Summary
- 953 – Men identified with service number (+1 this month)
- 746 – Confirmed ’08 service numbers (+2)
- 87 – Men identified without service number (+1)
- 55 – Portraits (+11)
- 47 – Descendants contacted (+6)
- 31 – Profiles drafted (+5)
September was a slow month, with work taking priority. That said, I still managed to complete the first pass through the nominal trying to find descendants of men of the Brigade, which is another milestone achieved.
Contacting Ancestry Tree Owners
I’ve now completed the first run through the Nominal Roll trying to find tree owners on Ancestry who appear to have close links to men of the Brigade. In total I’ve sent 232 messages and to date I’ve had 98 replies of which 38 have led to new photographs and information.
It continues to be a pleasure and an honour talking to the descendants of the men of the Brigade. Working with them to tell the stories of their ancestors is truly rewarding and their feedback continues to be really positive.
One aspect that has been new is that a much smaller proportion of the men who enlisted later in the war went to Egypt. This has opened up stories from other Fronts including Salonika and the Balkans.
New Profiles Uploaded
This month I completed 5 new profiles. As always, each has been interesting and enjoyable to prepare, but a couple have stood out.
The family of 1243, Gnr WJ Hixson shared with me the most incredible collection of photos and surviving documentation.
William joined the Brigade in March 1915, just 3 days after his brother was killed in action serving with the Worcesters in France. After basic training, he was transferred to the Divisional Ammunition Column and went to France in November 1915. Unusually, he did not remain in France with the rest of the DAC, but instead went to Egypt where he spent the rest of the war.
In the last months of the war, like many others, he contracted malaria and was evacuated back to a hospital in Gaza dangerously ill. The letter from the War Office to his family notifying them has survived and, along with the other fascinating surviving documents and photos, is in his image gallery.
Driver Latimer Jones was born in 1894 and enlisted March 1915. Whilst very few official sources have survived, his family were able to share a photo as well as vital information that confirmed where he served in the War.
His Grandson kindly provided the following; My father (Kenneth) did talk to me about him when I was younger but he was only 7 years old when Latimer died so he was not able to tell me a lot. What I was told is that he was serving in what was then Mesopotamia during WW1 looking after the horses.
The descendants of Thomas Fucito kindly shared several fascinating photos. Thomas and his brothers were Oilskin Manufacturers and although he was 35 at the time, he enlisted in September 1915.
Following his initial training, he was posted to the 2nd Line and then subsequently transferred to the Labour Corps, finally leaving the army in March 1919. Thomas ultimately did not see active service or serve abroad; he was however one of the many soldiers who served in the UK defending the coast and supporting the wider war effort.
Finally, the family of Cpl David Ridler shared a fascinating collection. Cpl Ridler enlisted in January 1915 and went on to serve in France where he received the Military Medal in 1918.
The General Commanding his Division wrote to him stating; No 725447 Cpl. D.J. Ridler D/Bty 83rd Bde RFA. I have read with great pleasure the report of your Regimental Commander & Brigade Commander regarding your gallant conduct and devotion to duty in the Field on 27th/28th August 1918 at Caterpillar Wood
His medals as well as citations have survived and copies are in his gallery.
Next month
For the rest of this month I plan to pause and take stock.
I’m concerned that I haven’t closed out every lead that I’ve found to date because I’ve been overwhelmed with so much new information. This ultimately may mean I make little obvious progress, but I think its important that I avoid missing the little details.
