Looking for soldiers

[The Prussian]

Hello gentlemen!

I own a few british medals (1914- 15 star, war medal 1914-1918 and the british victory medal)

All are named, but I can´t buy the medal chart at the national achives, because they don´t accept bank transfer or paypal. I don´t have any credit cards.

I don´t need too much informations. The important thing for me is the bataillon, in which the soldiers had served.

The names are:

20208 Private C. Bettles, Northamptonshire Regiment

68445 Gunner E.W. Clarke, Royal Artillery

41658 Bombardier J.P. Taudy, Royal Field Artillery

B-2990 Private B. Evans, Rifle Brigade

Of course, I´ll pay all expenses.

I´d be very grateful, if someone could help me.

Edited December 21, 2012 by The Prussian

[Mervyn Mitton]

Prussian -- I am sure someone will be able to help - you may just have to wait until the holidays are finished.

Please let me know if I can be of help with the National Archives medal chart - I would be happy to send them

a cheque and have them send it to you direct. Let me know ?

Best wishes for the Season. Mervyn

[The Prussian]

Hello Mervyn!

Of course, here´s the link of the National Archive:

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/medal-index-cards-ww1.htm

Edited December 22, 2012 by The Prussian

[Mervyn Mitton]

I can't see any reference to the cost for accessing these files ? Mervyn

[The Prussian]

You have to fill in the name or the number, and when it arrives, it´ll show you the price

[Noor]

Give me a few hours.... I may dig out something.... free in charge

[Noor]

Charles Bettles. Looks like once resigned to the regiment with the same service number (perhaps wounded). Survived the war and was sent to the Army reserve Class Z 1919. Entitled 15 Star trio (landed in France Nov. 1915).

[Noor]

Unfortunately MICs almost never show you a battalion (sometimes last reserve unit is marked as an Bn/No - example 3/4567). If you want to get medal rolls, you have to pay to the researcher who pull them out for you from Kew. Soon may be available online as well, like I have been advised

[Noor]

Ernest W Clarke

[Noor]

John P Taudy/Tandy had two MICs

[Noor]

Barratt Evans - I presume you have his 1915 Star because his VM and BWM must be named with the rank Sgt.

He born 14.11.1886. Lived Worsley, Manschester and was by trade Blacksmith xxxx (learner?). Enlisted into 9th Rifle Brigade 01.09.1914 age 27 from Manchester. Promoted Corporal 08.09.1915. 10.07.1917 was in the Queens Civil Hospital in Birmingham. Transferred into 13 Bn. KRRC as a Sergeant (63744).

You can narrow him down on census as well. Looks like he died 1974.

[The Prussian]

Prussian -- I am sure someone will be able to help - you may just have to wait until the holidays are finished.

Please let me know if I can be of help with the National Archives medal chart - I would be happy to send them

a cheque and have them send it to you direct. Let me know ?

Best wishes for the Season. Mervyn

Oops, tha was a little misunderstanding by myself... Sorry. If you would pay for those charts, I d pay back to you immedeatly,if you could send me a pm. (If they are different to those, Noor showed in this thread). I could pay by paypal or bank transfer.

Thanks a lot inadvance

[The Prussian]

Hi Noor!

Thank you very, very much for the MIC´s. They are very intersting! I´ll print them out and it should look fine beside the medals!

[Noor]

No worries! They are the same that you wanted to buy from the National Archive site.

When you are doing your researches, try as well sites like:

london-gazette archive - usually all gallantry awards are recorded there (free to use)

gwgc site - you can check was the man casualty (free to use)

1914-1918 Great War site - you can check different formations embarkation/location dates. Sometimes you can find match on the MIC Entered into Theatre of War date and some specific battalion movement date.

Good luck!

Timo

[The Prussian]

Hi Timo!

These are fantastic informations! Thank you very much!

I´ll riflfe through the files this weekend with a bottle of good ol´french red wine...

[Noor]

By the way - Evans' papers are available online on ancestry.co.uk site. I can email them but few good pint of Guinness are waiting me outside, so I can do it later this week.

