Royal Warwickshire Regiment

[llamafarmer]

Just came up with a snippet of information from a birth certificate. It lists my great grandfather Ernest Smith as a Corporal 32263 in the 1st GB Royal Warwickshire Regiment between 1914 and 1918... this is something totally new to me, only snag is i cant find any info from ancestry... can any kind sould give me a helping hand? Am i right in thinking GB stands for Garrison Battallion? If this is the case 1st GB RWR was formed in Weymouth and they went to Egypt for the rest of the war... why would a Birmingham man join up in Weymouth? Anyone any clues how i can find more?

 

[smtr]

Hi

Absent voter's list for 1918
Ernest Smith
4 court ,9 NEW JOHN STREET WEST L-Cpl, 1st R War Regt 32263

Suzanne

 

[llamafarmer]

cheers smtr that ties in nicely

 

[Chris_Baker]

He would not have enlisted in Weymouth. This would have been somewhere close to home. He would have been sent there to join 1st Garrison Battalion after (probably) a few days early formalities at Budbrooke Barracks at Warwick.

 

[llamafarmer]

Would you agree that 1 GB RWR stands for garrison battalion? I cant find him on ancestry, would that be due to the fact he didnt receive a campaign medal? Or more to do with fact that a-n surnames have been transcribed and m-z haven't yet? Ive got him on the absent voters list for 1918 but unfortunately no-where else yet...Any tips for tracing this chap?

 

[Chris_Baker]

GB normally would stand for Garrison Battalion, but if he went with it to Egypt he would have campaign medals - so his case is rather perplexing. Better search those S records when they are digitised (I would shudder at having to go through all those microfilms for an Ernest Smith!).

 

[llamafarmer]

Tell me about it! I have smiths on both side of the family... anyone want to swap? :cry:

 

[Neville Philpott]

Don't worry you're not the only one to have Smiths on both sides.

Several of mine also served in World War One, so i don't expect to
find out anything the easy way...