Essex Regiment Bn's

[Nando]

Hi Everyone,

New member/First post so here goes .

I'm basically hoping someone can possibily help please with any info or details on Essex Regiment - and especially anything relating to my husband's uncles who served .

The details i have are -

Frederick J S Dowling bn 1896 Reg No- 2162 7th Bn

trnsf'd - 34485 3rd Bn

Served 1914-21 POW 1918

Sydney Thomas Dowling bn 1897 Reg No- 40176 2nd Bn

KIA 3/5/1917 ARRAS Memorial

Frank Lewis bn 1894/5 Reg No 2172 1/7th Bn

Half brother - KIA Gallipoli 20/11/1915

7th Field Ambulance Cemetery

The family lived in Walthamstow where they joined up - fortunately a number of FJS docs have survived but i'm still looking and hoping for Sydney T & Frank Lewis'.

I'm still looking & learning about military research so my knowledge is pretty limited i'm afraid .

I speculate whether -due to the close Reg no's - if FJS & Frank joined up at the same time , but i did learn that according FJS papers he was under age and i think initially had to remain in England .Lucky for him , as i imagine he'd have gone to Gallipoli like his brother Frank .

If anyone can offer more knowledge or details either on these men - i have no photos unfortunately - or other service details regarding the regiment experiences etc i would be very grateful .

Kind regards

Nancy

[Guest pikemedals]

The 7th Bn Essex Reg was based in Walthamstow at the outbreak of WWI. The 1st/7th Bn saw action at Suvla Bay during the Gallipoli campaign and Egypt and the invasion of Palestine. I take it that you have your relations medal index cards to indicate which medals they were awarded. I do have a copy of the 1914/15 Star medal roll to the 7th Essex. I will look up your relations tomorrow for you. My interest is my great grandad served in the 7th Essex Bn. He got a trio for going to Gallipoli. He lived in Leyton. Have you tried Vestry House Museum in Walthamstow, their archives have a roll of honour for all soldiers who came from Walthamstow, who died and survived in the Great War. They may have more information on the 7th Bn. For the 2nd Bn Essex Reg it was a regular Bn. Any more info you need please ask. Paul

[Kris D]

Hi Nancy,

You might try the Essex Regiment museum. The address is as follows:

Essex Regiment Museum

Oaklands Park,

Moulsham Street,

Chelmsford,

Essex,

CM2 9AQ

Tel: 01245 605700

http://www.armymuseums.org.uk/museums/0000000031-Essex-Regiment-Museum.htm

Regards

Kris

[Guest pikemedals]

hi nancy i found pte f.lewis on the 1914-15 star medal roll his number is 2171 date of disembarkation 11/08/1915 at then he landed in gallipoli kia on 20/11/1915. paul

[Nando]

The 7th Bn Essex Reg was based in Walthamstow at the outbreak of WWI. The 1st/7th Bn saw action at Suvla Bay during the Gallipoli campaign and Egypt and the invasion of Palestine. I take it that you have your relations medal index cards to indicate which medals they were awarded. I do have a copy of the 1914/15 Star medal roll to the 7th Essex. I will look up your relations tomorrow for you. My interest is my great grandad served in the 7th Essex Bn. He got a trio for going to Gallipoli. He lived in Leyton. Have you tried Vestry House Museum in Walthamstow, their archives have a roll of honour for all soldiers who came from Walthamstow, who died and survived in the Great War. They may have more information on the 7th Bn. For the 2nd Bn Essex Reg it was a regular Bn. Any more info you need please ask. Paul

Hi Paul ,

Thankyou very much for your reply and very helpful info - yes i have found the medal index card images for these 3 men , however i only just found Sydney T under "S Dowling " ,(found using his reg number) .

