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Archiver > GREATWAR > 2000-11 > 0973198727


From: Iain Kerr <>
Subject: Re: [WW1] great uncles
Date: Thu, 02 Nov 2000 20:58:47 +0000
In-Reply-To: <000001c044c3$080f3620$c4ee55d4@carnation>


At 11:47 02/11/00, brian and jean cook wrote:
>Hello everyone,
>I have been a member of the list for a short time and have been learning
>about WW1 events and history. With my cousin, we are trying to unravel the
>activities of two great uncles in the war and we have a number of questions
>with which we would appreciate help.
>1) Thomas William O'Connor, born 1892, emigrated to the USA and returned to
>become:
>696425 Driver T O'Connor, A Battery, 286 Brigade, Royal Field Artillery.
>An agent, searching the PRO files for us, found that he received the Victory
>Medal and the British War Medal. He could find nothing else and suggested
>that Tom's records were amongst those burnt.
>We have a letter from Tom to my mother dated December 27, 1918. In it, he
>explains that he could not get out to buy Christmas cards, he had had a few
>brought in for him, but not enough. I seem to remember my mother telling me
>that he died, either as a result of an accident or the flu epidemic which
>swept the world after the war. We cannot find evidence of a death
>certificate within a couple of years of 1918. Immediate questions are:
>a) Where was A Battery, 286 Brigade stationed at the end of 1918?

The 2nd West Lancashire Brigade, Royal Field Artillery (Territorial Force)
was formed in 1908 from the 5th Lancashire Royal Garrison Artillery
(Volunteers) with its HQ at Preston.

On the outbreak of war in August 1914, the unit was split into two lines,
as with other territorial units.

The 1/2nd West Lancashire Brigade, Royal Field Artillery (Territorial
Force) went to France and Flanders in 1915 and served there for the
duration. In 1916, the unit was numbered as the 276th Brigade, Royal Field
Artillery (Territorial Force).

The 2/2nd West Lancashire Brigade, Royal Field Artillery (Territorial
Force) was formed at Preston in Aug 1914 as a second line unit. In 1916 it
was renumbered 286th Brigade, Royal Field Artillery (Territorial
Force). The unit went to France and Flanders in 1917 and served there for
the duration. It was in support of the 57th (2nd West Lancashire) Division.

In 1920, with the reconstitution of the TF as the Territorial Army, the
unit was reconstituted as 2nd Lancashire Brigade, Royal Field Artillery
(Territorial Army). In 1921 it was renumbered 88th (2nd West Lancashire)
Brigade, Royal Field Artillery (TA) and in 1924 the 88th (2nd West
Lancashire) Field Brigade, Royal Artillery (TA). In 1938, the Royal
Artillery adopted the use of regiment to replace the term brigade and the
unit was again renamed the 88th (2nd West Lancashire) Field Regiment, Royal
Artillery (Territorial Army).

>b) If he were hospitalised, would he be with the rest of his unit?

Depended on the seriousness of his injury or illness and the operational
setting. Most likely to have been casevaced.

>c) If he died, would the army or his next of kin register the death?

The British Army registered all deaths of servicemen and women. Following
the War Office and Admiralty procedures for reporting, verifying and
notifying next of kin of a death or presumed death, these events were
recorded in consolidated registers by the General Record Office for England
and Wales (but covering the whole of the UK). The GRO Family Records
Centre has records of Army, Navy and RAF deaths in service during World
Wars I and II (1914-21, 1939-1948). The indexes are in a separate set of
shelves. There are also registers for Army births, marriages and deaths
abroad from 1881- 1955 (plus RAF from 1920).

The Family Records Centre can be found at 1 Myddleton Street, London
EC1R 1UW; Tel: 0208-392 5300; Fax: 0208-392 5307. The GRO web address is:
http://www.open.gov.uk/pro/prohome.htm The Family Records Centre also
includes search facilities for the censuses of England and Wales for 1841
to 1891. There are also other genealogical resources.

>d) Where else could we seek information on his army career? It would be
>helpful to know whether he was discharged and, if so, when.

I thought from the earlier question that he was dead, which would not have
permitted discharge.

