j.r.f Posted 7 September , 2004 Share Posted 7 September , 2004 I THINJ THIS MAY BE ONE FOR TERRY The WAR MEMORIAL in STAPLEHILL BAPTIST CHURCH,BRISTOL.has an entry for one FREDERICK JAMES MASSEY.CWGC has two posabilities 1 Massey F C .SERVICE NO K/1636.Burried BRISTOL(ARNOS VALE)CEMETERY...but...SDGW states that he came from ACTON ,enlisted HAMMERSMITH ,resident HARLESDON.iT MIGHT BE THAT HE WAS IN HOSPITAL IN bristol WHEN HE DIED.I have absolutely no proof that he had anything to do with STAPLEHILL or BRISTOL in general,except that he died here. POSIBILITY 2 MASSEY FREDERICK J GLOUCESTERSHIRE REGIMENT,rank COLONEL.service number 2571.thats all in CWGC ......but... SDGW states that he was born in BIRMINGHAM and enlisted in BRISTOL.so here is the bristol connection. I dont think that option 1 is mine his only connection with Bristol is that he died here.I THINK THAT OPTION 2 IS MINE ...BUT... IS HE A CPL OR A COLONEL ?? I think there is a mistake here .I think that he was a cpl.Please can anybody let me know if they are in a position to prove this one way or another. CHEERS. JOHN. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Denham Posted 7 September , 2004 Share Posted 7 September , 2004 John He is a corporal. It is a scanning error. The original register states 'corporal'. I have requested a correction. I'll let you know when it is done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eviltaxman Posted 7 September , 2004 Share Posted 7 September , 2004 John, That's a bit of a bu@@er! I assume you are just looking into the men on the memorial as you live that side of town? I'm trying (without much luck) to review the men listed on the "Fry's" War memorial in Keynsham.... too many possibilities on some. Les. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j.r.f Posted 7 September , 2004 Author Share Posted 7 September , 2004 LES This is the second time I have printed this reply.I GOT ALMOST TO THE END LAST TIME AND THEN PRESSED THE WRONG BUTTON AND LOST THE LOT.(i am not doing so well now either ) What I do is look up the person inCWGC and often there is more than one candidate or non at all.Where I can I list them all . I then look them up in SDGW often this eliminates those who have no obvious connection. Mostly this is as far as I have got .There is mostly a correlation between CWGC and SDGW .Then I keep my eyes and ears open .The central library is good for papers,not easy to read,and ,of course the city archives.The GLOUCESTERS have a good site which lists many of the fallen for ww1.I have a part document which lists all the councill employees who faught and also a list of those who died. Have you looked through the online catalogue for the city archives ? Try all the different combinations you can think of ww1 will yeild very little whilst the great war will produce a great list of material. My big advantage is that I know this side of town very well. Have you asked FRYS or whoever owns them now NESTLES? they may have an archive that can help.I am fairly sure that Imperial tobbaco does if it is ever WILLS that you want to look at. As usual I rabit on.I bet you already know all of this. Its good to talk. CHEERS. JOHN. P.S. A GENERAL WARNING .WHEN THE BUG BITES IT BITES.I NOW HAVE 11 FILES FOR WAR MEMORIALS NON OF THEM WILL EVER BE FINISHED. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eviltaxman Posted 7 September , 2004 Share Posted 7 September , 2004 John, I know what you mean... you get the names, the suss out the Regiments.... then it's headache time trying to track down individual bits of info. The Fry's memorial has 134 WW1 and only (!) 29 WW2 names. Now the MIC's are on-line, I can double check some of their previous service, which has proven helpful, as SDGW sometimes has the previous unit, not the one they were in when they died!!!!!!!! Regarding the Council's site... I haven't had much luck of late, I'll have to have another go at some point. The Glosters site is great.... especially as many of the Fry's staff were members. Oh well, aspirin on standby!! All the best, Les. ps.. forgot to mention, other than one or two named "Fry", there was a member of staff who reached the dizzy heights of...... Lt-Colonel...... Lt-Col Ernest Cowper SLADE DSO MC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j.r.f Posted 7 September , 2004 Author Share Posted 7 September , 2004 LES My colonel turned out to be a corpral.and i cant spell . cheers. john. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eviltaxman Posted 7 September , 2004 Share Posted 7 September , 2004 The actual plaque (which is over 6 foot high!!) has my Colonel a s Major, but SDGW & CWGC has him as Lt-Col. He was only 29 and came from Cotham Park. Les. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CROONAERT Posted 7 September , 2004 Share Posted 7 September , 2004 John. An easy way to see a scanning error such as this is to bear in mind that, during WW1, officers didn't have service numbers. Dave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Denham Posted 8 September , 2004 Share Posted 8 September , 2004 John The rank error was amended in the CWGC database this morning and will appear when the next update of the internet site takes place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j.r.f Posted 8 September , 2004 Author Share Posted 8 September , 2004 TERRY thanks. DAVE This is only true if the subject started of with a commision if he worked up through the rasnks then he would have a number.Mostly what you say is correct. cheers\ john. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j.r.f Posted 8 September , 2004 Author Share Posted 8 September , 2004 LES you did not have to use red pen on the plaque to prove your point.I am pulling your leg. cheers john. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eviltaxman Posted 8 September , 2004 Share Posted 8 September , 2004 John, Like an idiot, I did that for someone else a while ago.... who doesn't know their knee (being polite) from their elbow. I haven't got round to "painting" it back out. Les. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CROONAERT Posted 8 September , 2004 Share Posted 8 September , 2004 This is only true if the subject started of with a commision if he worked up through the rasnks then he would have a number. John. Are you certain about that? I was always of the belief (reinforced by several ID discs and MICs, and the lack of a number on ex-ranker officers war grave details) that just as if a soldier changed unit during WW1, his number changed, then an OR who recieved a commission lost his number. An officer promoted from the ranks didn't retain his number. He would have had a number (which would show up on his MIC, along with his details as an OR), but he didn't keep it. Dave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Denham Posted 9 September , 2004 Share Posted 9 September , 2004 Dave Your belief is correct. Promoted ORs left their number behind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j.r.f Posted 9 September , 2004 Author Share Posted 9 September , 2004 Thanks TERRY sorry DAVE.I did not mean to confuse the issue. CHEERS. JOHN. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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