Guest Ian Bowbrick Posted 3 April , 2004 Share Posted 3 April , 2004 OK the story behind this soldier got me interested so this morning I looked up his medal index card: Pte Frederick G Major first served overseas with the Welsh Regt as Pte 47611, then the Machine Gun Corps as Pte 154664. He was entitled to a BWM/Victory medal pair. Looks like he was a Home Service man with the Royal Welsh Fusiliers. Was his service with the Welsh Regt news to you? Interestingly there is another Pte Frederick Major who served with the MGC as Pte 83805. Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hmsk212 Posted 3 April , 2004 Share Posted 3 April , 2004 Hi Ian I have followed the previous thread with interest, did you get to see the BWM & Vic Rolls for him ? I am probably being completely daft, but, is there a possibilty that his service as an Assistant Instructor, Signals with the Royal Welsh Fusiliers was post-War but pre-demob ? That might account for the rank change etc. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muerrisch Posted 3 April , 2004 Share Posted 3 April , 2004 Not very likely: RWF was shedding soldiers like dandruff, would hardly take on MGC man and promote him into plum staff post when scores of regulars with chestsful of medals were sniffing around. I just wonder if the photo is of the man: the rank and the regiment are causing a lot of grief and something is wrong here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ian Bowbrick Posted 3 April , 2004 Share Posted 3 April , 2004 Hi Ian I have followed the previous thread with interest, did you get to see the BWM & Vic Rolls for him ? I am probably being completely daft, but, is there a possibilty that his service as an Assistant Instructor, Signals with the Royal Welsh Fusiliers was post-War but pre-demob ? That might account for the rank change etc. Steve Steve, I discounted that because of there being no overseas service stripes, no wound stripes and no medal ribbons. I am tending towards David's theory that the photo may be of someone else Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lee G Posted 6 April , 2004 Share Posted 6 April , 2004 I do have what I think could be a medal ribbon or service stripes for FG Major. Would it help if I get it photographed and posted on the forum? I know that Pte 154664 FG Major is definitely my GGrandfather and he was stripped of his rank at some point. I can't imagine my grandmother making this story up. Apart from his service record where else might there be something recorded about a demotion incident? Thanks, Lee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ian Bowbrick Posted 6 April , 2004 Share Posted 6 April , 2004 Lee, A scan of the photo would be very useful. I don't think your grandmother is making up anything at all - overtime though what is often referred to as 'family legend' changes and can very often bear no resemblance to the facts in official records, ask people like Tom Tulloch-Marshall, who is a professional researcher. HOWEVER you do have a photograph, which makes this all the more interesting and maybe one of those cases which cannot be explained in black and white terms - the military then and today for that matter is more like that than we sometimes would like. Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lee G Posted 6 April , 2004 Share Posted 6 April , 2004 Hi All, I've posted a picture of FG Major's ribbon. I hope you can see the colours ok... Thanks, Lee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ian Bowbrick Posted 6 April , 2004 Share Posted 6 April , 2004 Lee, These are WW2 ribbons: (In order) 1939/45 Star; North Africa Star; Italy Star & Defence Medal. There is one missing here and that is the 1939/45 War Medal. If these were Pte Major's, his service record will be with the MOD in Glasgow and not at the PRO. But as you know his medal entitlement documents are at the PRO. Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lee G Posted 7 April , 2004 Share Posted 7 April , 2004 Ian, Thanks for the information. This confirms that they definitely did not belong to my GGrandfather then. He died in 1929 after finally succumbing to the effects of a WW1 gassing. I had a bunch of bits and bobs passed on to me and I pressumed that they were his. I don't know who these belong to... another piece of family history missing! Thanks, Lee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JulianB Posted 9 April , 2004 Share Posted 9 April , 2004 For what it is worth, I have now found the two references to the Major who appears in the 123 Coy MGC War Diaries 27th Oct 1917 Company & Section runners attend Signalling Course under L/Cpl. Major 12th Dec 1917 Signalling class under L/Cpl Major resumed Nothing in the Operational Orders for Oct '17 to Mar '18, but have not checked the earlier OOs yet. Mystery deepens Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lee G Posted 9 April , 2004 Share Posted 9 April , 2004 Julian, Was this L/Cpl Major named Frederick George? Where were the courses run from? Lee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JulianB Posted 10 April , 2004 Share Posted 10 April , 2004 Lee That's all there was - verbatim quotes. So, either your gg'father or one of the ?5 that Ian has in his database. Though I'm still struck by the signaller coincidence. The Russian / RWF connections are beyond me. J ps why do we now have two sites / threads on this topic ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ian Bowbrick Posted 10 April , 2004 Share Posted 10 April , 2004 Lee, You have hired a researcher, best to wait for him to come back with his findings - He may even turn up a service record, which will or should give all the answers. One thing you do know for certain is that your gt-gr first entered a War zone after 1 January 1916 (unless I missed a split card) with the Welsh Regt. Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lee G Posted 30 April , 2004 Share Posted 30 April , 2004 Dear All, After research turns up very little I have posted another query about Freds Welsh Regiment number... Freds MGC Thread Thanks, Lee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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