mcfc1923 Posted 2 January , 2005 Share Posted 2 January , 2005 Just wondered if any of the pals has any info on a Private Charles Warburton, 357556 Labour Corps, served in france from 1917. cheers jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackblue Posted 2 January , 2005 Share Posted 2 January , 2005 Ian Bowbrick is you man Jim. He may be able to narrow down a Labour Corps company for you. Rgds Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackblue Posted 2 January , 2005 Share Posted 2 January , 2005 I would also asking if someone can ascertain which company Arthur served in. 113219 Pte Arthur Warburton formerly 20th Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers. Rgds Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcfc1923 Posted 2 January , 2005 Author Share Posted 2 January , 2005 Tim, one of the forum members (Ivor ) gave me information a couple of weeks ago on 113219 Arthur, when he was in the Lab Corps. Ivor said that the number is for a man who was transferred to the corps on it's formation in 1917, and it places the man in 189 company who served in France in the 2nd and 5th army areas, however, he did not have a great deal on exactly where they were. jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ian Bowbrick Posted 2 January , 2005 Share Posted 2 January , 2005 Ian Bowbrick is you man Jim. He may be able to narrow down a Labour Corps company for you. Rgds Tim Thanks for the vote of confidence! Ivor Lee is the Guru on all things Labour Corps - I have studied several companies in detail, however I have researched quite a few LC soldiers so have some idea of transfer dates and units. OK. When the Labour Corps was formed numbers 1 to 186240 were allocated and it is quite straightforward to allocate an original Coy to these men. After then it gets tricky. 357556 would seem to indicate a transfer late August/early September 1917. As he first served overseas with the LC, this would discount an Agricultural Coy. I have come across one or two men from Area Employment Coys near this number but this is all conjecture. I would recommend you contact Ivor for more detail and doing a search for his service record at the PRO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ian Bowbrick Posted 2 January , 2005 Share Posted 2 January , 2005 Ivor said that the number is for a man who was transferred to the corps on it's formation in 1917, and it places the man in 189 company who served in France in the 2nd and 5th army areas, however, he did not have a great deal on exactly where they were. Jim, Not surprising LC Coys did not keep war diaries and the information Ivor has is trawled from Group/Divisional & Army records of which there is little. Unfortunately the powers that be gave little time to the Labour Corps, they were made up of the unfit, the old and the undesirable - I should say I speak here as someone who had a great-uncle who was the Labour Corps - They were also some of the last men to be issued with medal ribbons. Cheers - Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcfc1923 Posted 3 January , 2005 Author Share Posted 3 January , 2005 Ian Shame thers not much info on them, but i'll takeyour advice and contact Ivor again. Don't suppose i should hold my breath for info on his service papers though? So they were made up of the unfit, the old and the undesirable, yep!!! sounds like a Warburton alright I daresay the job they had to do would make you unfit , old and undesirable cheers Ian jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ian Bowbrick Posted 3 January , 2005 Share Posted 3 January , 2005 Ian Shame thers not much info on them, but i'll takeyour advice and contact Ivor again. Don't suppose i should hold my breath for info on his service papers though? So they were made up of the unfit, the old and the undesirable, yep!!! sounds like a Warburton alright I daresay the job they had to do would make you unfit , old and undesirable cheers Ian jim Interestingly they very often worked within range of the guns, repairing roads and railways. There is a well known story of how a group of Labour Corps men were marching passed some gooners of the RFA, when one of the Gunners commented on how the Labour Corps was made of 'cowards and men of poor physical stature' (and he wasn't talking about their height). One of the Labour Corps men broke ranks and knocked him out with a right hook. I would also add that my own great-uncle was buried by bomb explosions on 2 occasions when repairing roads near Ypres. Pride of place in my collection is the Victory medal to one of the men who dug him out the second time. Don't despair - I have a greater hit rate with Labour Corps records than any other. Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcfc1923 Posted 4 January , 2005 Author Share Posted 4 January , 2005 Ian jim Interestingly they very often worked within range of the guns, repairing roads and railways. Don't despair - I have a greater hit rate with Labour Corps records than any other. Ian It was not exactly a cushy number being in the labour Corps that's for sure. recon the so called unfit who were in the Lab Corps would put many of us to shame when it come down to hard graft. I don't imagine they were exactly being fed 3 meals a day. Love that story of the lab corps guy who knocked out the gunner, can just picture him walking straight over without saying a word and wack!!. And your great uncle, being buried by a bomb explosion once and get out alive, but to have it happen twice, that would have been enough for me to have walked across the channel in order to get back to blighty, i wouldn't need no ship. To own a medal to one of the guys who helped dig him out the 2nd time, now that is a bit special. I'm looking forward to getting down to researching what my 2 uncles were upto with the labour corps, recon it could turn out a lot more interesting than i thought. cheers Ian jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Medic7922 Posted 4 January , 2005 Share Posted 4 January , 2005 211255 formley 5943 Private george Lockwood-General Service Company East Yorks reg I have been taking another look at my grandfathers Military Record, and noted that after being return home from france wounded he was discharged on termination of engagement november 1915. He re-enlisted into the General Service Company Jan 1916 and was mobilized in may 1917 Posted to Reserve Labour Corps 5/6/1917 Posted to 527 Home service Employment Company 28/4/1918 Posted to 527 Home service Employment Company 10/5/1918 Posted to 360 Reserve Employment Company 18/8/1918 Posted to 116 Labour Company 19/9/1918 France Transferred to Class Z army reserve on demobilization 31/3/1919 I do not know much about the home service & Labour Companys what were there main duties Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ian Bowbrick Posted 4 January , 2005 Share Posted 4 January , 2005 The HS Coys could have performed a variety of duties. As for 116 Coy drop Ivor an e-mail - he probably has some location information. After the cessation of hostilities a number of Labour Coys were involved in recovering remains and burial duties as well as salvage work ie clearing the battlefields. Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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