If you or other readers may be interested their details are -

S Dowling

Victory - Roll K2.102 B15 page718b

British - Do Do

FJS Dowling

Victory -Roll K/2/102 B12 page 598

British - Do Do

Frank Lewis

Victory - RollK/2/107B page 6

British - Do Do

15 Star - K2/11B page11

"TOW - (K2) Balkans Date Entry 11/8/15

That is the only additional info i have on them from the MIC entries -as i say i'm still learning about military research but i gather the ref's are to the Medal Card's themselves since these are indexes ?

Can you tell me please if it would be worth my while applying for the Medal cards , are they likely to give up any additional details ?

So interesting to hear about your G grndfather -a good chance he served with Frank Lewis then and since they were from the same area might have known each other ?

Whereabouts in Leyton did he live , our family lived in numerous streets around Leyton & Walthamstow circ 1900-1950, in 1915 when the 3 bothers joined up they were in Sidmouth Rd Leyton .

I haven't tried Vestry House for this info , but i was in touch just recently on a related matter as i'm trying to track down a missing Frederick St Memorial Plaque which listed our family names .

The archivist was very helpful and confirmed due to rebuilding in Frederick St in the late 1950's it was moved to St James Church ,which was itself demolished so it's current whereabouts is still unknown .

But thanks for the suggestion i will get back in touch as i'm desperate for any info on these 3 brothers and their military service . Of particular interest would be any details on Frank lewis as his military papers are missing.

If you can help with any further details or advice i would be very grateful .

Many thanks - Nancy

[Nando]

Hi Nancy,

You might try the Essex Regiment museum. The address is as follows:

Essex Regiment Museum

Oaklands Park,

Moulsham Street,

Chelmsford,

Essex,

CM2 9AQ

Tel: 01245 605700

http://www.armymuseums.org.uk/museums/0000000031-Essex-Regiment-Museum.htm

Regards

Kris

Hi Kris ,

Many thanks for your reply and the museum contact info , i will definitely give them a try - as i say i'm eager for any possible details on these men & their service .

[Nando]

hi nancy i found pte f.lewis on the 1914-15 star medal roll his number is 2171 date of disembarkation 11/08/1915 at then he landed in gallipoli kia on 20/11/1915. paul

Hi Paul ,

Many thanks for your info re Frank Lewis - definitely our chap as it matches up with what i have on him .

In fact i just missed your latest post with my previous message sent a minute later .

Anyway i thought i should post again now to thankyou for the these latest details .

I was a bit confused by one thing -the reference to Balkans on the MIC as i thought that was more around the old Yugoslav area but a quick google informed me that also included the Gallipoli campaign .

Regards

Nancy

[Guest pikemedals]

Hi Nancy, I have some further information on frank Lewis. This is from Soldiers Died Details. Frank Lewis born Sheffield, enlisted Walthamstow, resident Leyton. Going back to MICs, on the back of Frank Lewis' MIC it may give you the forwarding address for his medals to be sent to, for the next of kin. If you can get to Ilford Library, they have ancestory on their computers. You can print off MICs, about 10p a copy. With ancestory it gives you the front and the back of the MIC. If you print off the National Archives MICs it only gives you the front and not the back. On my history, I had 2 family members in the 7th Bn Essex Reg. The first was 3463 Pte. W.G. Jones who was my great uncle and the other 2006 Pte. J. Hood who was my great grandad. Pte. Jones had a sister named Lillian Jones who became a penpal to Pte.J. Hood while he was away at War. When he came home they got married. For years my family lived at 109 Dawlish Road, Leyton. From the 1920s up to the late 1960s. Dawlish Road is the next road to Sidmouth Road, where your family lived, so there is a good chance that they knew each other. My Nan was brought up there and still lives in Walthamstow age 82. In 1935 the 7th Essex became 59th Battery and Pte. Hood's son John Hood joined the 59th Battery in 1938 at the TA Centre at Whipps Cross, Leyton, but was killed in January 1943 when his ship was torpedoed by Italian planes off the coast of North Africa. My Nan has both her father's and brother's medals. If you cant make it to Ilford Library. I will be going myself in the next couple of weeks and I can always look up the MICs for you. As I live in Chingford it is fairly local to me. Regards Paul

