Guest Pete Wood Posted 16 April , 2004 Share Posted 16 April , 2004 Remembering Today: Pte Frederic William WEBBER, 80069 31 Bn, Canadian Infantry, who died aged 23 on 16.04.16. Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, Belgium Name: WEBBER, FREDERIC WILLIAM Initials: F W Nationality: Canadian Rank: Private Regiment: Canadian Infantry (Alberta Regt.) Unit Text: 31st Bn. Age: 23 Date of Death: 16/04/1916 Service No: 80069 Additional information: Son of George Henry and Fanny Webber, of 5, Dean St., Kingsway, Coventry, England. Born at the Rectory, Port Glasgow, Scotland. Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead Grave/Memorial Reference: Panel 24 - 28 - 30 Cemetery: YPRES (MENIN GATE) MEMORIAL His records do not appear to be online at National Library and National Archives of Canada Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mordac Posted 16 April , 2004 Share Posted 16 April , 2004 Name: Webber, Frederick William Regimental number: 80069 (31st Battalion block of numbers 79001 to 81000) Born: Port Glasgow, Scotland Date of birth: August 3, 1892 Trade or calling: Farmer Place of enlistment: Calgary, Alberta Date of enlistment: December 14, 1914 Rank: Private Original unit: 31st Battalion Disposition: KIA April 16, 1916 CEF attestation papers: here From the 31st Battalion war diary - April 16, 1916: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Pete Wood Posted 16 April , 2004 Share Posted 16 April , 2004 Well done, Mordac. Thanks to you, I've just found that being too precise with the search engine on that website can work against you. I tried Frederic Webber and Fred? (where ? is a wildcard) Webber and got no results. But if you put in Fre? Webber, it comes up. I live and learn!! Oh, by the way, his attestation paper - look at the bottom of page 1 - shows his name was Frederic (which is unusual, isn't it?). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mordac Posted 16 April , 2004 Share Posted 16 April , 2004 Thanks to you, I've just found that being too precise with the search engine on that website can work against you. <snip> Oh, by the way, his attestation paper - look at the bottom of page 1 - shows his name was Frederic (which is unusual, isn't it?). Hi RT: You've just hit the nail on the head when searching the NAC database; keep the search simple. If you have the regimental number, try searching with the number alone. You'll get a positive result about 95% of the time. If that doesn't work, eliminate the number from the search and try the name using wild cards. Interesting observation with the name Frederic. I agree, it is an unusual spelling. Before I went the NAC site, I checked another source and it had his name listed as Frederick. However, I'm sure his attestation papers and the CWGC are 100% correct; it is spelled Frederic. I found the following in 'The Journal of Private Fraser' published be CEF Books (ISBN 1-896979-28-9) on page 126: "Monday, April 17, 1916 Our battalion was out on fatigue last night, digging a communication trench at the back of T16, near Shelly Lane. Unfortunately, the enemy got wind of us and opened up with shells and machine-gun fire. Being in the open a few of our number got caught. Miller, a Scot from Wick, had his arm blown off, his legs broken, and other injuries, and died on the way out. He was buried at Voormezeele, to the south of the road. The two of us were together, immediately before he left for the line. Grimes and Sharp were also wounded, whilst Webber is missing. It is presumed he was blown to bits or has been buried by a shell." If any of the Canadian Pals has a copy of 'History Of Thirty-First Battalion C.E.F. From Its Organization, November, 1914, To Its Demobilization, June, 1919' written by H. C. Singer and A. A. Peebles, would you please check the nominal roll and see if there is any additional information on Private Webber. There isn't any hard information in the 6th Infantry Brigade's war diary other that were the brigade was located and the weather conditions. Garth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhill Posted 16 April , 2004 Share Posted 16 April , 2004 Keen eyes will have noticed that Mordac has neatly demonstrated the wealth of sources easily available to research men of the 31st Canadian Battalion. Of all the units I have yet encounterd, this battalion has by far the most extensive set of documents available to the ordinary researcher. In addition to the "soldiers or the Great War" database of the National Archives, which covers men from all units, there is a rather good early history (Singer) which is fairly widely available in libraries, as well as Fraser's diaries, which list many individuals by name. Newbies trying to research their ancestors are always rightly told (on this forum for example!) that the battalion war diaries rarely mention individual soldiers. The 31st is one of the exceptions. For most of the war, their war diaries (freely available on the excellent National Archives site) routinely give names of men involved as casualties or otherwise. There are also many useful appendices such as detailed casualty lists from major operations, which are rarely found with the diaries of other units. There are even war diaries of the Medical Officer of the 31st for the first part of the war which often mention individuals (none for April, 1916 though!). I am always optomistic when I wish to find out about a 31st man. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_Hartley Posted 16 April , 2004 Share Posted 16 April , 2004 I think this is our first "remembered today" when documentary evidence of his death has been available. Take a bow, Garth. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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