Trio to Albert E Humphrey (or Humphreys) - Norfolk Regiment, Border Regiment & RAF

[Andrew1966]

Good evening to you all. 

I collect first war medals to the Norfolk Regiment and recently purchased a group.

1914-15star, British War and Victory Medal

to 18623 A E Humphreys  and a description as follows

Albert Edward Humphreys enlisted in the norfolks 27-1-1915 and landed in france on 30-12-1915. he transferred to the RFC on 27-1-1918 and joined the Royal Air Force on its formation in April of the same year. he left the RAF 30-4-1920. As he served in france between 30-12-1915 to 1-3-1917 with the norfolks and did not serve overseas with RFC/RAF, his medals are named to the norfolk regiment.

So when i received the medals and looked at markings on them, It soon became obvious that yes the 1914-15 star was marked to above man. however the BWM and VW were not. On them i found 23279 A E Humphry Border Regiment.

So after searching the internet i found these the two Medal index card show they both show the same RAF/RFC number and this is confirmed on RAF papers. 

I would be very gratefull if anybody has any ideas or can point me in the direction of an explanation for this. Am i right in assuming he may have transferred to the border regiment before joining the RFC.    

Regards 

Andrew

[RussT]

1 hour ago, Andrew1966 said:

Am i right in assuming he may have transferred to the border regiment before joining the RFC.

That would be my conclusion such that the RAF Medal Roll compilers have incorrectly named his first unit (served overseas) as the Border Regiment rather than the Norfolk Regiment as per his 1914/1915 Star. But ....................

In looking at Service Records of other men with similar Border Regiment numbers, I'm not seeing any other men who were ex Norfolk Regiment, which is what I would have expected as men were often moved in groups and re-numbered consecutively.

The other odd thing is that the Border Regiment number of 23279 seems to have been allotted in early December 1915 at the Border Regimental Depot - but he was already in France with the Norfolk Regiment on that date (according to his Star MIC - but see later post)

So, I'm still pondering it - an interesting case study.

Regards

Russ

[RussT]

"Interestingly" the Border Regiment number of 23279 was also allotted to George Henry Watson - later 13209 MGC.

These numbers were not knowingly duplicated so one (or both !) of these men must have his number incorrectly recorded on his MIC/Medal Roll.

If it is Humphrey's details which are wrong, then we might be in the realm of multiple errors - wrong unit on his VM/BWM and also wrong number anyway!

Search continues !

Russ

[Dai Bach y Sowldiwr]

34 minutes ago, Andrew1966 said:

On them i found 23279 A E Humphry Border Regiment.

Does it really state 'Humphry' ?

Not 'Humphrey' or 'Humphreys' which could be accounted by one typo?

[Andrew1966]

5 minutes ago, Dai Bach y Sowldiwr said:

Does it really state 'Humphry' ?

Not 'Humphrey' or 'Humphreys' which could be accounted by one typo?

Please accept my apologies it is Humphrey 

[RussT]

There are plenty of Border Regiment men with BR numbers in the range high 231xx to low 232xx who are ex Norfolk Regiment who in turn had Norfolk Regiment numbers around the 18xxx ball park.

So it looks to me that he was one of the men in that group transfer and his BR number has been incorrectly recorded. It can't be 23179 as someone else had that number.

Russ

[Andrew1966]

[RussT]

A good example is Edward Charles Howlett.

He was 18577 Norfolk Regiment enlisted 25/01/1915

Transferred to the Border Regiment 09/11/1915 - re-numbered as 23198.

Posted BEF 30/12/1915 - as per Humphreys

So it's his 1914/1915 Star which is incorrect - it should be named to the Border Regiment.

And his VM/BWM is probably incorrect as his BR number looks to be wrong (or at least someone else has that number and his might be wrong - the MGC Medal Roll compilers were also rubbish).

Useless RAF Medal Roll compilers - nothing to do with what's on his medals - they were made up by copying what's on his MICs.

Anyway - it's all solved in minutes -  the invoice to follow later.

