Lt Alex McD Nevin RAMC

[tommy mcclimonds]

I have been trying to research the following grave in my local cemetery

Lt Alexander McDonald Nevin, M.B., C.M., D.P.H

RAMC

Died 28 June 1917

Buried in grave 132 Banbridge Town New Cemetery. The grave was purchased by a William Chancellor, Bridge Street, Banbridge. The only other details the register holds is that Lt Nevin was a resident of Birmingham and had died of Malaria Fever. As far as I can ascertain he had no direct link to Banbridge other than he was here when he died and his name does not appear on the Banbridge war memorial. He has a MIC but he is not mentioned on CWGC or in SDGW as far as I can see. According to his elaborate headstone he had served with the RAMC in Salonica during 1916 -1917.

Can anyone throw some light on this one, perhaps he was no longer in the army when he died. Could someone who has access to ancestry have a look for any pension records please. Perhaps some of our Birmingham pals could throw some light on the Birmingham connection.

Many thanks in anticipation, Tommy.

[Desmond7]

Son-in-law? Where's the RAMC brigade? Tommy - having noted the Birmingham connection, Nevin is a very 'local' name .. must be a local connection somwehere.

[sotonmate]

Tommy

A small point but have you looked in ODGW as he was an Officer !

I have looked in Kew's Officer Files and have found no NEVIN (or NEVAN) with the initials A or AM or AMc in either WO339 (there are 3 Nevins and no Nevans) or WO374 (there is 1 Nevin and no Nevans).

Sotonmate

[tommy mcclimonds]

Des

I know it's a "local" name and I have spoken to one Nevin family I know very well, all to no avail. Don't worry I won't give up on this one Des.

Sotonmate

You are quite right, I must have had my "stupid" head on when I was used my SDGW Version 1 CD. He is in the ODGW database, the only extra info was his Date "Died" is given as 24/06/17 and he was (Att 36 Gen Hospital)

Link to MIC below, I hope!

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documen...p;resultcount=2

Thanks, Tommy.

[PPCLI]

.... throw some light on the Birmingham connection.

Tommy,

Here is a link to a page in the London Gazette in which the executors of his will gave public notice for creditors or other persons to make claims on his estate. It gives a Birmingham address and another name, Mary Nevin (spouse, mother?). It confirms the date of death as 28th June 1917.

Hope this is of some help,

Stuart

[tommy mcclimonds]

Stuart

Thank you for the link to the London Gazette, one more piece of the puzzle, at least that proves the Birmingham connection for me. If he was a practising doctor in Birmingham you would have thought that surely there should be something for him there, local papers, war memorial. It looks like it's back to our local newspaper library again if our "Birmingham Pals" can't turn anything else up. Wonder where he trained?

Thanks again, regards Tommy.

[tommy mcclimonds]

Another piece of the Lt Alexander McDonald Nevin, RAMC, puzzle this time courtesy of a website - Glasgow University Roll of Honour, and well worth a visit. A great photograph and at least I now know where he trained. Come on the Birmingham Brigade!

http://www.archives.gla.ac.uk/honour/gallery.php?rid=4191

Tommy.

[Carolann]

Hi Tommy

I have sent his Mic to you but I thought I would add the information I have found to this post.

On the 23rd July 1900 Alexander McDonald Nevin became a MB Mast. Surgeon from the University of Glasgow..... In 1913 he resided at 674 Sratford Road, Birmingham.

Edit - I think this might be their surgery address.

On the 20th May 1893 William Chancellor became a Bac. Surgeon from the University of Ireland.....In 1913 he resided at Bridge Street, Banbridge, Co. Down.

Tommy I have searched for a birth and marriage in Scotland for this man but nothing.

I have searched for a birth and marriage in England still nothing! Well nothing definite.

I can only presume he has something more to do with Ireland than meets the eye.

I have even tried to see if William Chancellor had a sister as I thought Alexander might have connected to William through marriage. Which is still possible, but when it comes to the Irish records it gets very difficult as many of the census records were destroyed in a fire, and to search a marriage having a little more than just the name of the groom does not help.

As you know Nevin is a very popular name in Ireland there are all different was of spelling it what with "Mics", "Macs" and "Os". Another piece of useless information the name Nevin in Ireland is connected to Physicians.

I will try and find something for you that you don't know.

Edit 7pm tonight - I have found a birth of a girl called Mary Chancellor Nevin in the 3rd quarter of 1903 - Solihull, West Midlands, Warwickshire ref no 6d page 639, this could be Mary and Alexanders daughter, she fits all the bills with regard to name date and place of birth. My feeling is that Alexander is married to William Chancellors sister, I still cannot pin down the Birmingham connection any more than I have.

Cheers Carol

[tommy mcclimonds]

Carolann

Many thanks for all your help, your info gives me a few more avenues to investigate. I think a visit to the GRO in NI and the PRO as well over the next few weeks may well be needed. I will keep you posted of future developments. Once again many thanks for all your help, especially the MIC.

Regards, Tommy.

[Christian Stewart]

Tommy,

My first post here. I came across your enquiry about Lt Alexander MacDonald Nevin whilst carrying out a Google search for "Chancellor Nevin".

He is my Great Grandfather (Mother's Mother's line). I would be very happy to help with any information that you would like to know (given that my knowledge may be somewhat limited).

Sadly, my mother died last year, but my Aunt, her younger sister, is very much alive and still living in Birmingham. I have a fair amount of Alexander Nevin's personal effects, including letters to his wife and daughters from Salonika. My mother completed a large amount of family research, but never managed to travel to Ireland. I am slowly working my way through many different families and utilising the wonders of the internet age to extend or consolidate her research.