Regards service and pension papers, MICs, SWB rolls, etc, ancestry.co.uk and findmypast sites are brilliant. Only problem - they cost money.

Edited December 28, 2012 by Noor

[The Prussian]

Nothing´s for free.. That´s normal...

Enjoy your Guinness! Cheers, mate! Tonight I´ll have a drink on you with Calvados

[The Prussian]

Barratt Evans - I presume you have his 1915 Star because his VM and BWM must be named with the rank Sgt.

He born 14.11.1886. Lived Worsley, Manschester and was by trade Blacksmith xxxx (learner?). Enlisted into 9th Rifle Brigade 01.09.1914 age 27 from Manchester. Promoted Corporal 08.09.1915. 10.07.1917 was in the Queens Civil Hospital in Birmingham. Transferred into 13 Bn. KRRC as a Sergeant (63744).

You can narrow him down on census as well. Looks like he died 1974.

Hi Timo!

According to Evans you´re right! A have the entire trio of him. 15star is marked with Private and the others with Sjt. Question! Why sergeant written with an "j"??? It sounds russian...

[Mervyn Mitton]

Andy - thanks to Timo you seem to have your immediate questions answered.

I am quite happy to pay for these records that you need access to - please find out the cost and IM me. Mervyn

[The Prussian]

Hi Mervyn. I wanted to write to you, but the system says, you can´t recieve any messages

[Noor]

Andy - thanks to Timo you seem to have your immediate questions answered.

I am quite happy to pay for these records that you need access to - please find out the cost and IM me. Mervyn

Mervyn, these NA records are the same Medal Index Cards that I posted up above + NA site offers only black-white coppies . No need to buy them from there anymore! Also I will download Evans service papers some moment and can send them to Andy.

Regards,

Timo

PS: I think SJT was used by Artillery and SGT by other units or vica versa. Not 100% sure but I think some branch used traditionally SJT instead.

You can see how the ranks/units are showen on the Medal Index Card:

Because Evans landed in France with the Rifle Brigade, his 1915 Star his named RF and rank shown is Private. Then he was promoted and because VM and BWM are always stamped with the highest rank that the person hold in the end of the war, then the blue cross and dots are showing on the MIC , that his VM and BWM must be done with the rank Sgt.

Edited December 30, 2012 by Noor

[Noor]

Here is long discussion regards rank spelling SGT v. SJT.

http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=8964

[The Prussian]

That´s strange. I´ve never heared about the word sergeant with "j". Probably french is the solution.

I just recieved another 15 star. Maybe you have the MIC too...

16714 Private F. Soar, W.Rid.R.

Edited December 30, 2012 by The Prussian

[Noor]

No worries

Frank Soar was born 14 July 1894 as a son of John Henry Soar and Rebecca Copson. He had 3 brothers and 2 sisters. He enlisted 4 September 1914 age 20 years. He lived 33 Delton (or Dalton?) Street, Hyson Green, Notthingham. Confusion regards his Star is mentioned in the many War Office letters and was caused by some another Frank Soar, who became POW and was discharged same time as your man. First he received incorrectly 1914 Star but returned it. There is many hand written back and forward letters in his Pension file. He died age 82. You can find him on Census as well.

His MIC (you can see that he fought first in Balkans!)

Silver War Badge roll

[The Prussian]

Hi Timo!

Thanx a lot for the MIC of Frank Soar! That´s wery interesing. Unfortunately one can´t see, in bataillons the soldiers fought. You wrote, F.Soar used to be in the Balkans. Unfortunately I can´t read all of the script. Th huge paper says, that he fought overseas. So, according to my sources, He might have been in the 8th (sevice) bataillon of the Duke of Wellington´s rgt. That bataillon was formed in Halifax 1914 and in july 1915 it sailed from Liverpool for Mediterranean arriving at Mudros. 6..8.15 it landed on Suvla Bay. Dec.1915 to Mudros, 7.2.16 arrived in Egypt. July 1916 back to France.

As far as I see, tha bataillon was the only one, that had served overseas. Do you agree?