K.O.Y.L.I. + Yorkshire Regiment

[Kurgan]

I am trying to find some info on my Great Grandfather Pte Frank Gray 21014 who survived the war and I believe was in the K.O.Y.L.I. Does anyone know how I can find out which regiment he served with and where he was posted?

Many thanks

[BMoorhouse]

Kurgan,

Welcome to the forum.

A quick look at his medal index card (the national archive online database will allow you to download it for £3.50) suggests that he was first in the Yorkshire Regiment (Pte 21014) and then in the KOYLIs (Pte 62858). Can I suggest that you download it and then if necessary post it to this forum - people will then be able to help you more.

I will try to post the link below:

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documen...;resultcount=61

Regards,

Brendon.

[Kurgan]

Brendon

Thanks for your reply, I have downloaded the medal card and there are two regiment numbers and two regiments. Does this mean he was transferred or enlistested twice or something. Any help is very much appreciated.

Many Thanks

[BMoorhouse]

Kurgan,

I am not an expert in the area of the MIC card decyphering. Doubtless some kind soul on the forum will step in to help.

Regards,

Brendon.

[Max]

This link may help you http://www.1914-1918.net/grandad/grandad_medals.html

andy

[Kurgan]

As the Medal records say that he was in the Yorkshire Regiment before being in the KOYLI, he was from the Middlesbrough area (I think our local regiment was the Teesside Pioneers) is there anyway I could find out which regiment he joined originally and why he then joined the KOYLI or would I have to visit Kew. Appologies if I have misunderstood the help already offered.

Martin

[BMoorhouse]

Kurgan,

At the start of WW1 all men were volunteers, and could choose which Regiment they joined. People did not always join local Regiments although most of them did. Often people would volunteer with friends, or join a Regiment that they thought would suit them best.

As the war progressed, I believe that the options available reduced. By the end of the war people were sent wherever needed.

People did change Regiment for a vareity of reasons.

I think your best bet is to either visit Kew, or ask for some kindly person on this forum to look him up when they are there.

It may be that you will never get a complete picture of what he did in the war - but as you will see from other posts on the Forum - people have sometimes found out a huge amount more by persisting.

Good luck with the search. Local papers are also a good source of information as you know where he came from.

Brendon.

[Kurgan]

Brendon

Many thanks for your help, it's a bit of a treck from Middlesbrough to Kew but we might get to the FA cup this year so I'll try to go then.

Martin

[Kurgan]

Trev

In response to your PM, unfortunately the surname is a slightly different spelling in Gray with an 'a'. I have his regiment number 21014 (don't know which battalian, though our local one was the Teesside Pioneers but as was pointed out to me he could have joined any) and wondered when and why he moved from the Yorkshire regiment to the KOYLI. I also wondered where he served as noone appears to know so I can take the familly on a tour. The offer of help from the Yorkshire regiment and KOYLI histories is much appreciated.

Martin

[Kurgan]

Trev

Thanks for the link the information at

http://www.communigate.co.uk/ne/4thyorksbtn/index.phtml

it is quite extensive. My problem is and I don't know if you know how to do this but whilst I have my grandfathers seriel number I don't know which battalion he was in so I don't know how to carry on the research as to where he fought etc as it would be good to visit some of these places and bore my children stupid.

He also had 5 brothers and looking at the census I had a guess and cross referenced their names with the Yorkshire regiment (not that this was necessarily the regiment they would have joined even if they had joined up in the Army as we live on the coast ) and saw that there was another Gray, John J Gray with a seriel number of 21024 which is only 10 more than my Great Grandfather which was 21014. Bit of a coincidence that the numbers are so close, they might have joined up together or were people sorted alphabetically.

Any ideas

Martin