Edited April 8, 2010 by pikemedals

[Nando]

Hi Nancy, I have some further information on frank Lewis. This is from Soldiers Died Details. Frank Lewis born Sheffield, enlisted Walthamstow, resident Leyton. Going back to MICs, on the back of Frank Lewis' MIC it may give you the forwarding address for his medals to be sent to, for the next of kin. If you can get to Ilford Library, they have ancestory on their computers. You can print off MICs, about 10p a copy. With ancestory it gives you the front and the back of the MIC. If you print off the National Archives MICs it only gives you the front and not the back. On my history, I had 2 family members in the 7th Bn Essex Reg. The first was 3463 Pte. W.G. Jones who was my great uncle and the other 2006 Pte. J. Hood who was my great grandad. Pte. Jones had a sister named Lillian Jones who became a penpal to Pte.J. Hood while he was away at War. When he came home they got married. For years my family lived at 109 Dawlish Road, Leyton. From the 1920s up to the late 1960s. Dawlish Road is the next road to Sidmouth Road, where your family lived, so there is a good chance that they knew each other. My Nan was brought up there and still lives in Walthamstow age 82. In 1935 the 7th Essex became 59th Battery and Pte. Hood's son John Hood joined the 59th Battery in 1938 at the TA Centre at Whipps Cross, Leyton, but was killed in January 1943 when his ship was torpedoed by Italian planes off the coast of North Africa. My Nan has both her father's and brother's medals. If you cant make it to Ilford Library. I will be going myself in the next couple of weeks and I can always look up the MICs for you. As I live in Chingford it is fairly local to me. Regards Paul

Hi Paul ,

Sorry for the delay in thanking you very much for your latest info on Frank Lewis . We knew our chap was bn in Sheffield (from census info) and the family were in Leyton at the time so this is great and helps to confirm this solder being from our family .I was especially pleased to see that you found he was a resident of Leyton - as i say i currently do not have his army papers (perhaps didn't survive) every detail we do have now though points to confirmation of our belief this was him .

Thankyou for your very kind offer re Ilford but unfortunately i think i may have got my wires crossed - i thought the MIC's were an "index" and as such that the TNA might hold further details , i have the card images from Ancestry but unfortunately the "back" image for Frank Lewis' entry was blank .

Which is a great shame because i would so dearly have loved to see a home address as you thought possible -or Next of Kin - as this would have provided concrete proof this was him .

I'm amazed that your family were so close by, i find in the online map that Dawlish Rd was at one end of the same road as Sidmouth - i've been plotting our family's locations around the area and they had a number of addresses in Leyton , at the time of their joining up they were at 44 Sidmouth Rd - before that 139 Sidmouth Rd , Sophia Rd and Belmont Rd .

Small world eh ! I've found that both FJS Dowling & his half brother Frank Lewis were working in a local Boot factory - due to their close Reg numbers i can imagine there may have been a group of them joining up at the same time ?

One other thing regarding possible further info - would you have any ideas or suggestions i could try for Frank Lewis' details like Next of Kin or forwarding address etc for medals might be recorded elswhere ?( other than army papers )

If you should happen to come across anything relevent to these men i'd be most grateful if you'd let me know.

Best wishes ,

Nancy

[Guest pikemedals]

hi nancy.i cant help you no more on this.look like a visit to the na in kew for the servive papers good luck paul

[Nando]

Hi Paul ,

Not to worry , thanks for your help and input anyway , much appreciated .

Yes the NA might be able to help but i've not had much luck so far with the records now they are Ancestry .

Just my luck if the papers no longer exist , but then i know a lot were lost due to fire damage etc so i guess we're all in the same boat ?

Anyway , thanks again and good luck with your searches ,

Best wishes

Nancy