Regards

Russ

[RussT]

If you look at SDGW you can more or less bound all the Border Regiment men who were ex Norfolk Regiment in the relevant number range.

I make it 23053 to 23240 - that's at least 188 men who were similarly transferred all at the same time 

Humprey's correct Border Regiment number would have fallen within this range.

It looks like he served in the 7th Battalion in France before his transfer to the RAF.

Russ

[Andrew1966]

Hi. Firstly thank to all for you help. might i ask what maybe a very stupid question whats SDGW. Going on what Russ has said with regards to his possible correct number i am wondering if this might be him  23219. The RAF papers say his was 35yrs in 1915 so in 1917 he would have been 37.

[rksimpson]

SDGW - Soldiers Died in the Great War - https://warrecordsrevealed.com/soldiers-died-in-the-great-war-s-d-g-w/

[RussT]

26 minutes ago, Andrew1966 said:

i am wondering if this might be him  23219.

That is definitely him - a nice find.

That record also shows he was with the 7th Battalion Border Regiment at the time - as per all the other men who transferred and with whom most died within the Border Regiment number range that I quoted earlier.

And no other Border Regiment man was allotted the number 23219.

It also offers a credible reason on how the RAF Medal Roll compilers got his Border Regiment number wrong - you can see that the digit "1" in 23219 has been lazily transcribed on his Records (and hence MIC & Medal) as a "7" - hence becoming 23279. In fact you can see from his RAF record that the top horizontal tick on the top of the "1" is quite small - but it's sufficiently prominent to be interpreted as a "7" rather than a "1".

The continentals can teach a thing or two to us about numerals - as you no doubt know, they put a cross bar across in the middle of the upper stem of a vertical "1" to differentiate a "7" unambiguously from a "1".

Russ

 

[RussT]

And here is proof - a WO Casualty List of 03/11/1917 has him listed as a WiA case numbered as 23219 and his residence/birth locator given as Fulmodestone - which is on his RAF record.

Although yet another spelling variant of his name !

Russ

(Image courtesy The Genealogist)

[PRC]

On 30/05/2024 at 21:27, RussT said:

his residence/birth locator given as Fulmodestone

If I hadn't seen that I'd have missed this thread altogether - although it's actually the location of the next of kin informed of the casualty . Often one and the same as birth \ place of residence, but that can't be taken for granted.

Image courtesy The National Library of Scotland.

There were a couple of bulk transfers from the Norfolk Regiment to the 10th Battalion Border Regiment on the 9th November 1915. I'm slowly working my way through them but very tentatively have the batch Russ has identified I believe as coming from the 3rd Battalion, Norfolk Regiment. Big thank you from me for sorting out the Border Regiment number discepancy on this one - there have been quite a few, not helped by the Norfolk Regimental numbers only cropping up on Soldiers Died in the Great War.

Men from both bulk transfers would then go on to France on the 30th December 1915 for service with the 7th Battalion, Border Regiment.

Oddly the church in Fulmodeston, (other spellings are available!), has a Roll of Honour for those who served in the Great War - and there are no Humphrey \ Humphreys \ Humphries listed.

Looks from the RAF record that his wife was actually living at Tacolnestone, (now Tacolneston), which is about 35 miles away from Fulmodestone \ Fulmodeston. The children listed on the RAF record were both born Long Stratton, which makes Tacolnestone seem more plausible.

On the 1911 Census of England and Wales there is a 31 year old Albert E. Humphreys, a Bricklayer born Bunwell, Norfolk, who was recorded as the married head of a household at Talcolnestone, Near Norwich. He lives there with his wife of 10 years, Ellen, (aged 28, born Fundenhall, Norfolk) and their only child Avis, aged 4, born Tacolnestone.

The 1911 Norfolk Register of Electors shows an Albert Edward Humphreys entitled to vote in Parliamentary, County and Civil Parish elections as he was the (male) head of the household in a dwelling house near the main road at Tacolnestone. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2CML-QNM

The same information is on the 1915 edition. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2H17-P6B

I don't subscribe to FindMyPast but from what can be seen indexed on their site the family appear with the surname spelt HUMPHRIES and recorded in the Parish of "Talcolneston" on the 1921 Census.

