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William Russell Grandad's WW1 Service Record.

I would just like to thank everyone who posted in this thread.
A little postscript ... the 'britainfromabove' website has a photo taken over Dukinfield in 1953 and shows the war memorial which was mentioned with the modern photo in post#1
1953warmem1.JPG

oldmohawk ... :)
 
Hi oldmohawk

Having received very good instructions from Janice on how to reduce the files I was trying to upload re post 26. I will try and upload them again. Here goes - it's a shame they have to be reduced so much though.
 

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yes well done bewdley...once you have clicked on them they enlarge perfectly as janice said...:)
 
Thanks Bewdley I'm looking at your images on my iPad at the moment and they look good. I'm presently looking at 49 Squadron records ref Maurice's info and RAF abbreviations such as ccs and I've even looked at pics of the hospital ship Brighton on which he traveled back from France. All very interesting.
oldmohawk
 
Looking at his medical record he did suffer a gun shot wound to his head and face, but it's unclear when he received the GSW as it isn't mentioned until 26/11, but as that was also the day he was shipped back to England on the hospital ship Brighton from 26 Gen Hospital Etaples, which was a base hospital in France, I doubt he received it on the 26th.

In my mind and reading between the lines he probably received the GSW and was taken to 2 CCS (Casualty Clearing Station) on the 7/11 with concussion and being dangerously ill.

On the 10/11 he was transferred from 2 CCS to a base hospital, and on the 11/11 he was diagnosed with an accidental severe fractured skull and was admitted to 26 General Hospital, Etaples. Then on the 26/11 when he arrived in England from Etaples he was admitted to the Special Military Surgical Hospital Edmonton (now the North Middlesex Hospital) where it was discovered he had a GSW head and face, which was the cause of his fractured skull.

Hope this makes sense to you and apologies if I'm miles out.
 
That sounds like a pretty logical resumé to me, Bewdley. So far I've not had any further luck with finding additional information and I feel that if it exists, it is likely to show up in the war diary of another serviceman - and that is a long shot.

Maurice
 
Here's William, Lilian and Margaret (married John R Cunningham in 1940) on the 1939 eve of war register the blacked out entries are probably their children who are still living.
 

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Thanks Bewdley, your account (post#36) does make things clearer as I had been trying to work out the sequence of events. According to my brother-in-law his grandad did have a bullet enter the side of his forehead to exit from the front. The medical attention he received seems to have been very good because he looks well in the photo taken in the hospital. It is rather sad that he received the GSW just 4 days before the Armistice on the 11 November.
 
Yes Maurice, I agree it would be good to get hold of the war diaries covering up to the 7/11 as William could have been wounded many days before he was picked up. A terrible injury and so, so close to the end of WW1.

Amazing he lived until 1970, I imagine he had many nightmares, poor chap.
 
Old Mohawk, he was very lucky (if I can say that) that the bullet went straight through and that he was found in time and treated appropriately.
 
Thanks Janice, I tried Quevant in GE and it indicated there was no such place so perhaps there was a spelling error or incorrect place name in the records. I've been looking through 49 Squadron Records (https://www.49squadron.co.uk/) to see the location of their airfields during the War.
 
I found an area called Quevert but it seemed a long way from Etaples. Quevant is listed on The Long, Long Trail site as well so must have existed. Found it on there - it was near Cambrai. There was a battle there which ended on Oct 10th 1918. The suggestion is that the CCS were near railway lines to facilitate moving troops out.
 
According to 49 Squadron records they were at Villers-lès-Cagnicourt between 30 Oct 1918 - 24 Nov 1918 situated 20Km west of Cambrai. There is the town named Quéant 4km south and using GE, I can see what looks like a disused railway line near there and maybe this is where 2CCS was.

I think all we can be certain of, is on or just before 7 Nov 1918, Cpl. William Russell was shot in his forehead by a bullet fired from somewhere.

William Russell and his wife Lillian on their Golden Wedding anniversary in 1964.
img010.jpg
 
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Seems very likely - I am sure quite a few French names got spelt incorrectly in the heat of war.
 
Hi all,

I have been trying to research my great grandad and have come across this thread! The information is fab!

Just wondering who was trying to look for this information too? OldMohawk. Is that you Phill?

I can see this thread is years old and you may never come on here.

Thank you

Abby
 
You will see under Old mohawk's name "gone but not forgotten". This indicates that the person concerned has passed away. Sorry to give you that information
 
mikejee said:
You will see under Old mohawk's name "gone but not forgotten". This indicates that the person concerned has passed away. Sorry to give you that information
Click to expand...
Hi Mikejee,

Thanks so much. Don't be sorry, thank you for the insight. Looking back throughall the messages, I'm assuming it is Phil but he is still alive.

Abby
 
Barnes2023 said:
Hi Mikejee,

Thanks so much. Don't be sorry, thank you for the insight. Looking back throughall the messages, I'm assuming it is Phil but he is still alive.

Abby
Click to expand...
It was Phil but the point Mike is making is that Phil has passed away.

RIP OLD MOWHAWK (phil)

it is with great sadness that we inform members that our good friend phil passed away peacefully on the 11th of august aged 88..phil had been a member since 2007 and had supported this forum with his many contributions...he was always happy to help fellow members and nothing was too much...
birminghamhistory.co.uk birminghamhistory.co.uk
 
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