• Welcome to this forum . We are a worldwide group with a common interest in Birmingham and its history. While here, please follow a few simple rules. We ask that you respect other members, thank those who have helped you and please keep your contributions on-topic with the thread.

    We do hope you enjoy your visit. BHF Admin Team

Royal Warwickshire Regiment WW1

ACF1944 (2).jpgACF1944 (2).jpgAt 13 years of age I must have been one of the youngest lance/corporals in the
Royal Warwicks,(ACF of course at Cateswell House) Bernard
sorry about the double take.
 
My G G Uncle was in the 11th Batallion Royal Warwicks......George Stokes private 1590. He was killed on 13th August 1916 at Somme after being in the country since July 2015. Any photos would be greatly appreciated.
Janet
 
Unfortunately Janet there was no press report of his death in the Bham Weekly Post. He is commemorated on the Bham Roll of Honour in the Hall of Memory. He was killed in 11th Bn's night attack on August 12/13 on the Intermediate Line east of the Bazentin Le Petit-Martinpuich road. There were 162 casualties including 48 killed. Can you tell us anything else about him as there is no next of kin info in Commonwealth War Graves,
 
Thank you Alan.
His parents James and Lucy Stokes were already dead. He was unmarried and had 5 siblings. I think his next of kin would have to be the oldest sibling, my G Grandfather William James Stokes who lived at Ryland St in Ladywood.
I will research further.
Many thanks
Janet
 
Hi there,I was wondering Alan if you could find anything more about my great Uncle, Private Richard Jones 2281 he was in the 14 bn RWR. He died on 14th April 1918 in France, he was a stretcher bearer. I was wondering if it was possible to find out when he enlisted, on his medal cards it says eligable 22nd Aug 1914. He lived at 55 Glovers Rd Small Heath and was born in 1895.
I don't think his was records survived but would there be newspaper reports?
I would be grateful for any info, thank you
Barb
 
Barb

If you are right about his MIC then he started the war in the 1st Warwicks, regular army.22.8.14 was the date that they crossed from Southampton to Boulogne and then entrained for near Le Cateau. That means that he was a serving regular who were at home from c1912-14 based at Folkestone or was a reservist who had come out of the army and was called back. He would have ended up in the 14th because of a break in service e.g. a wound where, as the war wore on, you were less and likely to return to your old battalion. He did well to stay in the same regiment. See Terry Carter's book on the Bham Pals for what they were doing at the time of his death.
 
Thank you for your reply Alan, I thought maybe he was in the army before the war broke out. I think he was wounded a couple of times and also affected by gas, he must have had the constitution of an ox! My info is about 4th hand, passed on through the family so not often acurate!
Dick would have been 18 in 1913 so he could have been old enough to join up before war started.
Thanks for the hints :)
 
Sutton Park.jpg
Sorry this is such a poor copy. I've had to scan a print until I can find a better one which is 'missing' at the moment. I was told this was a canteen in Sutton Park during WW1 and that the soldiers were from the Royal Warwicks on training there. I think it originally appeared in a local paper.

The chef is my great uncle, William Henry Woolley. He was born in Birmingham became a cook on merchant ships and later at the Savoy. He left there (for reasons best not mentioned here!) and came back to Birmingham at the start of the 20th century. Is it indeed the regiment mentioned?
 
can someone help i have tryed to open the picture without success
as 3 of my great uncles was in the RWR all 3 died richard langford age 19 year francis betts ( sargent ) age 32years and charles concanen
age not sure of age
richard and charles are buried in france and francis died of wounds and is buried in torquay
 
Josie, have you managed to open the picture yet. Not sure how you do it but if you can send me your private e-mail via this site I'll send the j.peg direct to you.
 
thank you still cant get photo up i am new to all this and dont know how to send you private email will ask my son how to do it then will send it to you thank you for your help
josie
 
rwr.jpg

Could anybody help in locating where this photo was taken of the 2nd Battalion Royal Warwickshire regiment? My Uncle Richard Langford is amongst the men shown, He died in 1916 in battle.
 
No doubt it would have been taken at Budbrook Barracks, Warwick, the HQ of the Regiment. The photograph was taken a good few years after WW1, perhaps sometime in the early 1930's. The men are wearing collar badges on their tunics. The more mature officers and senior NCO's are the only ones wearing WW1 medals. The rest look like young recruits.
Thus, your uncle Richard Langford cannot be in this photograph. Sorry to disappoint you.

I see Richard Langford was KIA on 1 July 1916, the opening day of the Battle of the Somme. I am visiting the Somme in a couple of weeks time. He is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial. I can take a picture of his name if you want one

Terry
 
I tend to agree Terry. The first thing that caught my eye was the belt worn by the ORs, it looks like a '37 pattern with a custom-made buckle of some sort.
 
