Wars and ConflictsΒ permalink
West Yorkshire Regiment WW1
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Message 1.Β
Posted by yorkshiremags (U3045963) on Friday, 24th June 2011
How can I find out where my uncle signed up and where he was gassed in WW1. He is buried in Perth cemetery his body being moved from Railway dugouts, Belgium. He died May 5th 1915. I understand the Germans used the gas on 22nd April 1915.
His details are: 10743, 2nd Battalion Duke of Wellingtons (West Riding Regiment) Private CW Whitham.
I have tried everywhere, but to be honest the battalions/regiments confuse me. Hope you can help. -
Message 2
Posted by raundsgirl (U2992430) on Friday, 24th June 2011
This puzzles me. Do you mean he was buried in Perth, Scotland? If so, then surely, he died in the UK! Soldiers who died in Belgium were buried there.
If I remember rightly (and if I don't, I hope someone will put me right) the Government made a decision not to repatriate any bodies for various reasons, not least because the huge number of casualties would have been enormously costly and a logistical nightmare, plus the vast number of graves would have had a demoralising effect on future conscripts.
You could try
or -
Message 3
Posted by dmatt47 (U13073434) on Friday, 24th June 2011
Although it was named as the Perth Cemetery (China Wall) it was actually in Zillebeke in West Flanders, Belgium, and apparently was named after it was adopted by a Scottish regiment.
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Message 4
Posted by yorkshiremags (U3045963) on Friday, 24th June 2011
Thank you for your replies, I am sorry I haven't been very clear. Yes he is buried in
Belgium, at the Perth cemetery (China Wall) I visited it two years ago. What I need to find out now is, living in Bradford where would he have enlisted and, if anyone knows what battle he would be in when gassed.
All I can find are
1915
April 22-23 Battle of Gravenstafel Ridge
April 24-May4 Battle of St Julien
These would coincide with his death on May 5th
I have tried the army museum in Halifax but there is a charge of Β£20 per hour which I can't afford. Hope someone can help. Mags -
Message 5
Posted by FulwellLib (U14560427) on Saturday, 25th June 2011
Hi,
You can find his medal card on-line via 'Ancestry', (your local libraries may subscribe to it).
It shows that he went to France on 24/11/1914, the date he died and the campaign medals he was entitled to.
His battalion landed at Le Havre on 16/8/1914 as part of the 13th Brigade, 5th Division.
Joining a regular battalion on that date suggests he was a regular reservist or special reservist so his military experience would go back before the war.
Could'nt find his service record online so it may be one of the ones destroyed in WW2.
A good web site is
www.1914-1918.net -
Message 6
Posted by MB (U177470) on Saturday, 25th June 2011
I take it that you have seen his grave
MB -
Message 7
Posted by MB (U177470) on Saturday, 25th June 2011
Soldiers Who Died In The Great War says he enlisted in Halifax
Have you tried the local newspapers for the period when he died, they often carried details reports on local casualties.
Have a word with the regimental museum to see they have anything in their records.
MB -
Message 8
Posted by MB (U177470) on Saturday, 25th June 2011
Soldiers Who Died In The Great War also says he "died of wounds", not sure whether this would include gas.
MB -
Message 9
Posted by yorkshiremags (U3045963) on Saturday, 25th June 2011
Thank you all so much your comments are very helpful. Yes MB I visited the grave. I found it on line after many months of searching and the visit was for my late father who searched before computers were invented but never found him. I tried the museum but was told there were no records. As for the gas, this was told me by my late brother who heard it from relatives. Once again, my sincere thanks. Mags
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Message 10
Posted by MB (U177470) on Saturday, 25th June 2011
OK, you are probably aware the service record does not show on a search on Ancestry. If you can't get to The National Archives then you could hire a researcher to have a search, you can usually get an estimate so know how much it is likely to cost.
Regimental museums don't have the service records but sometimes have other records that can be useful.
I would try the local newspapers then.
MB -
Message 11
Posted by MB (U177470) on Saturday, 25th June 2011
Just been looking at the Guardian for that period. They tend to list only officer casualties but they do also have details of many Other Ranks casualties from the Lancashire area so a Yorkshire paper would probably have something similar. They also list OR killed and wounded by regiment.
Just looking through the lists of officers and accounts gives an idea of which units had been in action and taking caualties.
The Times Digital Archive is available online on many library online sites. The Guardian is not as widely available on library sites.
MB -
Message 12
Posted by raundsgirl (U2992430) on Sunday, 26th June 2011
Don't place complete reliance on 'family stories' about deaths. Horrific details were often glossed over (eg 'he was shot through the head and died instantly' whereas he was actually blown to bits by a shell.) or children misheard things. We had someone on the FH board whose ancestor was 'shot by a sniper in Ypres (aka Wipers)'. It transpired that this man was commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial. Therefore he was killed on the Somme, not in Ypres. We did a bit of looking and found the relevant info, but obviously somebody had got hold of the wrong end of the stick and this garbled story had been perpetuated.
Thanks for putting me right about Perth Cemetery, DMatt!
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