So while all spellings of the surname seem to have been in use, I'm still not sure what the Fulmodestone connection is.

Cheers,
Peter

Edited 15 June by PRC
Typos

[RussT]

11 hours ago, PRC said:

I believe as coming from the 3rd Battalion, Norfolk Regiment

That's correct

11 hours ago, PRC said:

Men from both bulk transfers would then go on to France on the 30th December 1915 for service with the 7th Battalion, Border Regiment.

Correct - the 1914/1915 Star Medal Roll for these men is actually headed "7th Battalion, Border Regiment" - see the example Roll page below for 23169 R (Reginald) White (1st entry on page).

Many of these men have their prior Norfolk Regimental details on their VM/BWM Medal Rolls - see the example Roll page below, including that for 23169 Reginald White (ex 18652 Norfolk Regiment). Those Rolls even go so far as to state that they were previously with the 3rd Battalion on the Norfolk Regiment, which was the Regimental Reserve Battalion stationed only in the UK. So those details ordinarily would not/should not appear on the Medal Rolls - but note the relevant Column Heading on this Roll has been crossed out.

Thankfully, the clerks making up the MICs were awake to this potential error trap and they had appropriately marked up the MICs to indicate correctly that the Border Regiment details should be impressed on the VM/BWM Medals (see MIC image below).

Note that the example VM/BWM Medal Roll posted below also quotes the 10th Bn Border Regiment which is an administrative posting upon arriving in France - although I didn't spot such a posting on the example Service Records at which I looked.

So at least these men had all 3 Medals named correctly - I didn't check them all so it's possible the Clerks missed some - in which case there might be other individuals out there with oddly named medals but the other way round from Humphrey's odd medals - who had the additional privilege of having an incorrect Border Regimental number impressed on his BWM/VM medals.

A dog's breakfast all round - all done of course just to keep us on our toes over 100 years later 

Russ

(Images courtesy Ancestry)

 

[PRC]

58 minutes ago, RussT said:

Correct - the 1914/1915 Star Medal Roll for these men is actually headed "7th Battalion, Border Regiment" - see the example Roll page below for 23169 R (Reginald) White (1st entry on page).

Many of these men have their prior Norfolk Regimental details on their VM/BWM Medal Rolls - see the example Roll page below, including that for 23169 Reginald White (ex 18652 Norfolk Regiment). Those Rolls even go so far as to state that they were previously with the 3rd Battalion on the Norfolk Regiment, which was the Regimental Reserve Battalion stationed only in the UK. So those details ordinarily would not/should not appear on the Medal Rolls - but note the relevant Column Heading on this Roll has been crossed out.

I've worked my way through most of those who were deceased, so a job for a long winter night is filling in the gaps - particularly those who went on to serve with the Labour Corps and the MGC and so don't have such helpful medals rolls \ SDGW entries The ones with service records are on a very long list of look-ups for a trip to the library or the next few free sessions on the usual genealogy websites - that is barring a lottery win or an unexpected elderly family member expiry!

On the 1914/15 Roll 21254 Wenn to 21405 Ward were all ex-Norfolk Regiment - a separate compulsory bulk transfer to the 10th Battalion, Border Regiment.

1 hour ago, RussT said:

Note that the example VM/BWM Medal Roll posted below also quotes the 10th Bn Border Regiment which is an administrative posting upon arriving in France - although I didn't spot such a posting on the example Service Records at which I looked.

The second batch were transferred to the 10th Battalion Border Regiment on the 9th November 1915. The surviving burnt service record for Border Regiment 10/23149 James Robert Jeckells, (ex Norfolks 15209) has two copies of his statement of services. As both suffered some damage here's a crop of the relevant bits that between them hopefully makes things clearer.

Both images courtesy FindMyPast.