Thank you for your help Terry. The photo belonged to Richards mother so i presumed they were from WW1. I had 3 uncles who were killed whilst serving with Royal Warwickshire regiment and i am trying to trace their records or if there were any war diaries. As you say Richard was Killed on the opening day, i think this is very sad ,he was only a babe as others were. He was also the youngest son. If you could take pictures i would be more than greatful. I would also be very greatful of any information that you could pass on regarding Richard or my other uncles. Charles Concannen and Francis Betts. I have your book which has been very helpful to me ,understanding the kind of life my uncles and all the other men and women endured..... Thank you once again Josie
 
hello josie

Charles Concannen was killed on 26 November 1916. Right at the end of the Somme battles of 1916. The battle ground to a halt with the onset of the winter mud.
He also served in the 1/6th Warwicks. He is buried in Martinpuich British cemetery. Also on the Somme. I will gladly visit his grave for you and take a picture when I am over there on March 15/16

Terry
 
Have been reading this thread with great interest. How nice it is to see all the help offered to members of the Forum by other members. It makes you feel quite proud to know chivalry still exsists. Well done to all concerned.
jimbo
 
Lady Penelope said:
View attachment 84520
Sorry this is such a poor copy. I've had to scan a print until I can find a better one which is 'missing' at the moment. I was told this was a canteen in Sutton Park during WW1 and that the soldiers were from the Royal Warwicks on training there. I think it originally appeared in a local paper.

The chef is my great uncle, William Henry Woolley. He was born in Birmingham became a cook on merchant ships and later at the Savoy. He left there (for reasons best not mentioned here!) and came back to Birmingham at the start of the 20th century. Is it indeed the regiment mentioned?
Click to expand...
While I can't identify which regiment is shown in the picture, I notice that most of the men are wearing a lanyard which I've never noticed in other pictures of the Warwicks, they could just be hanging their jacknife on it of course ! I'm think the man wearing the SD cap in the middle is of the Army Service Corps. A lot of that kitchen equipment looks very similar to kit that was in use in the 1970s.
 
Regarding the photograph in Sutton Park.
Two of the three Birmingham City battalions did their training in Sutton Park until June 1915. Then the Reserve/Recruit Company that each battalion had raised amalgamated to form the 17th (Reserve) Battalion Royal Warwickshire continued training in the park for a period of time.
Afterwards the huts built for the City battalions were used by various troops including Canadians etc until the end of the war.

Terry
 
Hello Josie

I got the picture from Google maps. This is Serre Road, on the Somme. The cemetery on the right is called Serre Road No.2. Just beyond the other side of the cemetery wall on the right was a German strongpoint known as the Heidenkopf Redoubt. On the 1st July 1916 at 07:30 the 1/8th Royal Warwicks followed by the 1/6th Royal Warwicks advanced towards the German trenches from left to right. You are looking down what was called No Man's Land (in 1916). The front attacked by the Warwicks was just beyond the wall down to the Chapel in the distance. Many of the 1/6 Warwicks were killed in the area before you. One possibly would have been Robert Langford.

Terry
 

Attachments

  • Serre road 0001.jpg
    Serre road 0001.jpg
    197.4 KB · Views: 37
  • Serre road 0002.jpg
    Serre road 0002.jpg
    163.4 KB · Views: 45
hi terry
thank you for that much appreciated i have been looking at some photos that belonged to richards mother and came across a lovely WWI photo of a young man but cant see the cap badge clearly as i dont know how to post them i will get my son to post it for me and maybe you can tell me what it is.
it looks like the RWR but cant be sure
josie
 
hello terry
i hope you dont mind me asking but i would be gratful if you could take some photos of the surrounding area of the above photos
when you visit if you can i will gladly pay for photos.
with thanks josie
 
No problem Josie

It will be a digital camera. so I can email or upload them onto this site, or would you prefer actual prints? or both

Regards

Terry
 
hello terry
i would like both if its no trouble to you and thank you again for all your help it is very much appreciated
regards josie
 
New to forum. Hope I'm posting in right place.
I'm researching a soldier who died of his wounds 15/12/1919, aged 51 years. He's major George Finney Blakeley, 2nd/5th Bn, Royal Warwickshire Regiment. He came from Dewsbury in Yorkshire, where all his family lived, and he's buried in Dewsbury cemetery. A reference I've found about probate says he died whilst at 12 Carisbrooke Rd, Edgbaston. His death was registered in Kings Norton.
I wondered if there might have been a hospital at 12 Carisbrooke Rd, but in fact it's a private house, built after 1911, but from the look of it before 1919. Does anyone know if wounded soldiers were ever housed with private families? I know of no Birmingham family connection for him, though I suppose there could be. Would it not be more usual for him to have been in a military hospital? I'm having difficulty making sense of this, and I wonder if anyone could throw any light on how the regiment worked.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top