The British armed services personnel records for those serving in 1914 up
to 1921 are currently being released from the Ministry of Defence to the
Public Record Office, Ruskin Avenue, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 4DU, United
Kingdom; (Telephone: General Enquiries, ++44 (020) 8876 3444; Records
Information, ++44 (020) 8392 5200; Fax: ++44 (020) 8878 8905). There they
are being microfilmed to occupy a number of new archives. This is a major
project that is forecast to take a number of years to complete from the
start of the work in 1997. The original documents cannot be viewed due to
their fragile condition. It will be some years before all surviving
information from these documents will be available remotely due to the
complexity of the information and volume. The records are available in the
PRO microfilm reading room as follows:

The so-called "burnt" British Army Other Ranks records for surnames
beginning with A, B, C, D, E, F, N, O, Q, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y and Z. These
are in WO 363 - First World War Soldiers' Documents. Those beginning R
will be available in Autumn 2000 and P in Winter 2000. The year 2001
includes those beginning K, L and M. In 2002 those starting H, I and J
will be released. The programme concludes in Summer 2003 with the letter G.

You should note that there is some risk that the official archives of more
recent British Army personnel records are incomplete. It is reported that
up to half of the original pre-World War II British Army soldier's personal
records were badly damaged by fire and water following a 1940 German
bombing raid on the Hayes Record Office during World War II. Those that
survived are often incomplete and in a poor condition.

These records are open for personal search by the enquirer or a nominated
agent. Details of the PRO can be found at their web site URL:
http://www.pro.gov.uk/

The PRO do not have an on-line searchable archive. Nor do they usually
undertake any research for personal or postal enquirers. However they
have a list of independent researchers, with a useful search facility. The
address is: http://www.pro.gov.uk/readers/irlist/default.htm

>2) Tom's brother, John Edward O'Connor, born 1887, also emigrated to the USA
>and fought in the war. Our agent could find no trace of him in the medal
>rolls or other documents at the PRO. Maybe he served in the US Army. He
>visited the family home in Liverpool during his military service and he
>returned to the US after the war. (He was an expert horseman). Is there
>anything else we can do to see if he served in the British Army? How do we
>go about looking for him in he US Army?

If he was not shown on the World war I medal Rolls at the PRO, Kew then he
either had an uneventful service in the UK (which entailed no medal) or he
was in another nation's armed services - US or Canadian.

US Sources World War I - American Expeditionary Force

For unit information, consult the "Order of Battle of the United States
Land Forces in the World War" Vol. 2, pages 262-171 that is available from
local libraries on inter-library loan. For this, and other sources of
information on elements of the American Expeditionary Force and on the
individual 'doughboy', consult the Western Front Association web site at
URL: http://www.wfa-usa.org/

The WFA website links to the National Personnel Records Center in St Louis
and the National Archives outside Washington, DC. It helps in locating
personnel records to have the army serial number of the person whose
records you seek...You should also search the State archives in the state
where your ancestor enlisted.

Some other useful sites for American WW1 records are:

The National Archives and Records Administration - Regional Records
Services at URL: http://www.nara.gov/regional/mpr.html

The World War I Honor Roll at URL: http://www.americanwardead.com/searchw.htm
and the Civilian Draft Registrations at URL: http://data.ancestry.com

The nearest thing the US seems to have to the Commonwealth War Graves
Commission "Debt of Honour" Register is at:


>3) In the family archive are postcards (dated 1910 and posted in
>1916?)showing military activity at Windmill Hill, Ludgershall. The view
>shows troops on horseback with some sort of 4-wheeled carts probably
>carrying ordnance. In the background is a railway with goods wagons and
>possibly a station. Can anyone tell us more about this place? I can scan the
>cards if it would help.

Ludgershall, Hampshire lies close to Tidworth on the edge of the Salisbury
Plain - a major training area for the British Army. Ludgershall was a
major military base during World war I, albeit in temporary hutted camps.

By "ordnance" I assume you refer to an artillery weapon? Just the thing
for a gunner unit.
Yours aye,

Iain Kerr
In Windsor, Berkshire
Web Page at: http://home.clara.net/iainkerr/index.htm
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