methven 2nd bat middlesex Posted 4 July , 2007 Share Posted 4 July , 2007 Hi everyone i wonder if any one can help me. First i wondered if there was any way of finding info on when a soilder signed up . I have found his death he died 11/04/1917 his name was walter john methven but it has that he was 40 i also have his birth certificate he was born in 1884 which means he would have been 33 . The informant when he died was his sister so i know i have the right man, he was in the rifle brigade 13th btn service number s/21920 Thankyou for any help Tracy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian turner Posted 4 July , 2007 Share Posted 4 July , 2007 Tracy, I cannot help regarding when he joined up, but in case you do not have this info here is his entry from Soldiers Died in the Great War: He is listed with wrong spelling as: Methuen, Walter John Rifleman S/21920 13th Bn Rifle Brigade Killed in action France & Flanders 11/4/17 Born: Wimbledon, Surrey Enlisted: Whitehall, Middx Residence: Bethnal Green, Middx. You might like to try for his army service record if surviving. It might be online in the not too distant future. Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
methven 2nd bat middlesex Posted 4 July , 2007 Author Share Posted 4 July , 2007 Hi Ian thankyou for your help yes that is him it says he died aged 40 but that is the wrong age. But that is him. The army service records are you talking about the ones on ancestry they have only put on a and b so far Thanks again for the help Tracy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aliecoco Posted 4 July , 2007 Share Posted 4 July , 2007 Hi Tracy, I'm off to the NA in the morning, all being well. I'll pick this up - it won't take me long to check out a service record, especially with a surname like Methuen/Methven! I am hopeful to answer your question, but of course, and you probably know, not every record survives, about a 1 in 3 chance I think, others say more like 1 in 4, others would say that the ratio is even higher depending on their own research! I'll let you know how I get on, but don't get too excited. Alie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian turner Posted 4 July , 2007 Share Posted 4 July , 2007 Hi Ian thankyou for your help yes that is him it says he died aged 40 but that is the wrong age. But that is him. The army service records are you talking about the ones on ancestry they have only put on a and b so far Thanks again for the help Tracy I read on here that there will be more online by the end of July.... But lucky you, Alie is at hand! Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarryBettsMCDCM Posted 4 July , 2007 Share Posted 4 July , 2007 21*** would suggest an enlistment circa late 1914 or early 1915 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
methven 2nd bat middlesex Posted 5 July , 2007 Author Share Posted 5 July , 2007 Alie thankyou so much for your help thanks for looking for him methven is an easier name than some if you come across a James methven as well i would so so appreciate it he was in the 2nd battalian middlesex regiment thats only if you come across him thanks again Tracy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stiletto_33853 Posted 5 July , 2007 Share Posted 5 July , 2007 Tracy, A quick glance at the Rifle Brigade SWB Rolls would give his enlistment in december 1915. S/21860 enlisted on 10/12/15 S/20418 enlisted on 26/11/15 Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
methven 2nd bat middlesex Posted 6 July , 2007 Author Share Posted 6 July , 2007 Thanks Andy so he would have been about 31 so why lie about his age ? Tracy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian turner Posted 6 July , 2007 Share Posted 6 July , 2007 Tracy, It may be that his sister was wrong or confused over his age rather than 'lied' about it. She would have been asked to supply or verify his details by the (then) Imperial War Graves Commission. For instance, she may have been asked in say 1923 or 1924 for the info and simply deducted the year of his birth from the current year (appx 40 years?) instead of accounting for the fact that he died in 1917. Otherwise indeed no need to have 'lied' - so I think just an error between the army, CWGC and his relatives. Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
methven 2nd bat middlesex Posted 6 July , 2007 Author Share Posted 6 July , 2007 Hi Ian Thanks so much for the information, I did not realise that his sister may have given the information I know for certain this is my man I just could not work out the age difference Thanks so much Tracy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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