William Quadling - Norfolk Regiment 18989 then Border Regiment 10/23208 I believe has a similar notation on his service record. I had a quick look to see if he was a potential non-com as he was discharged in July 1918 Paragraph 392 (xvi) but didn't take a copy as it turned out wasn't the man I found who died in the qualifying period.

Anyway the fuller bulk transfer is a rabbit hole this thread probaly doesn't deserve to disappear down

Cheers,
Peter

[RussT]

3 hours ago, PRC said:

were transferred to the 10th Battalion Border Regiment on the 9th November 1915

Yes, thanks for that - I do now see that in the records - and I belatedly now also realise that the 10th/Bn Border Regiment was a Reserve Battalion.

So the route was 3rd (Res) Bn Norfolk to 10th (Res) Bn Border to BEF to 7th (Service) Bn Border.

16 hours ago, PRC said:

although it's actually the location of the next of kin informed of the casualty . Often one and the same as birth \ place of residence, but that can't be taken for granted.

And thanks for that too - I did actually know that but for some reason (old age no doubt) it had disappeared from my mind - it's good though to have that written reference to it at the top of the WO Casualty List.

Are you compiling a complete list of Norfolk Regiment men? That's some task !

Russ

 

[PRC]

33 minutes ago, RussT said:

Are you compiling a complete list of Norfolk Regiment men? That's some task !

Slowly, very slowly

The driver was researching the names on the war memorials, war graves and family headstones but I kept finding I was doing the same near number searches. Creating a database seemed the logical next step.

It also gave me somewhere to add the odd snippets to try and keep track of things. I have a lot of notes and images from the contemporary newspapers held at the Norfolk County Archive. Some of those men who were wounded \ received gallantry medals \ were taken prisoner, etc, serving with other Regiments and have pictures in the local press but their regimental cap badge is the Norfolk Regiment one. With no overseas service with the Norfolks, no surviving service records and no SDGW "formally" note, this may be the only clue that they and others with nearby service numbers were transferred from the Norfolks.

At the moment I'm still at the stage of going back over all the village memorials I've researched and put online, and picking up all the details from the near number searches, medal roll copies, silver war badge rolls, casualty lists and newspaper articles I looked at, to populate the database. After three years I'm up to Coltishall - and thats just the memorials I've already researched! Currently on 4,772 individuals, of which 3,920 are definately unique.

Wish me luck!
Peter

[Andrew1966]

Good evening to you both. firstly thankyou for all your help however I will confess I have got a little lost with everything.

As a recap

Albert Edward Humphreys (plus other spellings of it)

Joined the 3rd battalion Norfolk Regiment 27/1/1915 with the service no. 18623 

then was transferred to the 10th Border Regiment with the service no. 23219 

and either both or after his arrival in france on 30/12/1915 was transferred to A company 7th Border Regiment

injured on the 25/2/1917 and returned to england by the 1/3/1917

then joining the RFC on 27/1/1918 and then RAF on its formation in April of the same year

Therefore his BWM&VM index card has the wrong  seervice number on it...an administrative error by the RAF

And his 1914/15 star index card should recognise his service whilst in the Border Regiment in France prior to the end of 1915 not the Norfolks

A further question please i can not find any entries on the medals rolls for either the Norfolk or Border regiment, or any of the varying spellings of name or finally any of his service numbers.  Is there a reason for this please.

Andrew   

[RussT]

1 hour ago, Andrew1966 said:

then was transferred on 09/11/1915 to the 10th Border Regiment with the service no. 23219 ..........................

 

1 hour ago, Andrew1966 said:

Posted to the BEF and after his arrival in France on 30/12/1915 was transferred posted to A company 7th Border Regiment

I haven't checked that he was in A Company but if you know that, then fine.

1 hour ago, Andrew1966 said:

injured on the 25/2/1917 and returned to england by the 1/3/1917

then transferred to the RFC on 27/1/1918 with new number 136716 and then RAF on its formation in April of the same year

I haven't checked your details here but if you know them to be true, then fine.

