SS/4480 Pte Thomas Russell Maddams, ASC

SS/4480 Private Thomas Russell Maddams of the 1st Labour Company, Army Service Corps, died on the 30th November 1914 in France. He had arrived there on 26th August 1914 and is buried at St Marie Cemetery, Le Havre.

Thomas was born at Thornton Heath in Surrey and enlisted at Croydon. There is scant military information about him - only his medal index card appears to survive - but both this source, and Soldiers Died in The Great War state that he died on 30th November (as opposed to being killed in action or dying of wounds). It seems likely therefore that he died as a result of either sickness or an accident.

Thomas's birth was registered in the June quarter of 1879 and he married Maud Violet George in the December quarter of 1908. The couple appear to have had at least one child - Francis L Maddams - whose birth would be registered in the first quarter of 1915

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

Sources:

Ancestry.co.uk (MIC, Free BMD)
Army Ancestry
Army Service Numbers 1881-1918
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Soldiers Died in The Great War

15247 Pte John Musk, 2nd Bn, Yorkshire Regiment

15247 Pte John Musk of the 2nd Battalion, Yorkshire Regiment died on the 10th October 1915. He was 28 years old, the son of Mrs and the late Mr S J Musk, and the husband of Mabel Musk of Elma Avenue, Edinburgh Street, Hessle Road, Hull.

John Musk's number indicates that he joined the Yorkshire Regiment around the 7th October 1914 and he arrived in France on the 2nd October 1915. He'd therefore been overseas for just over a week when he died. Soldiers Died in The Great War does not indicate whether he died of wounds of was killed in action, simply stating "died". His medal index card has the word "Dead" written in red pen. No service record for John Musk appears to survive.

Private Musk is buried in St Marie Cemetery, Le Havre, well away from any action and the scene of disembarkation for the majority of troops arriving in France. It also had a number of hospitals and it seems possible that John Musk died in one of those hospitals, perhaps succumbing to an accidental injury or dying of sickness before he ever got out of the town.

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

Sources:

Ancestry.co.uk (MIC)
Army Ancestry
Army Service Numbers 1881-1918
Commonwealth War Graves Commission

106170 Pte John George Granger, 1/5th Bn, Sherwood Foresters

712 British soldiers died on this day in 1918. Even so many years on, and with so much written about the Great War, such First World War casualty figures never cease to stagger me.

106170 Private John George Granger of the 1/5th Battalion, Sherwood Foresters was one of those men to lose his life on this day. Service papers survive in the WO 363 (Burnt Documents) series and the following information is taken from these and Soldier's Died in The Great War.

George Granger was born in March, Cambridgeshire and he was living at 8 George Street in March, when he was called up at Bury St Edmunds on 4th June 1917 aged 18 years and one month. He gave his trade as agricultural labourer and indicated that his preferred branch of the army was the Royal Field Artillery.

George was initially posted to the 3rd Training Reserve Battalion and remained there until the 8th August 1917 when he was posted 15th Training Reserve Battalion. He was given the number TR/5/10780. He was subsequently transferred to the 51st Sherwood Foresters and on the 22nd March 1918 he disembarked in France and was immediately posted to the 2/5th Battalion. On 18th April 1918 he received a shrapnel wound to his hand and left thigh and was admitted to the 13th General Hospital at Boulogne the following day. The wounds were obviously not serious enough to necessitate him being sent home and just over a week later he was at a Base Depot in Calais awaiting a further posting. This duly came on 25th May 1918 when he was posted to the 1/5th Sherwood Foresters. He joined the battalion in the Field on 1st June 1918.

George spent another spell in hospital in August 1918 due to sickness and was seriously wounded on the 29th September. Admitted first to a CCS on the 29th, he was transferred to the 2nd General Hospital at Havre on the 3rd October with, what looks like, "G[un] S[hot] R[ight] side, renal, abdomen". He died of his wounds at the same hospital six days later.

George is buried in St Marie Cemetery, Le Havre. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission notes that he was 19 years old and the son of Son of George Granger of 8 George St, March, Cambs.

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

Sources:

Ancestry.co.uk (MIC, WO 363)
Army Ancestry
Army Service Numbers 1881-1918
Commonwealth War Graves Commission