James Calt

[doogal]

Hello, I'm Mrs Doogal

I think my Great Grandad is James Calt who was in the South Staff.s.

Can anybody point me in the direction of what army (I probably mean battalion or some other techy term like that) he was in so Mr. Doogal can take me to Kew and show me what to do next? !!!

South Staffordshire Regiment, 9597, Private

Labour Corps, 649778, Private

Apparently, I have searched on 'Ancestry' on WO364 and 363 and there is no trace.

I would really appreciate the help of any South Staff.s experts - will his numbers give me a clue to where, when and/or what he may have gone and been involved in, respectively?

Look forward to any news or help anyone here can give

Kind Regards

Sam

[mhifle]

The Labour Corps number looks like September or later 1918

Regards Mark

[stubriscoe]

The South Staffs number is most likely one of 1st, 2nd or 1/5th Battalion.

regards,

Stuart

[Ivor Lee]

As Mark said late September or early October likely for transfer to Labour Corps and probably to one of the PoW Companies.

Ivor

[doogal]

Many thanks to Ivor, Stuart and Mark.

I have had a quick look at the Labour Corps website and will take a better look at the weekend.

I may not know my military history, but as a Great War Forum widow I know that the information will really narrow my search.

So I wil be off to my first visit to Kew in the coming weeks.

Once again, thanks

Sam.

[doogal]

I went to kew earlier this week, and had some interesting discoveries:

There were no James Calt South Staffordshire regiment surviving service records on the microfilm.

By following through to the two medal roll documents noted on the MiC I got to the medal rolls.

Although the 1915 roll is a Labour Corps medal roll, it shows he was with the 1st South Staffordshire regiment before the Labour Corps. it is unclear to me whether this was the bn he was with when he landed in france, or whether it was the one he was with when he changed to the Labour Corps.

His other medal roll (Victory medal), only states "South Staffordshire regiment", so I don't know if this is any use.

Also, I (was pointed at) looked through the Wo97 service records, and found the service record for a James Calt who I have been able to positively confirm as the James Calt from our family, and who was my Gt grandfather. He served for eleven years, and left the army in 1903. I think this is the same James Calt as the one with the 1915 Star, but without the servie record, how do i confirm this - He would have been 40 in 1914, but because there are so few Calts, and also this james Calt went to war so early on, but later than the actual regiment, could he have gone as a reservist or because he was re-accepted because of his experience?

Does this idea sound feasible, and if so, how do I go about proving it? The army numbers for the two James Calts are different: the early one, my Gt Granfather, who left in 1903 was s.s.3265, and the one from the war was Private James Calt 9597. Calt seems to be a verty rare name from looking at the service records and online census records, and so far, he looks like the only James Calt who could have been remotely the right age to have served in the First War, and for them both to be South Staffordshire regiment as well seems to look like it could be the same person.

Can anyone help at all?

thank-you

Sam