Uncle George served with who?

[Toby Purcell]

Originally Posted by SandieNZ

I've been sent another pix with some more badges for you to advise me on please...

Superb and v interesting pic as he has so many badges. As well as 5 years good conduct and a wound stripe (possibly a leg wound as it is very rare indeed to see a WW1 soldier with a walking stick as opposed to a 'swagger cane'), he also appears to have 5 overseas service stripes, one for each year of the war, which would indicate that he is an 'old contemptible', one of the original British Expeditionary Force (BEF). The first (lowest) strip would be red, for 1914, and each of the other 4, blue, for 1915 through to 1918. He is also wearing the qualification badge of a Trench Mortarman, which was a flaming grenade or bomb, from memory only, bottom half blue and top half red. In addition he is wearing the Formation Badge of a Light Mortar Battery, LM on a diamond, which indicates he was in the 42nd (East Lancashire) Division. Each brigade within the division had a different coloured diamond. The pic is almost certainly taken in late 1918 or 1919.

[Unknownsoldier]

This would all tie in with his enlistment in 1913.

Tom

[Toby Purcell]

Sorry for some reason my server at work no longer has enough 'Ooomph' to process an edit/delete. I will try and delete the 'extra' posts from my home PC later.

[Toby Purcell]

Sorry, for some reason my server at work no longer has enough 'Ooomph' to process an edit/delete. I will try and delete the 'extra' posts from my home PC later.

[SandieNZ]

Despite it being 2.30am Saturday morning here, I'm busy researching!
I found the attached on a "Replicaters" website. The blue one is the Trench Mortarman and the red top is the Bomber (which is what I assume you were thinking of). So I take it George would have had the blue one on his arm.

This is really great - going from just a picture in the family archives and nobody knowing anything about this fellow, to all this information bringing him to life, so to speak.

You guys are great!

[Unknownsoldier]

Was his mother Ellen and father William???

Tom

[SandieNZ]

Ah, you've got me there... George is the husband of Isabella HORSLEY (sister to the other fellows I've been posting). I'm just about to send away to the GRO for their marriage certificate which should show me his father, but until it arrives (in about 7-10 days) I don't know.

I've taken your advice Tom, and have looked at Ancestry and I've found George's medal card. I've also found 1914-18 website "Long Long Trails" and under their Research section is a guide to the medal cards. It appears George's is a combination of #2 and #3, but interestingly, I note the mention of "List ..." being used for noting the Silver War Badge. Is this what George's List H/2711/1 means, do you think? Unfortunately this info is not online so I shan't be looking it up, but it would be nice to think he got this for his troubles and his gammy leg!
Right, as it's 3.45am I'm signing off for the night.

[Toby Purcell]

Originally Posted by SandieNZ

Despite it being 2.30am Saturday morning here, I'm busy researching!
I found the attached on a "Replicaters" website. The blue one is the Trench Mortarman and the red top is the Bomber (which is what I assume you were thinking of). So I take it George would have had the blue one on his arm.

This is really great - going from just a picture in the family archives and nobody knowing anything about this fellow, to all this information bringing him to life, so to speak.

You guys are great!

Sandie, well done, spot on! His would indeed have been the blue bomb. Also, see his Brigade ORBAT showing his precise unit below. It seems that if as seems likely he was in the junior Brigade (127th (Manchester)) then the diamond is yellow. He was possibly detached from the 8th Manchesters to the 127th Trench Mortar Battery, although I am not positive of that, as I am not sure if Light Mortars and Trench Mortars are one and the same thing. I will try and find out:

127th Brigade (Manchester Brigade)

1/5th Bn, the Manchesters (joined August 1914)

1/6th Bn, the Manchesters (joined August 1914)

1/7th Bn, the Manchesters (joined August 1914)

1/8th (Ardwick) Bn, the Manchesters (joined August 1914, left February 1918)

127th Brigade Machine Gun Company (formed 14 March 1916, moved into 42 MG Bn 23 February 1918)

127th Trench Mortar Battery (joined 23 April 1917)

[Diehard]

Sandie,

Great photos with interesting insignia. I've been doing my own research into some ww1 formation patches & I've found this post interesting.

Here are some links you may find of use.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/42nd_Division_(British)

http://www.1914-1918.net/42div.htm

Also it might be worth sending a PM to harribobs he knows alot about the manchesters. If you look at his profile theres also a link to an intersting site on the manchester regt.

Regards

Will

[SandieNZ]

Cheers guys! Will do. And thanks again.

Sandie

[Toby Purcell]

Sandie, It seems that 'Light' Mortars were the 3 inch 'Stokes' (the name of the designer - an agricultural engineer) Mortar. The Trench mortar was a 2 inch Toffee Apple (i.e. spigot type) Mortar classed as 'Medium' and organised in Trench Mortar Batteries. This means that your man was in the Mortar Platoon/Section of the 8th (Ardwick) Service Battalion Manchester Regt.

[harribobs]

some sterling work here gentlemen! well done to all

george was an old contemptible with the 2nd batt, then transferred to the 7th batt (hence his 7th batt 6 fig service number) and then to the 8th where he finished the war

cheers

chris

[SandieNZ]

People, I have found and spoken to George's granddaughter! I've yet to get the nitty-gritty but did ascertain he was wounded in the stomach.
I'll keep you posted.
Once again, thank you all so very much for your help and information.
Sandie