Paul Johnson Posted 15 December , 2003 Share Posted 15 December , 2003 This is a tough one, as I have tried it before. My maternal GF, Herbert Lowry ,was attested for Army service on the 7th December 1915 at Poplar, East London and was mobilised for service on the 13th January 1917 as Pioneer 228878 IWD Royal Engineers. With the review of Army Service numbers in 1917 his number changed to WR/504834. At the time he joined the army he was living with his wife at 17 Aberfeldy Street, Poplar. He was admitted to No.2 General Hospital, Boulogne, in May 1918 suffering from Valvular Heart Disease. Herbert was discharged from the Army on the 23rd May 1919 aged 31 having been awarded the Victory Medal, British War Medal and a Silver Wound Badge (B211370). He was discharged under Para 392 of Kings Regulations as a result of his heart condition having served 2 years 131 days with the colours. I have a copy of his service record from the PRO (despite the MOD informing me in 1997 that one did not exist). However, I cannot establish which Unit he served with in the IWT. Any suggestions, as there is not much hair left to pull out. I just cant make that final step in order to look at the war diaries for his unit, or continue with any research. Any Ideas, PLEASE????? Thank You For Listening (all donations gratefully received - underacheived researcher to keep) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CROONAERT Posted 15 December , 2003 Share Posted 15 December , 2003 Paul. I don't know if this is of any help at all, but the "WR" service number prefix indicates "Waterways and Railways", Royal Engineers. Dave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Johnson Posted 15 December , 2003 Author Share Posted 15 December , 2003 Thanks Dave, His father used to be a Barge Builder, so this may have some bearing on the matter. I am also aware that the IWT had a Depot in Poplar, which may have been his "unit". Only time, and hopefully this forum, will tell. Regards Paul J Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seaney70 Posted 18 December , 2003 Share Posted 18 December , 2003 my great granfather served in the IW & T RE which is the inland water and transport section RE, maybe along same lines, my GG was a driller regards sean ps where have you looked for RE info? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Johnson Posted 22 December , 2003 Author Share Posted 22 December , 2003 Hi Seaney, Sorry for late response. I have only really looked at the PRO (Sorry, NA) Service Records. As I said previously, the MOD told me that his Service Record had not survived, but they were wrong. Its very frustrating. How did you find out your GG was a Driller in the IWT?? Paul J Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now