Kirkes Lamb Posted 8 May , 2007 Share Posted 8 May , 2007 I was at Cairo War Memorial CWGC Cemetery today and photographed a headstone of an S7 Interpreter from the Corps of Guides and Interpreters! No badge however. Does anyone know anything about this unit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaeldr Posted 8 May , 2007 Share Posted 8 May , 2007 quote: "Corps of Guides and Interpreters" I had to read your above post more than once, for I was almost convinced of a remarkable coincidence. Yesterday I photographed the memorial stone to an Interpreter who served with Q.V.O. Corps of Guides Cavalry, But I fear it is not the same unit; is it? regards Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirkes Lamb Posted 9 May , 2007 Author Share Posted 9 May , 2007 quote: "Corps of Guides and Interpreters" I had to read your above post more than once, for I was almost convinced of a remarkable coincidence. Yesterday I photographed the memorial stone to an Interpreter who served with Q.V.O. Corps of Guides Cavalry, But I fear it is not the same unit; is it? regards Michael Where did you photograph yesterday? I have never heard of this unot but wonder if any others have? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaeldr Posted 9 May , 2007 Share Posted 9 May , 2007 KL, The unit is Indian Army and I was at Ramleh the day before yesterday when I spotted it. The memorial is to Name: ATTIRGI Initials: J M Nationality: Indian Rank: Interpreter Regiment/Service: Queen Victoria's Own Corps of Guides Cavalry (F.F.) (Lumsden's) Secondary Regiment: Staffordshire Yeomanry Secondary Unit Text: attd. Age: 23 Date of Death: 10/05/1918 * Service No: KL/758 Additional information: Son of Dispino Madame Attirgi of Damascus Gate, Jerusalem and the late Michake Attirgi. Alternative Commemoration - buried in Jerusalem Old Greek Cemetery, Mount Zion. Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead Grave/Memorial Reference: Special Memorial Cemetery: RAMLEH WAR CEMETERY Judging by his mother's address it may be that he was recruited locally for his language skills, but that is only a guess on my part. What caught my eye was the fact that it is not a headstone but a memorial and all this is fully explained in six lines on the bottom half of the stone; "Buried at the time in Jerusalem Greek Orthodox Cemetery, Mount Zion, but whose grave is now lost. Their glory shall not be blotted out" * Note the CWGC record does not accord with the stone which clearly shows the date of death as 18th May not 10th Glad you found this of interest Regards Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirkes Lamb Posted 10 May , 2007 Author Share Posted 10 May , 2007 KL, The unit is Indian Army and I was at Ramleh the day before yesterday when I spotted it. The memorial is to Name: ATTIRGI Initials: J M Nationality: Indian Rank: Interpreter Regiment/Service: Queen Victoria's Own Corps of Guides Cavalry (F.F.) (Lumsden's) Secondary Regiment: Staffordshire Yeomanry Secondary Unit Text: attd. Age: 23 Date of Death: 10/05/1918 * Service No: KL/758 Additional information: Son of Dispino Madame Attirgi of Damascus Gate, Jerusalem and the late Michake Attirgi. Alternative Commemoration - buried in Jerusalem Old Greek Cemetery, Mount Zion. Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead Grave/Memorial Reference: Special Memorial Cemetery: RAMLEH WAR CEMETERY Judging by his mother's address it may be that he was recruited locally for his language skills, but that is only a guess on my part. What caught my eye was the fact that it is not a headstone but a memorial and all this is fully explained in six lines on the bottom half of the stone; "Buried at the time in Jerusalem Greek Orthodox Cemetery, Mount Zion, but whose grave is now lost. Their glory shall not be blotted out" * Note the CWGC record does not accord with the stone which clearly shows the date of death as 18th May not 10th Glad you found this of interest Regards Michael THat is interesting. I had heard of the Corps of Guides when I was working in Pakistan and thought the Corps of Guides and Interpreters may have been one unit! There was no badge on the headstone in Cairo! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bushfighter Posted 10 May , 2007 Share Posted 10 May , 2007 The grave of Lt Col BR Graham Corps of Guides & CO 3 King's African Rifles. Killed In Action at the Battle of Latema-Reata Nek, British East Africa. THE CORPS OF GUIDES In 1846 the Governor-General of India ordered the raising of a Corps of Guides on the North-West Frontier. The units in the Great War were: Queen Victoria's Own Corps of Guides (Frontier Force) (Lumsden's) Infantry otherwise the 5th Frontier Force Regiment 2nd Bn, Queen Victoria's Own Corps of Guides (Frontier Force) (Lumsden's) Infantry otherwise the 10th Frontier Force Regiment Queen Victoria's Own Corp of Guides (Frontier Force) (Lumsden's) Cavalry The infantry units were recognised as light infantry. The 2nd Bn was raised in January 1917. The cavalry fought at Sharqat & Khan Baghdadi with the 11th Cavalry Brigade in Mesopotamia. Both infantry battalions, after securing the NW Frontier during some hazardous years, fought in Palestine. The interpreters, doubtless recruited locally, would be on the strength of their Guides unit but would not be badged as Guides. Harry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacksmum Posted 10 May , 2007 Share Posted 10 May , 2007 I was at Cairo War Memorial CWGC Cemetery today and photographed a headstone of an S7 Interpreter from the Corps of Guides and Interpreters! No badge however. Does anyone know anything about this unit? "Alan Edward SCARTH. was the only son of Mr & Mrs E Scarth of Seeyok, Mirik, Northern Bengal and was born at Mangaldai, Assam on 2/2/1896 In February 1915 he joined the Indian Army Reserve of Officers and was for some time in training with the 1st Yorkshire Regiment at Rawal Pindi before being attached to the Corps of Guides at Marden, North West Frontier. In October 1916 he was sent, in charge of the Gurkha Company of the Corps of Guides to Mesopotamia and was there attached to the 53rd Sikhs. With them he took part in the advance to Baghdad. Scarth was hit on the second day of the battle of Istabulat when the 53rd suffered heavy losses, and he died in the First Aid Station." Alan's company of Gurkhas did splendidly, no less than three Generals congratulating the CO. Alan is remembered on the Basra Memorial. I do not have a badge either, so don't know whether this was the same unit - anyway it is a bit more for you to chew on Jacksmum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirkes Lamb Posted 10 May , 2007 Author Share Posted 10 May , 2007 "Alan Edward SCARTH. was the only son of Mr & Mrs E Scarth of Seeyok, Mirik, Northern Bengal and was born at Mangaldai, Assam on 2/2/1896 In February 1915 he joined the Indian Army Reserve of Officers and was for some time in training with the 1st Yorkshire Regiment at Rawal Pindi before being attached to the Corps of Guides at Marden, North West Frontier. In October 1916 he was sent, in charge of the Gurkha Company of the Corps of Guides to Mesopotamia and was there attached to the 53rd Sikhs. With them he took part in the advance to Baghdad. Scarth was hit on the second day of the battle of Istabulat when the 53rd suffered heavy losses, and he died in the First Aid Station." Alan's company of Gurkhas did splendidly, no less than three Generals congratulating the CO. Alan is remembered on the Basra Memorial. I do not have a badge either, so don't know whether this was the same unit - anyway it is a bit more for you to chew on Jacksmum I can post a picture of the headstone but how do I make the image smaller so i can post it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaeldr Posted 10 May , 2007 Share Posted 10 May , 2007 KL, if you lodge your image with someone like http://photobucket.com then it will be resized automatically by them and again by the GWF when you provide the link. That's how mine is done above [though I take it all on trust and don't claim to understand the technicalities] Regarding the scanning error which produced the different date of death for Interpreter Attirgi; Terry D. has agreed to take this up with the CWGC to correct their records Many thanks Terry. There is mention of some actions of the 1st Guides Infantry in this thread http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/i...showtopic=71403 But I have not come across their Cavalry in this theatre before As Harry has suggested, in this case the Guides may have just provided a convenient way of taking someone local on the strength. Though to the uninitiated like my self it raises the question, could he not have gone straight onto the books of the Staffordshire Yeomanry? Does the difficulty lie with this being a Yeomanry regiment? Regards Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bushfighter Posted 13 May , 2007 Share Posted 13 May , 2007 If anyone is interested in the early history of The Guides this book by AJ Younghusband is reprinted in paperback by Leonaur. Harry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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