Posted where?

[Bogolino]

Hi everyone,

I'm trying to map out the movements of this soldier, who originally served with the 7th Lancashire Fusiliers. 

I'm stuggling to work out some of the terminology on this page of his service record (attached)

I know he was wounded in July 1917 and returned to the UK for treatment. Then this summary just says "posted" on the 1st January 1918.

Does this mean posted to France? 

He then transferred to the Royal Engineers in October 1918, but I can't read the rest of the writing. Vol.. Perma..?? Then E Bed A (Bedford?)

Then it says posted again the 12th October 1918. Posted where?

The military history summary on the second page of the record says Home 3 - 8 - 17 to ....blank  (attached)

Does this mean then he was posted somewhere in the UK on both those occasions and did not return to France?

If anyone could shed any light, that would be great 

 

[PRC]

From what you've posted it looks like he was transferred to the 2/5th Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers as part of being sent to France on the 7th December 1916.

When he was medically evacuated to the UK , arriving on the 3rd August 1917, he would have come off the strength of the 2/5th Battalion and usually posted onto the strength of the Depot, (Regimental or TF) for admin, pay and disciplinary purposes while receiving in-patient care. By this stage of the war convalescense would often take place at a Command Depot, in which case this would normally be reflected in the Statement of Soldiers Services that you have extracted from.

Looking at the staement it looks like where he was posted to on return to the UK, and possibly where he convalesced has been missed - or rather has so faded as to be unreadable. Which leads on to the question - does the "B.103 Casualty Form - Active Service" survive for this soldier?

That can quite often give a much more nuanced picture of a soldiers army career, including changes of unit.

Another usefuul source can sometimes be the column to the right of the crop you have done - usually with the name and unit of the person noting the change,  which is quite often he relevant unit Adjutant.

I believe the last unit he was transferred to in October 1918 was one of the Bedford Signal Depots of the Royal Engineers - possibly "A" Depot which was for recruits. Looks like his rank might be Pioneer rather than Private.

He was Voluntarily and Permanently transferred.

I'm not seeing anything to suggest he went overseas again before the end of the conflict. We don't know when the summary of his service was produced but is likely to be after the 11th November 1918 and before he was discharged, so possibly the end date was not known or more likely it was a simple shorthand to indicate no further overseas service and so a specific date is not needed.

Cheers,
Peter

[Bogolino]

Hi Peter,

Thank you so much for your detailed reply. Yes you are right about the 5^th Battalion. On the front page of the attestation form it says the 7^th Lancashire Fusiliers, but now I can see elsewhere in the document, there is also a 5^th.

The right hand side of the first crop does list names; I can read a couple of Majors.

Many of the documents are quite badly damaged at the top, but there is a Statement as to Disability form which says “B” Signal Depot Bedford.  Other docs do say Pioneer too.

There are lots of medical related forms in the pack, which I can read (I quite like medical stuff) and actually there is a B.103 Casualty Form at the back, which I couldn’t really read at all.

I thought it a bit cheeky to post it initially, so just uploaded the sections I could vaguely read, but if you can fathom any of that form, if it will help, that’s much appreciated.

I’ll attach those to this message.

Many thanks!

 

[TEW]

Regarding the entry for 1/1/1918, I think it may actually be 7/1/18.

The only offering I have would be that he was posted to Res as in the 3rd Reserve battalion.

TEW

[PRC]

1 hour ago, Bogolino said:

The right hand side of the first crop does list names; I can read a couple of Majors.

Many of the documents are quite badly damaged at the top, but there is a Statement as to Disability form which says “B” Signal Depot Bedford.  Other docs do say Pioneer too.

There are lots of medical related forms in the pack, which I can read (I quite like medical stuff) and actually there is a B.103 Casualty Form at the back, which I couldn’t really read at all.

Once he’d completed his in-patient treatment and convalescence, if he was deemed likely to become fit again for overseas service he be returned to his regiment and posted to one of the home service battalions for re-training – mainly physical.

From the details posted previously he was back in the UK on the 3rd August 1917.

By the 29th December 1917 he was medically regraded Cat AIII – the lowest class for overseas service. I suspect then might be when he returned to his Regimental Depot.

By the time he was transferred permanently and voluntarily to the Royal Engineers he was serving with the 5th Reserve Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers, at Scarborough. In the absence of any information to the contrary, it may well be that was the battalion he was with since the end of December 1917.

At some point he medically graded AII – the working presumption would be at the time of his transfer to the RE.

The order authorising his move came from Headquarters, Yorkshire Coast Defence.

From the Long, Long Trail

4/5th Battalion  (Territorial Force Battalion).

Formed at Southport in spring 1915 as a home service depot or training (“fourth line”) unit.
8 April 1916 : became 5th Reserve Bn in East Lancs Reserve Brigade.
https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/regiments-and-corps/the-british-infantry-regiments-of-1914-1918/lancashire-fusiliers/

The internet is quiet about the East Lancashire Reserve Brigade, but it doesn’t appear to have been part of a division. It’s commanding officr, Brigadier-General Lovett, died suddenly in May 1919, and the British Newspaper Archive has a number of reports on his death – unfortunately I don’t subscribe so can’t check them out. The snap-shots of press articles available to a public search of the BNA website refer to the Brigade taking over the Yorkshire Coast Defence in April 1917.

The B.103 references your soldiers' transfer to the R.E. Signal Service at Bedford, leaving his unit at Scarborough on the 11th October 1918 and reaching the Bedford Depot the next day.

He was posted as a Pioneer and granted extra pay of 6 pence per day. He was stationed then at the Signal Service Training Centre, (“S.S.T.C.”) – which appears to be Bedford “A” Depot judging from the writing in the location column.

Once he’d completed his initial training he may well have moved on to “B” Depot.

I too can see the “Major” references but looks like the rubber stamps print marks used for location and recurring phrases like “for Colonel R.E. Records.” , has faded too badly to be legible except for that last one. If you have any image software skills you could try increasing the contrast or inverting the image, but some of the marks may simply be the writing on the reverse side of the form and so may drown out any faint ink marks.

Hope some of that helps,
Peter

[Bogolino]

Thank you to you both for all your help and suggestions