1 hour ago, Andrew1966 said:

Therefore his BWM&VM index card has the wrong  seervice number on it...an administrative error by the RAF

Correct

1 hour ago, Andrew1966 said:

And his 1914/15 star index card should recognise his service whilst in the Border Regiment in France prior to the end of 1915 not the Norfolks

He qualified (just) for the 1914/1915 Star by virtue of setting foot on French soil on 31/12/1915 (if he landed a day later he would not have qualified). He left England as a Border Regiment soldier (with number 23219) and landed in France as a Border Regiment soldier (with same number of 23219) and so his 1914/1915 Star should be named to the Border Regiment. He only ever served with the Norfolk Regiment in the UK so those details should not be on his Star. That is also an error by the RFC/RAF medal roll compilers.

1 hour ago, Andrew1966 said:

A further question please i can not find any entries on the medals rolls for either the Norfolk or Border regiment, or any of the varying spellings of name or finally any of his service numbers.  Is there a reason for this please.

If I understand your question correctly - you are saying that you can't find his Medal Rolls?

Medal Rolls were compiled by the unit in which a man last served - so he is on the RAF Medal Rolls

Here is his 1914/1915 Star Medal Roll: UK, World War I Service Medal and Award Rolls, 1914-1920 - Ancestry.co.uk

Here is his BWM/VM Medal Roll: UK, World War I Service Medal and Award Rolls, 1914-1920 - Ancestry.co.uk

Russ

[Andrew1966]

Hi thank you so much for reply, I obviously still have an awful to learn about researching the medals in my collection. I have to be honest I never thought about searching for the medal rolls within the RAF. It certainly appears that the RAF managed to get several things wrong in the particular case.

I believe he died in 1966 and is buried in Tacolneston church yard. I will find the time to go and see if i can find him, its only a couple of miles down the road from where I live.

Once again a big thank you to you and Peter for all your help, it is very much appreciated.

Regards

Andrew from Tasburgh

[PRC]

3 hours ago, Andrew1966 said:

Albert Edward Humphreys (plus other spellings of it)

Joined the 3rd battalion Norfolk Regiment 27/1/1915 with the service no. 18623 

then was transferred to the 10th Border Regiment with the service no. 23219 

and either both or after his arrival in france on 30/12/1915 was transferred to A company 7th Border Regiment

injured on the 25/2/1917 and returned to england by the 1/3/1917

then joining the RFC on 27/1/1918 and then RAF on its formation in April of the same year

Fleshing it out with a few more sources and a soupcon of pedantry

Albert Edwin Humphreys (aka Albert Edwin Humphries), a married man aged 35, enlisted in the Norfolk Regiment on the 27th January 1915 for the Duration of the War. He was issued with regimental service number 18623.

At some point after this he was posted to the 3rd Battalion.

Note there seems to have been a lot of movement back and forth between the 3rd and 10th Battalion at this time – see the extract from the statement of services for James Robert Jeckells that I posted. From a few other surviving records I’ve seen this seem to be far from uncommon.

To have a better idea of where he was initially posted to it might be worthwhile taking a look at the surviving service records for 18619 Thomas Samuel Clements and 18626 Thomas William Youngs.

On the 9th November 1915 he was transferred to the 10th (Reserve) Battalion of the Border Regiment – then stationed at Billericay. (See the Long Long Trail page for the Regiment).
He was issued with a new service number 23219, (or more accurately 10/23219, but as usual the prefix was the first thing to be dropped)

On the 30th December 1915 he was posted to the 7th Battalion, Border Regiment, in France, moving across the channel (Surviving service records for 10/23149 James Robert Jeckells , 10/23065 Reginald Johnson & 10/23072 John Thomas Hoolhouse),and reaching an Infantry Base Depot at Etaples on the same day. (Surviving service record for 10/23065 Reginald Johnson).

He caught up with the Battalion on the 11th January 1916. (Service records of 10/23149 James Robert Jeckells and 10/23072 John Thomas Hoolhouse).

The 7th Battalion War Diary shows them in billets at Ganspette from the 9th to the 17th January 1916 but does not mention the arrival of any drafts.

