In this section we want to add the stories of soldiers who served in the Birmingham Battalions. If you would like to submit a story for inclusion on these pages, please let us know.
In this section we want to add the stories of soldiers who served in the Birmingham Battalions. If you would like to submit a story for inclusion on these pages, please let us know.
Hi Pauline,
Many thanks for your research it is very much appreciated. That is definately him. We have talked to our great great uncle Ron his son, who it has army form B2067 and B2079 for Walter Westley Peers, (sorry, should have perhaps asked him in the first place…)
He was in the Royal Warwickshire Regt,
No. 1625
Private,
Specialist qualification – Bomber
Chevrons Blue -Four,
Wound Stripes -Two
1914-15 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal
Enlisted in Birmingham on 6th August 1914
Served – Four Years 232 Days with the Colours and One Year 133 Days with the Reserve.
Date of Discharge 5th August 1920
Faint Scar on forehead,
Character has Been Very Good
The signatures seem to be Lieut. Colonel Reeves Infantry Records Officer Warwick on the discharge certificate and Lieut. Colonel J Cheadle on the good conduct one.
Sadly there is no mention of which battalion he was in on the forms. Would 6th August 1914 been too early for him to have been in the Pals. There are no photographs of Walter anywhere, so we had been hoping his company might have been photographed in the Birmingham Post, if he was in the Pals.
Betty Macdonald (nee Peers) our great great Aunt, who has sadly just passed away remembers her mother saying that Walter was gassed and buried and had to be dug out by his comrades.
We will contact the http://www.warwickfusilers.co.uk and see if they CAN HELP.
Thank you very much again,
Best Wishes Ruby and Dylan Dicks
On his medal card index it states that he landed in France 1 on the 9-2-15
Dear Ruby & Dylan,
Good to see all the info you have now got. Its good of you to let me know. People don’t normally let me know how they get on, quite rightly they can’t spend their time
necessarily, but it’s nice to know about one of the men I looked for information for. You do feel an interest in the men.
Best of luck with your further researches,
Pauline
hi pauline
two of my great uncles died in WWI they where both in the royal warwickshire regiment
charles concannen died 26th nov 1916 he was in the 1/6 battalion his no is 1773 he is buried in france (flanders )
francis gorden betts was a serjeant in ” c” coy 1st battalion he died 25 nov 1918 and is buried in torquay cemetery can you tell me if there are any group photos of the said battalions and if the two men would have been in the birmingham pals would be gratful for any information josie
sorry didnt put francis gorden service no it is 9473
hi all i am currently researching my family history and have a few members of the Warwicks . i am currently looking at my great grandfather Frank T Jackson . who served as a private regimental no 121. born 1885 in aston and lived most of his life in upper highgate street working as a coachbuilder where is the best place to look many thanks brummiegem
Dear brummiegem,
I haven’t been able to find Frank in my list of Birmingham Pals, although there are some men who joined the battalions later. However, because of the date he was in France I think ot more likely that he was in one of the regular regiments. I suggest you see if they have any information in the museum. http://www.warwickfusiliers.co.uk/
Best wishes,
Pauline
hi paline thanks for reply i will look there ,i think he was in france 1915 on . i also have a relative joseph william harwood 1/6 terrotorial royal warwicks killed in action 1917 aged 19 buried epehy wood farm [i believe the somme] regards nick
I’d be interested to hear from anyone who has details of any ‘ under age’ or teenager soldiers from the Birmingham area that served in the Great War, casualities or survivors.
Norman Bartlam Ladywood History Group.
Hi Pauline,
Pte. Alfred William BRIGGS was born in Birmingham in 1897. Alfred’s Medal Card states that he was with the Royal Warwickshire Regiment (no mention of a battalion). It gives his Regimental number as 1647. The award of Victory and British War Medals, and not the 1914/15 Star, indicates that he entered a theatre of war sometime after January 1916.
It has been passed down through the family that while serving in Northern France, Alfred was captured by the German Army and became prisoner of war at Arras in 1916. He escaped twice before the end of the war. The second time he was free at the time of the Armistice. He was repatriated earlier than most (because he was free) and was returned home on a Danish ship. He was en route home on Christmas Day, 1918.
Some years ago a researcher examined the relevant roll (WO 329/738) for the Victory and British Medal, which I guess, is what is described as the Roll (L/104B5) and Page (943) and found that Alfred “only served in one battalion of the Warwickshire Regiment, the 15th”.
The CD titled “Birmingham City Battalions Book of Honour, 1920” and has been unsuccessfully searched for Alfred’s Battalion. Alfred’s service papers are not available on Ancestry indicating that they did not survive the 1940 fire. As well as this website, I have been greatly been enjoying reading Terry Carters book, titled “Birmingham PALS”.
Even though the Medal Card itself does not give any indication of which Battalion a soldier might have belonged to, according to the researcher, the Medal Rolls themselves do? Could this be correct?
