Summary
- 959 – Men identified with service number (+4 this month)
- 802 – Confirmed ’08 service numbers (+54)
- 90 – Men identified without service number (+2)
- 66 – Portraits (+7)
- 57 – Descendants contacted (+6)
- 44 – Profiles drafted (+5)
Filling the 1908 service gaps & Searching for Casualty Photos
As promised last month, I started this month off working my way through the gaps in the 1908 service numbering sequence.
A lot of men only have a 1917 service number. However, given they were issued sequentially against the original 1908 numbers (with only a couple of exceptions), it is possible to work out what their ’08 number was with a high degree of confidence. Just to make it clear that these are assumed numbers, I have marked them with an asterix.
By doing this, I’ve added another 54 ’08 service numbers to the roll, another small, but important, step forward.
I also did a specific search of all of the sources to find casualty photos. I wasn’t expecting to find much, but it ultimately led to 7 new pictures in the Portrait Gallery.
Revisiting the Technology
The other focus I planned was to look at the technology again.
I’ve been worried about how hard it is to find the profiles that I have been drafting. So, to deal with this, I’ve added a scrolling link to the completed from the Home Page. I think it works well, comments?
I’ve also been looking at ways to better present the photos I’ve gathered. I had hoped there might be an easy solution, but it doesn’t look like that will be the case. It’s going to be a busy Christmas!
And finally, a couple of new men found
Despite my focus elsewhere, a couple of new men were added to the Nominal Roll.
David Porter kindly pointed me in the direction of a couple of surviving service records that I had previously missed, 497, Leonard Nash joined the 1st Glamorgan Battery in May 1910, travelling to France with them in November 1915. He also continued to Egypt in February 1916, but returned home to be discharged time expired just 2 months later. Leonard moved to Cambridge after the war and lived on Norwich Street, close to where he was billeted during the war.
557, William J Read enlisted in May 1911 and despite serving 3 years, was found to medically unfit on mobilisation and was discharged on 8 August 1914.
And finally, by chance I found 1155, Ernest J Foster. I was searching through members of the 53rd DAC, and he sat within one of the blocks allocated to men of the 1st Welsh who transferred. On one of his pension records, it also mentioned service number 1155. Using his enlistment date (from his SWB), it was possible to confirm his service number fit perfectly into the date sequence of the ’08 nominal roll. The chances of this being a coincidence are so remote that he must be a member of the Brigade.
Next month
I have some time off over Christmas so plan to start the task of developing the Photo Library. I’ve also revisited Ancestry and started a second pass through the list of men, attempting to contact more family members. Whilst it is true that the success rate is much lower (I contacted the more obvious links on the first pass through), I’m pleased to have made contact with 3 new families – including 2 who served on the same gun as my great uncle, Rees Williams.
Merry Christmas everyone.
