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Royal Warwickshire Regiment.WW1

C

Carolann

Journeyman Brummie
I am trying to find information on my Greatuncle Arthur Sheppard,he was killed in WW1 on the 18/7/1916 age 28.
I found this information on cwgc.org but can`t find any service records for Arthur.
He was with the 1st-8th Battalion Royal Warwicks,Reg.No, 5243.
If anyone can help i would be very grateful.
Regards
Carol
 
Carol only one in three service records survived the first world war so there may not be one.
 
Pte Arthur Sheppard
A Company, 1/5th Bn RWR (not 1/8th)
5343
Killed in action 18 July 1916 when helping to defend trenches which had been captured from the enemy
Aged 28
Born Bham
Pre-war employed by the Potasi Silver Co,Newhall St,Bham
Enlisted Bham November 1915
Husband of Rose at 1 back.19 Pope St, Bham. One child.
Thiepval Memorial
(report Bham Weekly Post 19 August 1916 where there is also a poorish photo in civilian clothes)
 
Thankyou Alan for the information on Arthur Sheppard i really appreciate
your help and i will certainly go to Central Library and look at the Bham
Weekly,as i have never seen a photo of any of the family from the early days.
Many Thanks
Carol
 
Hi Terry,
Thankyou very much for the photo of Arthur Sheppard it isn`t a very good photo as you say but i really appreciate it,but at least there is something
there and gives me some idea what my family looked like.
Many,Many Thanks
Carol
 
Small newspaper picture are too pixellated to improve much. but here's 5 minutes work on yours.
 
Hi Lloyd,
Thankyou very much for he photo of Arthur Sheppard you have improved it and looks better than it was,i am really grateful.
Many Thanks
Carol
 
Private Ernest POWELL 22718 !5th Bttn Royal Warwickshire Regiment

With encouragement from Terry Carter via the Birmingham Pals web site I visited my grandfather's grave Arleux-en-Gohelle on the 90th anniversary of his death on 8th May 1917. It was one of the most moving experiences I've ever had, and I'm so glad that my son and I made the effort to go. I'd recommend a memorial trip to anyone.
I found that he died whilst engaged in a fight for the nearby village of Fresnoy in which 104 men were killed. A colonel commanding the battalion wrote a report of the "disaster" of 8th May and concluded that the men were "attempting to hold an impossible salient as a defensive postion", that there was no aerial or artillery support and the appalling weather turned the area into a sea of mud with "visibility being NIL".
And this was just one tiny battle in the midst of so much . . . it certainly makes you think!
We went and had a look at Fresnoy, it's a nice little village, but with respect, I didn't rate it worth my grandfather's life, nor the misery it inflicted on my grandmother and mother in the years that followed.
Mary.
By the way does anyone know what's happened to the Birmingham Pals web site? it doesn't seem to be functioning at the moment. Apparently I have a private message waiting (now there's intriguing?) but I cannot access the Forum any longer. :boohoo:
 
Hi Carol
I have just started my ancestor tree and am amazed to read your message as Arthur Sheppard was also my great uncle - my grandfather was his brother, Henry. Could we perhaps keep in contact somehow as we will both be doing work on the same tree. As you obviously started years ago you may have found out much more already. I would like to hear from you,
thanks,
Lynne
 
I am looking for information about my grandfather PTE SIDNEY JENKS who served with the Royal Warwickshire Regiment duering WW1. The last four nbrs of his service nbr is 3033.
Can anyone help?
regards
paul L.Smith
 
There are Medal Card and Pension Records on Ancestry for a Pte Sidney Jenks, 3033, 8th Batt R.W.R. 1 back of 84, Cromwell Street, enlisted 8/10/1914, Discharged 30/6/1916 as permanently unfit for military service, assume this is your GF, will have a look for any other info later.

Colin
 
Sidney Jenks of 1 Bk of 84 Cromwell Street, Nechells, Birmingham, joined up to the 8th Battalion (Reserve) R. W. R on October 8th 1914, at Birmingham Town Hall. His (whole) number was 3033. The medical report gives him as 30 years old, 5'5¼" tall, of good physical development with 6/6 vision in both eyes.
He served with the expeditionary force in France from 22 March 1915 till 3 December 1915, when he was returned to the UK. He was discharged as "Permanently unfit for any military service" on 39th June 1916, a total service of 1 year 267 days being recorded for him.
His next of kin are listed as - Wife, Mrs Alice Jenks (of the same address in Nechells); Children, Alice Rose Jenks (9), born 11/6/1905; Evelyn Claire Jenks (5), born 24/6/1909; Ralph and Leonard Jenks (twins), born 3/10/1913.
His medical condition was permanent incontinence of urine, as a result of exposure to cold & wet whilst on active service. He was granted as of July 1916, a pension of 12/6 per week (63p today, but worth a LOT more!) plus 1/6 for the children. By then he had employment as a Rubber worker.
He was awarded the 1915 Star, the British War Medal and the Allied Victory Medal - each would be inscribed with his name & number.
 