Hello BAEF,
You seem to know a great deal about Alfred, much more than most of us ever know. I have looked at hi smedal index card on Ancestry & have also checked the Birmingham Battalions Book, just to make sure. His name is not in that book, but from his medal card you can see that he wasn’t awarded the 14 or 15 star, so he joined later than that which would account for him not being in those lists. He must have been transd=ferred in as they lost men in the fighting. I can’t say whether his entry on the medal roll would say that he was in the 15th. The information in the medal rolls often doesn’t tell you any more than you knew in the first place. The index cards don’t tell you the battalion, just the regiment. There is no reason to assume that your researcher got his information wrong when he said that the rolls state that he was in the 15th, but the only way to be absolutely sure would be for you or someone else were able to check the roll themselves. If you did go to the National Archives it might be worth looking at the relevant war diary. I think there might be mention of Alfred if he was taken prisoner. It would depend on whether the commander knew at that time, & how many were taken at the same time.
Hope this helps,
Best wishes,
Pauline
Hi i am researching my family ancestry my great grandfather was Frank t jackson serving with the warwicks in france , i dont know which regiment he served i believe his service no was 121 and i think i have found his medal card, he was born in aston around 1885 and lived mainly in the upper highgate street area and worked as a coach builder , his father charles being a stonemason who worked at aston cemetery, i do have a picture of him where you can make out the warwicks badge ,can anyone advise the best way of finding anything about his service time, many thanks regards nick
I am tracing any information about my Grandfathers war record and would appreciate guidance as where to best source information. William George Leonard Rice, born in 1895. His medal card (which I have downloaded from the National Archives) indicates he was a Serjeant in the Royal Warwickshire Regiment (Regt number 836), and he was subsequently commissioned into the Worcestershire Regiment in August 1917. He also served in WW2 so I believe I am not able to get access to his officer records yet?
I do have some of his brass cap and shoulder badges with 1 Birmingham Battalion, R Warwickshire so I presume this was the 14th (Service) Battalion (1st Birmingham), and I believe he was wounded at some stage in France during that period, but would like to find out where he actually served, and which company or battalion/battles (if any).
Any help is greatly appreciated. I have just bought the Birmingham Pals book by Terry Carter as an initial reference point.
Many thanks
Dear Darcy,
have received your email with address & will try to get the info to you in the next week,
Best wishes,
Pauline
Hello, great website. I am looking for any information or a photo of my grand uncle. His details are as follows:
2nd Lieutenant Alan Edward Palfrey Joseph (will be under either palfrey or joseph)
14th battalion royal warwickshire regiment
Died of wounds in battle in France 10th May 1917.
Is there any information you may be able to give me or point me in the right direction.
Kindest regards and thank you for your time.
Caroline x
Dear Caroline,
I have looked up the medal index card for A E P Joseph on Ancestry. I have never seen a medal index card with so much information on it. Apart from his father’s address, it has the 2 regiments he was in, & the date of his commissioning. He was originally in the 19th regiment of fusiliers. Have you seen the following website? It says that this regiment was formed by men from public schools. http://www.wartimememoriesproject.com/greatwar/allied/royalfusiliers19-gw.php
Alan would have been transferred to the RWR when he was commissioned. I dopn’t have him in my list of Pals, but that will be because he was transferred into the regiment later. I wonder if the regimental museum has photos of commissioned men? This is their web address. http://www.warwickfusiliers.co.uk/
Hope this helps ypou get further,
Best wishes,
Pauline
Re: Private Walter J Rowan – 14 Battalion RWR No. 14/1414. Killed in action, 23rd July 1916.
Hello,
Firstly…what a great site!
I wonder if you could confirm whether Walter Rowan was a soldier in the Pals Regiment? If so, would there be any way of finding out what date he enlisted, or is it safe to assume he would be one of the soldiers following the training and deployment detailed in your write-up?
Finally, do you know where his battalion were fighting on the fateful day? The story in the family goes that he was killed by incoming artillery.
Kind regards,
Leo
Dear Leo,
I am in a bit of difficulty with your query. I have looked up Walter Rowan in my book of men who joined the Pals Regiments. There is a V G Rowan in the 14th, with the regimental number 1414. Did Walter have another christian name? It is obviously possible for a W to be mistranscribed as a V. I think this is the man, in which case I have his name on the platoon list, & a platoon photo. If you send me your postal address to my personal email pbarnes@familyandlocalhistory.com, I will send you a copy. These photos do vary in clarity, but at least you know he is there somewhere even if you can’t recognise him. I also have a copy of a book written about the 14th in the war, & a copy of Terry Carter’s book about the Pals & will also send you copies of the pages relevant to the day he died.
Best wishes,
Pauline
Hello ,
I hope you can shed light on my query,I am trying to find any reference to Clarence Smith 16th Royal Warwichshires number 16/1555. (my uncle).
He is listed as being in B coy Royal Warwickshires during the 1st World War.
I am trying to find what Platoon he was In.I have been to the regiments museum at Warwick and have photocopies of platoons 5-6-7-8 but he is not there.His father was Company Sergeant Major Alfred Smith (my grandad)who is on all the photographs but his son is not.