He was most likely posted to ‘A’ Company from the outset but all we can say for certain is that he was with that Company when he was admitted to a Medical Facility on the 24th February 1917 with an intraconnective tissue problem with his right knee. He was moved on by No.1 Ambulance Train the next day.

It is not known whether he returned to his unit or was medically evacuated to the UK. You believe him to have landed back in the UK on the 1st March 1917 but I don’t think we’ve had a source for that. He would have been posted onto the strength of the Border Regiment Depot while receiving inpatient treatment and convalescence. Part of the latter may well have been spent at a Command Depot where assessments would have been made of him medically with a view as to whether a role could be found for him or whether he should be discharged as no longer physically fit for war service. If there was any chance that he might be fit again for front-line or even overseas service he might well have been posted to one of the home service battalions of the Border Regiment.

We do know he was transferred to the Royal Flying Corps as a 3rd Class Airman on the 28th February 1918. On the RAF Day 1 Muster Roll his RFC Trade Classification was Batman, and this would remain unchanged with his transfer to the Royal Air Force on the 1st April 1918, although his rank was now Private 2nd Class.

On the 24th April 1918 he was posted to 106 Squadron.

Formed as No. 106 Squadron RFC, at Andover, Hampshire, on 30 September 1917. It was initially intended to be a corps reconnaissance squadron but after training in May 1918 it was not sent to the Western Front but to Ireland to help with the developing troubles there. It served in army co-operation and policing roles for eighteen months before being disbanded at Fermoy, on 8 October 1919. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._106_Squadron_RAF

Albert was posted to the aerodrome at Baldonnell in Ireland on the 8th January 1919. I don’t know if that was a Dispersal Centre by that time.

This was probably so he could commence 28 days home leave before being transferred to the RAF G Reserve on the 8th February 1919. G Reserve was the equivalent of the Armys’ Z Reserve – no pay but liability for immediate recall in the event of the resumption of hostilities.

He was deemed fully discharged on the 30th April 1920.

Cheers,
Peter

[Andrew1966]

On 31/05/2024 at 23:25, PRC said:

Fleshing it out with a few more sources and a soupcon of pedantry

Albert Edwin Humphreys (aka Albert Edwin Humphries), a married man aged 35, enlisted in the Norfolk Regiment on the 27th January 1915 for the Duration of the War. He was issued with regimental service number 18623.

At some point after this he was posted to the 3rd Battalion.

Note there seems to have been a lot of movement back and forth between the 3rd and 10th Battalion at this time – see the extract from the statement of services for James Robert Jeckells that I posted. From a few other surviving records I’ve seen this seem to be far from uncommon.

To have a better idea of where he was initially posted to it might be worthwhile taking a look at the surviving service records for 18619 Thomas Samuel Clements and 18626 Thomas William Youngs.

On the 9th November 1915 he was transferred to the 10th (Reserve) Battalion of the Border Regiment – then stationed at Billericay. (See the Long Long Trail page for the Regiment).
He was issued with a new service number 23219, (or more accurately 10/23219, but as usual the prefix was the first thing to be dropped)

On the 30th December 1915 he was posted to the 7th Battalion, Border Regiment, in France, moving across the channel (Surviving service records for 10/23149 James Robert Jeckells , 10/23065 Reginald Johnson & 10/23072 John Thomas Hoolhouse),and reaching an Infantry Base Depot at Etaples on the same day. (Surviving service record for 10/23065 Reginald Johnson).

He caught up with the Battalion on the 11th January 1916. (Service records of 10/23149 James Robert Jeckells and 10/23072 John Thomas Hoolhouse).

The 7th Battalion War Diary shows them in billets at Ganspette from the 9th to the 17th January 1916 but does not mention the arrival of any drafts.

He was most likely posted to ‘A’ Company from the outset but all we can say for certain is that he was with that Company when he was admitted to a Medical Facility on the 24th February 1917 with an intraconnective tissue problem with his right knee. He was moved on by No.1 Ambulance Train the next day.

