tamarazotherday Posted 30 September , 2008 Share Posted 30 September , 2008 My Great Uncle was in 1 Battalion Highland Light Infantry and enlisted in Liverpool. How did a Liverpool lad end up there? I thought you needed to be Scottish to join, or am I wrong? His details are L/Cpl Alexander Green 11358 and he is listed on the war memorial in Edinburgh castle. I have so far found no record of his birth (and my granddad his brother) in Liverpool, where the rest of his family lived, so I suppose it is possible he was born in Scotland. My grandma always said we were Scottish one side and Irish the other. I have his medal details and he is buried in Amara. I am struggling to find anything else about him now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stoj22 Posted 1 October , 2008 Share Posted 1 October , 2008 My grandfather was in the HLI and his brother was a Seaforth Highlander both were Leeds lads. There were many Englishmen in Scottish battalions and visa versa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMannus Posted 1 October , 2008 Share Posted 1 October , 2008 Welcome 'the mar'as anotha day' (Norn Iron speak) What's the Irish side? (Details) David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grantowi Posted 1 October , 2008 Share Posted 1 October , 2008 From SDGW: Regiment, Corps etc.: Highland Light Infantry Battalion etc.: 1st Battalion. Last name: Green First name(s): Alexander Initials: A Birthplace: Liverpool Enlisted: Liverpool Residence: Rank: L/CPL Number: 11358 Date died: 23 October 1916 How died: Died of wounds Theatre of war: Mesopotamia Looks like he was born in Liverpool Grant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amelialongcroft Posted 1 October , 2008 Share Posted 1 October , 2008 Could this be him from the 1901 census? Alexander Green age 9 residence Toxteth Park, Liverpool place of birth Liverpool living with father John Green, 34, dock labourer, born Liverpool mother Elizabeth Green, 33 brother Thomas, 13 brother John, 5 brother James, 2 There's another Green family living next door including father Alexander, a widower, age 36 and son Alexander, aged 13, also born in Liverpool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sotonmate Posted 1 October , 2008 Share Posted 1 October , 2008 Tamara.... Here a page from the Long Long Trail,at top left of this page,to fill you in a bit: http://www.1914-1918.net/mesopot.htm also here for his Brigade (9th Indian Infantry) and Division (3rd Lahore): http://www.1914-1918.net/Lahore_div.htm It might be of interest to see that he served with an Indian Division and that the Brigades of that Division were a mix of British and Indian Regiments. Sotonmate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevew Posted 1 October , 2008 Share Posted 1 October , 2008 My Great Uncle was in 1 Battalion Highland Light Infantry and enlisted in Liverpool. How did a Liverpool lad end up there? I have a Gt gt uncle who was a born and bred in Lambeth and was a regular with 2/SWB, I often wonder how he ended up with the Welsh Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
per ardua per mare per terram Posted 1 October , 2008 Share Posted 1 October , 2008 Welcome to the forum, It was not compulsary for the county regiments to take people only from their county! Liverpool was the second city of empire, so probably all the regiments would recruit there. Also remember that the King's (Liverpool) Regiment had both "Scottish" and "Irish" battalions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tamarazotherday Posted 1 October , 2008 Author Share Posted 1 October , 2008 Thanks everyone, I have his details from all the military sources. I've checked the census for Liverpool (Toxteth Park) but no sign of him or my paternal granddad Edgar. But I found my maternal grandparents in Pateley Bridge instead of Scotland, so nothing is going to surprise me. I'm sure their records will appear someday. I'm trying to chase up his L.O.L membership as all the family were orange lodge supporters. I'm hoping for a photo there. I have his parents marriage cert. They are Alexander Green (plasterer) & Mary E Watson. Grandfather was Edgar. (Even to this day we still have family with those 2 names.) However, his father is listed as a bricklayer on his brother's marriage cert. I'm starting to think there was another wife. I'm sort of on a mission to remember Alexander and reading how they all suffered is heartbreaking. Unfortunately, anyone who would have known about him has long gone. I would love to know what happened to the telegram and medals. (My son's first posting was Iraq so this sort of brings Alexander a little closer to my heart.) I would like to get a copy of his army records but would have to probably pay someone to do that for me. But haven't really looked into that yet. My daughter thinks I'm obsessed LOL. DMannus - Nothing interesting so far on the Irish side just Johnstons & Sheridans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grantowi Posted 1 October , 2008 Share Posted 1 October , 2008 Heres the parents in 1891, in Liverpool GREEN, Alexander Head Married M 29 1862 Slater And Plasterer Liverpool Lancashire GREEN, Mary E Wife Married F 26 1865 Liverpool Lancashire WATSON, Alice Mother In Law Widow F 60 1831 Liverpool Lancashire Living at 6, 1 Court, Park Road, Toxteth Park, Liverpool If his records are on ancestry, some nice person might get them for you Grant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tamarazotherday Posted 1 October , 2008 Author Share Posted 1 October , 2008 Heres the parents in 1891, in Liverpool GREEN, Alexander Head Married M 29 1862 Slater And Plasterer Liverpool Lancashire GREEN, Mary E Wife Married F 26 1865 Liverpool Lancashire WATSON, Alice Mother In Law Widow F 60 1831 Liverpool Lancashire Living at 6, 1 Court, Park Road, Toxteth Park, Liverpool If his records are on ancestry, some nice person might get them for you Grant Hi, thanks for that. I've just signed up with ancestry again. They didn't have anything last time I was on there. That is defo the right one as James Watson deceased is on their marriage cert. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grantowi Posted 1 October , 2008 Share Posted 1 October , 2008 Its a pity that the 1901 census has such a limited coverage on FMP, you should be able to find them on Ancestry Grant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted 19 March , 2015 Share Posted 19 March , 2015 (edited) Hi tamaranortherday, Yesterday I came across your post from 2008 regarding Alexander Green 11358, I note you say he is your Great Uncle! My Husband (Alex Green) who is named after him, is his Grandson, making you his cousin, (took me all night to work that one out)!! Did you ever find a photo of him, unfortunately I have not with all my searching. Whats even more spooky is that it was his Birthday yesterday Grandad Alex, not Alex!! If you are still looking for any info, maybe Alex could help. As he died when Alex's dad was about two years old, he never really spoke about him. Hope to hear from you soon Jan Green Edited 4 November , 2018 by Guest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest lizamy Posted 28 December , 2016 Share Posted 28 December , 2016 Hi Tamaranorthernday and lillybet - Came across the 2008 post the other day while searching the Green family from Liverpool. Alexander Green was my grandfather Edgar Green's brother or cousin - family history is a bit hazy and my father died in 1965, leaving a trail of half-remembered family stories. My husband has looked into Alexander's story, and we know that he had served in Ypres, I think, the previous year and had received a facial injury and fracture. When well he rejoined his colleagues and they were transferred to Iraq, where he was mortally wounded. We believe that he was buried out there. My husband has found on-line copies of some material on him. I must dig out the info we have on the family tree, which would clarify whether he was grandfather Edgar's brother or cousin. It doesn't help that the names Edgar and Alexander were very common in this Green family. Alexander - not a common name in 19th century Liverpool - comes down the generations from Alexander McDonald, born in Scotland, whose daughter Louisa married into the Green family in about 1865. Even now one of my grandsons is called Tristan Alexander. It also explains why there was a link with Scottish regiments - my own father, born in Liverpool, joined the Royal Scots in about 1920. I'm also aware that as several are working on Green family members, and this site is anonymous, I could find myself talking to people I send Christmas cards to! But I don't think so yet! Best wishes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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