Did they have different Photo’s at different times?
Clarence was Killed In Action on the 27/07/1916 but was never found.
P.s.
I do have some Information on a comment on here ‘in confidence’ via private email if you are Interested,just a Family story passed down.
Dear Brian,
I can’t find Clarence on my list of Pals. The platoon photos you mention are in a book I have, this comes with a list of those in the photo. As Clarence isn’t listed, he isn’t on the photos. These lists & photos were taken when the first men volunteered. I have looked at Clarence’s medal index card on Ancestry & he was obviously in the Pals at an early date, so I can only think that maybe he was a bit later joining, or was missed off the list. Terry Carter has written a book about the Pals, & has posted on this website previously so I will give you his email address. In his research Terry had searched local papers as these had lists of men who joined up, at least at the beginning. He may have your Uncle in his files. Unfortunately I think it is unlikely that there will be a photo of him. I am fairly sure that these photos were only taken at the beginning, of the original members of the Pals. Clarence’s regimental number does indicate that he wasn’t one of the first. He may not have been old enough, for instance.
Terry’s email address, birminghampal@hotmail.com
My personal email address if you would like to use this for your other info. pbarnes@familyandlocalhistory.com
I have a copy of Terry Carter’s book & will send you a copy of what he has written of the action on & around the day Clarence was killed if you would like to send your postal address to my email address above.
Sorry I can’t be of more help
Best wishes,
Pauline
Hello
I am looking for information on my Grandfather, Frederick Howard Clark, born July 1882, Sergeant in the 14th Warwicks injured at the Somme. Lived in Villa Road Aston and later Clifton Road, Balsall Heath
Dear Gill,
I am having difficulty finding Frederick Clark. He is not on my list of the 14th Warwicks unfortunately. This doesn’t mean he wasn’t there, only that he wasn’t there at the beginning. Men were transferred into & out of regiments, sometimes on promotion, often according to losses. His records aren’t among those that survived WWII. Those are the only records which would have an address with them. Without this, and without a service number I don’t think it will be possible to find out any more. Unfortunately there were a lot of Frederick Clarks. The only Frederick Howard Clark was in the merchant service. The plain Frederick Clarks (& I also tried Clarke) that had some service in the Warwicks also served in other regiments as well.
Sorry, but without more information that is the best I can do,
Pauline
Dear Pauline,
My Great Uncle was in the Royal Warwickshire regiment in WW1.
He was KIA 27/09/1918 and is commemorated on panel 3 at the Vis En Artois Memorial.
He was:
34951 Private Sydney Morris
Formerly 286469 Q.O Oxford Hussars.
His medal card does not show the Theatre of war first served in. (nor any mention of the Oxford Hussars).
I have him on the 1911 census (spelt Sidney) in Wolverton, Bucks, aged 12 with his parents and siblings. He was born in Stratfor, Bucks in 1898.
Is there possibly anything else you can tell me about him? And why he would have gone from the Hussars to the R.W.R?
Thanks in advance!
MaryMc
Dear Mary,
I have looked at the medal index card for Sydney Morris. He wasn’t awarded the Star which means that he didn’t serve overseas until at least 1916. Do you have his medals? How do you know about the Hussars? It isn’t mentioned on the War Grave site either. Unfortunately Sydney must have joined the Warwicks quite late on, particularly if he was in the Hussars first, & didn’t enter service overseas until after 1916. Men did transfer or get transferred between regiments. Losses were so great sometimes they had to draft men in from elsewhere.
I checked to see if there was anyone surnamed Morris with the hussar regimental number, & then without the number, but putting Oxford Hussars instead, & again drew a blank.
I have looked to see if his military records survive, but it seems they didn’t.
I looked up the Oxford Hussars to see if there was anything there & found the following:
Did Your Ancestors Serve in the Queens Own Oxfordshire Hussars?
The Oxfordshire Yeomanry Trust (Registered Charity 106827) have just launched their web site to promote the activities of the Trust and the Oxfordshire Yeomanry Association.
In addition the web site contains highlights from the history of the Oxfordshire Yeomanry (Queens Own Oxfordshire Hussars) and details of its antecedent unit, 5 (QOOH) Signal Squadron.
In order to build on its archives, the Trust is keen to hear from anyone whose ancestors served in the Queens Own Oxfordshire Hussars (Oxfordshire Yeomanry), particularly the during the Boer War (40th & 59th Companies of the Imperial Yeomanry), The Great War and WW2.
We would also be keen to hear from anyone wishing to donate artefacts or photographs to the Trust to form part of their mobile museum exhibition.
They may be able to help you on the Hussar front. I am sorry but I have no information related to the Warwicks. He was obviously in the 14th when he died & I have a copy of a book about the 14th, & a copy of Terry Carter’s book about the Pals Regiment. If you send me you postal address to me at pbarnes@familyandlocalhistory.com I will send you a copy of the information relating to the time that he was killed.
Best wishes,
Pauline