It is not known whether he returned to his unit or was medically evacuated to the UK. You believe him to have landed back in the UK on the 1st March 1917 but I don’t think we’ve had a source for that. He would have been posted onto the strength of the Border Regiment Depot while receiving inpatient treatment and convalescence. Part of the latter may well have been spent at a Command Depot where assessments would have been made of him medically with a view as to whether a role could be found for him or whether he should be discharged as no longer physically fit for war service. If there was any chance that he might be fit again for front-line or even overseas service he might well have been posted to one of the home service battalions of the Border Regiment.

We do know he was transferred to the Royal Flying Corps as a 3rd Class Airman on the 28th February 1918. On the RAF Day 1 Muster Roll his RFC Trade Classification was Batman, and this would remain unchanged with his transfer to the Royal Air Force on the 1st April 1918, although his rank was now Private 2nd Class.

On the 24th April 1918 he was posted to 106 Squadron.

Formed as No. 106 Squadron RFC, at Andover, Hampshire, on 30 September 1917. It was initially intended to be a corps reconnaissance squadron but after training in May 1918 it was not sent to the Western Front but to Ireland to help with the developing troubles there. It served in army co-operation and policing roles for eighteen months before being disbanded at Fermoy, on 8 October 1919. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._106_Squadron_RAF

Albert was posted to the aerodrome at Baldonnell in Ireland on the 8th January 1919. I don’t know if that was a Dispersal Centre by that time.

This was probably so he could commence 28 days home leave before being transferred to the RAF G Reserve on the 8th February 1919. G Reserve was the equivalent of the Armys’ Z Reserve – no pay but liability for immediate recall in the event of the resumption of hostilities.

He was deemed fully discharged on the 30th April 1920.

Cheers,
Peter

Good evening. Wow, once again a big thank you to both for all your help. 

I see that The Great War Forum has an annual get together, I wondering if there is anything similar but on a more local basis. It would be amazing to be able to talk other people  listening to what they have achieved and possibly coming away with a little more knowledge. I am older enough to remember seeing men wearing first war medals at remember day services and parades but there is now a complete generation who have very little concept of them or the conflict they were involved in. I do strongly believe I am only a custodian of the medals in my collection and sincerely hope that by finding out much as I can about the medals and men who bravely earnt will keep there stories from being forgotten for future generations.

Regards Andrew 

 

[RussT]

1 hour ago, Andrew1966 said:

I see that The Great War Forum has an annual get together, I wondering if there is anything similar but on a more local basis. It would be amazing to be able to talk other people  listening to what they have achieved and possibly coming away with a little more knowledge.

We have traditionally held an Annual Conference with invited speakers but we had to cancel last year owing to rising costs and dwindling numbers. It's unlikely we will be organising any further in the future.

You may want to check out the Western Front Association - they have Regional Branches often holding monthly meetings where you can meet like-minded people. Link here:

Branches | The Western Front Association

A good way to learn is to start a little project of your own and so be proactive rather than passive. You can then interact with others on this Forum when you need assistance with the project. Before long you get to know things to such an extent that you can then help others on the Forum. That's how the Forum works - give & take.

For example your first little project could be to research the men who were also in this draft of men from the Norfolks to the Border Regiment. You now know the Border Regiment consecutive number block. So you could make a table and list them out and add as much detail about them as you can find. Their experiences will probably be varied enough to take you down all sorts of avenues that help the learning process. The Long Long Trail (link top left corner) is a great place to start in understanding all the various aspects you might meet along the way.

Regards

Russ

 

[Andrew1966]

On 30/05/2024 at 19:33, RussT said:

There are plenty of Border Regiment men with BR numbers in the range high 231xx to low 232xx who are ex Norfolk Regiment who in turn had Norfolk Regiment numbers around the 18xxx ball park.

So it looks to me that he was one of the men in that group transfer and his BR number has been incorrectly recorded. It can't be 23179 as someone else had that number.

Russ

Another man within that number range