,

I have a copy of the memorial service at St Paul's Catherdral in memory of railwaymen.

It list's all those railwaymen that were killed during the Great War, it is very limited information ie name ,grade on the railway and rank within the army. It does not identify any regiments but the names are listed by railway company.

I will willing do a lookup if you are looking for someone in particular.

Malcolm

[Graham Stewart]

Chris,

I actually have the N.E.R. "Roll of Honour" and copies of N.E.R. enlistments, but if my memory is correct only the regiment is given in all cases and rarely is the battalion mentioned. Are you looking for anyone in particular?

Graham.

[cmf]

Thanks to you both,

I'm looking for references to my great-grandfather, John Bell (1895-1970), who joined the DLI during WWI. I knew postwar till his retirement he was a railway fireman/ driver with LNER/ BR/ NatCoalB (he drove the Flying Scotsman in his time and was straffed during WWII), but have just become aware that he would have been with one, most probably NER, of the LNER component companies before his enlistment - the birth certificate of his first child, born 1917, lists John Bell as 'Private, DLI. A Railway Fireman'. This is part of my ongoing quest to pin him down vis a vis a service number if possible (re MICs, there were quite a few DLI John Bells!). I believe, and have pretty good evidence for the fact, that he was with the 9th DLI, thus the request for that Bn's nominal roll.

Best and thanks

Chris

[cmf]

Any luck?

[Graham Stewart]

Chris,

Got your PM the other day and sorry for the late reply, but could I hell find my NER Attestation Lists. Anyway I've found the general works list and it would appear that under the Locomotive Department, Northern Division, based at Gateshead Park Lane there was a J. Bell, Durham Light Infantry. That I'm afraid is as much as it says and I'm afraid we're none the wiser as to whether or not it's the right J.Bell, but it's the only one in the Loco Dept.

Do you possibly have a home address for him at the time?

Graham.

[cmf]

Graham !

Fantastic stuff. Many thanks . John Bell was a native of Gateshead, and it all ties in! His addresss during his early life including WWI are a headache to me - I've been trying to pin him down, in order to gain his rgtl. no., via the Absence Voter Lists for 1918/ 19 for Gateshead, Newcastle, and Co. Durham - but with no luck. His parents moved to Canada before the war, or his father did and his mother moved away to be a domestic servant elsewhere in the NE, either way he was left and put into 'care', so there is no 'family' address. He married in Doncaster in 1916, where he was billeted at 'St Peters Schools, Lord St' - perhaps he and his wife had an address in Doncaster 1918, but I haven't had a chance to visit Doncaster and scan the AVL there.

Can I ask the source of your NER Attestation Lists? Are they from an original document you may have a copy of? Is there no indication of the year of his attestation?

Many thanks again

Chris

[Graham Stewart]

Chris,

Bit of a long shot here, but it may be worth trying to pull his marraige certificate. The reason being is that while in the Army he couldn't marry without the express permission of his Battalion Commanding Officer and so you may find both Battalion and regimental number on that certificate.

Whats throwing me at the moment is being billetted in Doncaster 1916, as the 1/9th Bn, Durham L.I. weren't based there as they'd been in France since April 1915. But low and behold the 2/9th Bn, Durham L.I. were there and they'd been there since November 1915. They stayed there as part of 190th Brigade/63rd Division and when the Division broke up in July 1916, the 190th Bde moved up to Catterick. They were only there until the 4th November 1916, when they embarked at Southampton and embarked for Salonika, via Havre and Marseilles.

They arrived in Salonika on the 15th November 1916 and remained in that area until the end of the War.

Now it appears to me that the wedding in Doncaster was a rush job, since they were being moved to Catterick.

The NER Attestion Lists I have are copies only from the "N.E.R. Magazine" and although not dated, certainly date from 1914, through to 1915 when an abundance of NER personnel were enlisting.

Graham.

[cmf]

Hi Graham

Its from his marriage certificate that I got the info about his address in Doncaster - all the info about his 'occupation' given is 'Private, Durham Light Infantry' Other Pals elsewhere have pointed out the existence of the 2/9 DLI in Doncaster at this time, one with the theory John Bell may have been recuperating with the 2/9 after being wounded in France with the 1/ 9 DLI, to which he later rejoined.

I knew that Bn COs had to give permission for marriages entered into by their men, but do you know if any official note of this was made, and in what document, other than a possible entry in the man's service records?

Do you have images of the 'NER Magazine' entry for John Bell, or info as to the issue and location now of copies I could have a look at, and possibly photo?

Many thanks for your help

Chris