Carolann is correct, my Great Grandfather married Mary Chancellor, who was the sister of Dr William Chancellor, both being children of the apparently formidable Rev Josiah Alexander Chancellor of the RP Church.

[Kate Wills]

Welcome to the GWF.

Which unit did he serve in?

[Christian Stewart]

Welcome to the GWF.

Which unit did he serve in?

Thank you for the welcome.

He appears to have been with the Birmingham Hospital Unit attached to the Serbian Army and worked at No.36 General Hospital.

I haven't yet attempted to find if any Army records for him remain.

[Kate Wills]

Aha! Vertekop etc.

I think you may find these threads of interest:

36th General Hospital Vertekop

Captain Talbert Stevenson MC & bar Black Watch

Welsh students company RAMC

[Christian Stewart]

Thank you Kate, those posts are most revealing and help paint a fuller picture of his surroundings.

I will speak to my Aunt and try and put together a fuller biography, but for now here is a brief summary to help anyone looking to research him.

From the family bible, Alexander Macdonald Nevin was the son of Rev Robert Nevin DD (b.21.10.1817 d.7.2.1893) and Katherine Manson (b.8.8.1843 d.4.8.1903) (m.30.3.1869 Glasgow). He was one of 10 Children, and more remarkably had a further 7 step brothers/sisters from his father's first marriage.

He was born on 25th July 1872 at 18 Queen Street, Derry.

He married Mary Chancellor (b.1867 d.1957) on 27th August in Belfast, and had two children, Mary (Maureen) Chancellor (b.1903 d.1987) and Catherine (Doreen) Dorothea (b.1905 d.1989). At the last count there are 26 living direct descendants.

As mentioned above, he studied medicine at Glasgow University and moved to Birmingham where he became Medical Officer for Health for Yardley.

He volunteered for service, and with the Birmingham Hospital Unit was attached to the Serbian Army. He appears to have worked at the No.36 General Hospital.

At some point in 1917 he contracted Malaria and appeared to be making a recovery. He travelled back to Ireland to be with his family who were residing with his wife's brother, Dr William Chancellor, in Banbridge. Here he suddenly worsened and died quite soon afterwards in Belfast.

For my Grandmother, it is a very sad story. His letters to her from Salonika bring me to tears as they are so personal and loving and so reassuring. It must have been very hard for her and her sister to lose him.

Here are a number of photographs and Obituary notices I have managed to scan. The Obituary notices, give him the rank of Captain, however the grave inscription and MIC would suggest that this is a Press error.

The writing below, is not mine...

[Kate Wills]

Thanks for posting those Christian. Lovely portrait of Lt Nevin, and it's not often that you see photos of interiors. I presume that's a pair of leather gaiters on the wall. The chap on the far right of the deck chair photo via the link looks to be a member of one of the many foreign armies who also served on the Macedonian front, possibly Italian or Serbian. An interpreter perhaps.

I'm going to transfer this thread to the Salonika & The Balkans section to make it easier to retrieve.

[Christian Stewart]

My pleasure Kate. As I find out more, I will try and fill in the details.

There was one other photograph in the collection, which I didn't post because it didn't include my Great Grandfather. Here it is.

Could I ask you to send a private message if possible to the original poster, Tommy Mcclimonds, to make him aware that some of his questions may have been answered? I don't seem to have the ability to do it myself, and would hate to think that an update to his thread after so long, might be missed. I would also very much like to ask him whether he had a photograph of the grave and headstone of Alexander Macdonald Nevin in Banbridge.

I appear to have been promoted and now have the ability to view profiles!

Many thanks.

[tommy mcclimonds]

Christian

Apologies in not getting back to you sooner but I was "of the grid" yet again for a couple of weeks. Since I posted the original enquiry in 2008 I also have discovered some mor information and the links to Banbridge etc as well. I must say the pictures you posted were fantastic to see and it is great to make contact with a living relative. For the past number of years I have placed a poppy cross on his grave each November as I didn't want him to be another one of the forgotten. I'm sure you know that Alexander was not recorded on the CWGC database and he has only just been accepted very recently indeed, coincidence or perhaps fate, see link -

I will be only to happy to pass on pictures of his headstone in Banbridge and I attach a low resolution picture below. If you send me a PM with your e-mail address I will be only to happy to pass on a high resolution copy for your records.

Regards, Tommy.

[Christian Stewart]

Tommy

Thank you so much, I will send you a PM with my email address. And thank you too for placing a Poppy on his grave. Although my mother passed away a year ago, I know it would have warmed her heart to have known this.

I only discovered that the CGWC had added him after having discovered your posts. And to have happened so recently is an amazing coincidence.

I have spoken to my Aunt and she has one or two further details and items of his. I will try to put together a few letters and other things that might be of interest over the next few weeks.

Kind regards

Christian

[tommy mcclimonds]

Christian

I also have a couple of items of local information that may be of interest to you as well. I will send on the picture etc when I get a chance tomorrow. As an interesting aside it was his brother-in-law Dr Chancellor who declared my own grandfather as fit for active service when he enlisted here in Banbridge.

Regards, Tommy.

[Christian Stewart]

My Aunt has sent me scans of a passage warrant that he must have used to return home shortly before his death.

I'm intrigued by the phrase "Contract Expires 4/6/17". No longer intrigued - London Gazette has him being made Temp Lieutenant on 5th June 1916, so he must have been on a 12 month contract.