1914 Star & Bar Group to 2nd Dragoons, Special Constabulary & Legion of Frontiersmen

[leigh kitchen]

He's 5' 6"" at time of enlisting, he has scars to the inner legs due to removal of varicose veins, still a reference to "M" on the right forearm (a tattoo or a "mark"?), a tattoo of clasped hands over heart on the back of the right wrist, a 6" oval scar to the back of the right upper arm, a scar to the back of the scalp.

Edited March 23, 2008 by leigh kitchen

[leigh kitchen]

2nd Dragoons (Royal Scts Greys), an entry re drunkeness on 21/5/07.

5/9/13 transferred to the Reserve upon completion of service.

5/8/ 14 Mobilised, there's an entry stating "Posted" on 17/8/14, his Medal Index Card shows his entry into France / Flanders on that date.

an entry reads "Silver Wounded" or "Severe Wounded", his MIC shows award of Silver Wound Badge.

Further entries show with 5th Reserve Regiment on6/1/15, 2nd Dragoons on 19/10/15, 5th Cavalry Depot on 26/3/18, 6th RR Dn, (6th Reserve Regiment of Dragoons?), retained in service under the Miltary Service Act on 5/9/18, discharged 21/9/18.

[leigh kitchen]

The insert across the previously shown page refers to McCabes former service 17/9/02 - 21/9/04 being authorised to count towards pension.

[leigh kitchen]

Service

Home 6/9/05 - 5/9/13

Mobilized5/8/14 - 16/8/14

Expeditionary Force France17/8/14 - 10/10/14

Home 11/10/14 -18/10/15

Expeditionary Force France 19/10/15 - 24/3/18

Home 25/3/18 - 21/9/18

A total of 13 years & 15 days service.

3rd Class Certificate of Education at Norwich, 19/10/05

Item 6 "Wounded Right.....", I can't make the entry out.

Item 11 mother is now listed as Mary Ann McCabe, Brother James McCabe, still at 2 Blumshall (?) Street, Dundee, moving to another address in Dundee that I can't make out.

Wife Mrs J McGinty, 61, Brook St, Dundee.

Item 12 lists wife as Jane Foy, married on 6/10/13, , witnesses James McGinty & Mary Ann (can't make the surname out).

Item 13 children Jane Foy (Step Daughter), born 25/9/12, Dundee

David Foy Step son born 9/11/07, Dundee,

I think that the last entry under Item 11 lists "William Died 10 16 born 9/9/15, Dundee, "William" & "9/9/15" being lined through.

[Guest Rick Research]

Leigh-- you've posted his 5'6" enlist/scars page twice and no 4'10" one.

I'd be interested to see if those same scars were present at his FIRST enlistment, or acquired afterwards.

Having worked in a hospital, back of head/arms/legs scarring of that severity suggests a history of savage abuse while a child-- so perhaps the army seemed like an improvement at age 14.

Either that or he got the stuffing beaten out of him that first term.

But those are curled up in a ball, arm raised to protect head "taking it" injuries, NOT brawler's wounds.

[leigh kitchen]

Yep, I spotted the mess up with attachments towards the end of posting the lot, so I've been through & replaced a couple with the correct scans.

First enlistment he's got few distinctive marks, second time round he's picked up the scars to inner legs due to operations for varicose veins, the 6" oval scar to back of right upper arm & the scar to back of scalp.

May or may not be down to the wound mentioned.

For an excellent look at life in the Scottish slums of the time (Glasgow, not Dundee), read "Moral, a Study of Men in Battle", by John Baines, a "son of the regiment" which in this case is the Cameronians. Baines aim is to show how men from such backgrounds could form a battalion of infantry that could suffer heavy casualties & still remain capable of fighting as a disciplined unit, it's an excellent book.

Edited March 23, 2008 by leigh kitchen

[GraemeR]

I think on Item 6 the last parts of the line are Stobhill, Glasgow. This is a Hospital in Glasgow.

[leigh kitchen]

Thanks, I was half convinced that the last word on the second line of Item 6 was "Manchester" or Mandibles".......

[GRA]

The 2nd Dragoons arrived in France / Flanders 17/8/14, & spent the war in that theatre, I think that they suffered about 159 fatalities but can't remember offhand where I read that.

Hello Leigh!

I ran across these figures in "The History of the Royal Scots Greys (The Second

Dragoons) August 1914 - March 1919":

officers other ranks

killed 9 82

died of wounds 1 35

died of illness - 13

missing - 3

prisoners of war 1 32

wounded 26 420

total: 37 585

Your figure seems to relate roughly to the Roll of Honour in "Second To None,

The Royal Scots Greys 1919-1945" stated as 153 killed in action / died on active

service.

And now I?ll lean back and enjoy this interesting thread...

Greetings/GRA

[leigh kitchen]

Thanks, I did'nt know where I'd pulled the figure from, just that I'd read it somewhere.

Not a large figure by the standards of many WWI units, although of course a cavalry regiment was far smaller than an infantry one.

I'll look up "Soldiers Died" to see how the fatalities are grouped / spaced over time.

[leigh kitchen]

Further discrepancy re. the McGinty @ McCabe age issue - from the 1901 Scottish Census, in which he is described as being 10 years old, estimated year of birth 1891.

If true, this would have made him about 11 years of age when he signed up on 17/9/02, rather than the 14 years & 4 months claimed upon on his attestation.

Head of the household is Rose Ann McGinty, 44 years, the other Rose Ann McGinty listed is her daughter, aged 24 years - Mary Ann McGinty is only 5 years old, she's William's sister, but this is the name listed on both sets of attestation documents as being that of his mother.

Name: William McGinty

Age: 10

Estimated Birth Year: abt 1891

Relationship: Son

Mother's Name: Rose Ann

Gender: Male

Where born: Dundee, Forfarshire

Registration Number: 282/2

Registration district: St Mary

Civil Parish: Dundee

County: Angus

Address: 2 Blinshall St

Occupation: Jute Spinner

ED: 12

Household schedule number: 17

Line: 7

Roll: CSSCT1901_94

Household Members: Name Age

James Brady 18

Catherine McGinty 22

James McGinty 14

Margarat McGinty 21

Mary Ann McGinty 5

Rose Ann McGinty 44

Rose Ann McGinty 24

William McGinty 10

Other than James Brady, who is a boarder at the address & whose occupation is described as a moulder, & Mary Ann McGinty who is 5 years old & has no occupation, the whole family are jute spinners other than James McGinty whois a jute preparer.

Edited March 30, 2008 by leigh kitchen