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Thank you so much Colin, after hitting a wall with Military Records I thought that was that. Just this info has at least doubled what I new. Once again thank you.
Best regards
Paul
 
Thank you so much. May I ask where you found this info? I've been hitting walls for some time.
Best regards
Paul
 
It's all taken from Ancestry Paul , most medal cards still exist, but over 60% of Service and Pension records were destroyed in an air raid September 1940 so you are one of the lucky ones, non of my families records did. I only had enough time to give minimum details which Lloyd has now expanded on but it's all there.
Cannot reproduce them on here due to Copyright, but I will send you an e-mail using the address you registered with.

Colin
 
I am presently looking into my family history and two weeks ago a member of this forum kindly discovered that my great grandfather and his son had both been killed in WW1. I had not been aware of this before. However, this has opened up an interest that I want to pursue and I need to select one of the geneology sites - I am leaning towards Ancestry. Could anyone advise so that I can obtain information similar to that provided by Lloyd in post #14

thanks
 
Ancestry are still offering a free two-week trial. I noticed you are in Spain, don't know if it's available as there are different versions for parts of the World so make sure it's the co.uk one.
I haven't found my Grandfather's WW1 papers as they were destroyed as Colin says.
rosie.
 
Thanks for the advice Rosie. Although I am in Spain my laptop thinks it is in England. I won't post how to do that but if anyone wants to know I can pm them. I find it useful sometimes to be able to watch BBC Iplayer especially documentaries.
 
Private Leonard Lippitt 3790, 7th Bn., Royal Warwickshire Regiment who died on 16th November 1916 Age 17.
I have only just found out about my unknown uncle and would welcome any other information on his service.
 
Brian Mann said:
Private Leonard Lippitt 3790, 7th Bn., Royal Warwickshire Regiment who died on 16th November 1916 Age 17.
I have only just found out about my unknown uncle and would welcome any other information on his service.
Click to expand...

hello bri have you checked on ancestry to see if your uncles war records have survived..

lyn
 
I can't see him on Ancestry in either service records nor medal roll but he is listed on the CWG site which states he is buried in Perry Barr (St John) churchyard. It also lists his parents as Mr & Mrs Leonard Lippitt of 23 Franchise Street Perry Barr. Hope this helps.

Janice
 
pjmburns said:
I can't see him on Ancestry in either service records nor medal roll but he is listed on the CWG site which states he is buried in Perry Barr (St John) churchyard. It also lists his parents as Mr & Mrs Leonard Lippitt of 23 Franchise Street Perry Barr. Hope this helps.

Janice
Click to expand...

hi janice brian said his uncle died in 1916 so does this mean he did not die in action in the field as you have found him buried at st johns...or did he and his body returned to england im afraid i am not very clued up on this subject..

lyn
 
Regarding the above entry, my great grandfather lived in Birmingham but was in Oxford and Bucks light infantry and died aged 46. I am trying to find out his history. Could anyone confirm that as he is buried in Abertillery he would not have been killed abroad please?
 
Men buried in the UK were not killed in action overseas. Repatriation of bodies was not allowed. If they are buried here it is possible that they were wounded in action, or taken seriously ill, whilst overseas and brought home for treatment. It is also possible (and pretty certain if you can't find a medal index card) that they died whilst in service but not having gone overseas.

A number of servicemen were killed "in action" in the UK: some died during German naval bombardments of the North East coast, for instance.

The man could be buried near the place of his death but it seems in most cases the family were given the choice of a burial nearer home.
 
Thanks for this, answers my query. Now I have to try and find out (almost impossible) why he was buried in Wales and not Birmingham. It is a sad story, his son, also called Thomas, died in 1915 aged 16 and is buried in Boulogne. I suspect my great grandfather was a professional soldier and probably served in Boer war.
 
Brian Mann said:
Private Leonard Lippitt 3790, 7th Bn., Royal Warwickshire Regiment who died on 16th November 1916 Age 17.
I have only just found out about my unknown uncle and would welcome any other information on his service.
Click to expand...

"Soldiers Died in the Great War" says he was with 7th Reserve Battalion. This was a basic training unit which was based at Ludgershall on Salisbury Plain, although as his death was registered in Birmingham I doubt he was there at the time. It also says he "died", which means of illness, natural causes or accident. It would be worth obtaining his death certificate for details.
 
Found this on-line its someones thesis from The University Of Birmingham, might be a bit heavy at times but does make an interesting read.

This work examines the social and military development of the 1/8th Battalion, The Royal Warwickshire Regiment, in the Great War. It covers the period from the unit’s formation, in 1908, to the end of the war and will embrace both a sociological analysis of the unit’s members and an operational analysis of its tactical evolution. Extensive use has been made of both archival and published sources. The former include letters and diaries held in public collections, as well as the war diaries, medal rolls and service papers held at the Public Record Office (PRO), Kew. Local newspapers have also been widely consulted.


https://etheses.bham.ac.uk/13/1/Williams00MPhil.pdf
 
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