27359 Pte Bert Harrison Blades, 1st Bn, King's Own

27359 Private Bert Harrison Blades of the 1st Battalion, King's Own (Royal Lancaster Regiment), was killed in action on the 4th February 1917.

Bert had originally joined the 5th Lincolnshire Regiment as an eighteen-year-old, on the 30th May 1911. At the time, it was noted that he was born in Horncastle and was working as a labourer. He was still serving as a Territorial when Britain went to war in August 1914, but for whatever reason, was not with the battalion when it arrived overseas in March 1915. Surviving papers in his service record note that he was in England until the 3rd September 1916 when he was posted to the 2/5th Battalion. He set in France as - according to his service record - 2/5th man, but must have been part of a draft for the 1/5th Battalion as the 2/5th was still in Ireland and would not set foot in France until February 1917.

Whilst in France, Bert was transferred to the 2/4th King's Own (20th September 1916) and then immediately posted to the regular 1st Battalion on the same day. He was serving with the 1st Battalion when he was killed in action on the Somme.

Bert Blades has no known grave and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial.

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
Soldiers Died in The Great War

2543 Cpl Harry Oswald Mordy, 1/4th Bn, Gloucs Regt

2543 Corporal Harry Oswald Mordy of the 1/4th Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment, was killed in action on the 11th December 1916. He was a Bristol man, born and bred, and so the 1/4th (City of Bristol) Battalion of the Gloucestershire Regiment must have been an obvious choice for him.

Harry's number dates to early September 1914 and he enlisted in Bristol. After a short period of training he was sent overseas, arriving in France on 31st March 1915.

No service record appears to survive for Harry Mordy, but a quick glance at the birth registers shows that his birth was registered in Bedminster district, Somerset in the June quarter of 1895. That in turn tells us that Harry was 21 years old at the time of his death. He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial on the Somme.

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

9934 Pte George Snowling, 1/4th Loyal North Lancashire Regt

263 British soldiers lost their lives on the 18th November 1917 and 9934 Private George Snowling was one of these men. He was serving with the 1/4th Battalion, Loyal North Lancashire Regiment and was killed in action on this day.

Soldiers Died in The Great War notes that he had previously served with the Royal Lancaster Regiment (number 1492) and his medal index card notes that he first arrived overseas in Africa on the 16th October 1914.

George Snowling has no known grave and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial on the Somme.

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
Soldiers Died in The Great War

31354 John Smith, 7th Bn, South Staffordshire Regt

330 British Army officers and British Army other ranks died on this day - 17th November - in 1916.

31354 John Smith of the South Lancashire Regiment was killed in action whilst serving with the 7th Battalion. He had previously served with the South Staffordshire Regiment (number 25661) and was born in Wolverhampton, enlisting there (assuming the South Staffs Regt was the first regiment he joined) in March 1916.

John Smith has no known grave and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial on the Somme.

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
Soldiers Died in The Great War

G/8113 Pte William Brunning, 1st Bn, Queen's (Royal West Surrey) Regt

G/8113 Private William Brunning of the 1st Battalion, Queen's (Royal West Surrey) Regiment was killed in action on the 3rd November 1916. He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial on the Somme.

William, who was born in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk (and was living there and enlisted there), probably joined the Queen's in early 1916.

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

8082 Pte Alfred Gurden, 1st Bn, West Yorkshire Regiment

8082 Private Alfred Gurden of the 1st Bn, The Prince of Wales's Own (West Yorkshire Regiment), died of wounds on 1st October 1914.

Alfred was a regular soldier whose number suggests he joined the West Yorkshire Regiment in late 1905 or 1906. He was born in York and enlisted there. He arrived in France with his regiment on 8th September 1914.

Private Gurden is buried in Vailly British Cemetery; grave reference II.F.7. He is probably the same 12 year old who appears on the 1901 census living with his parents and five brothers in York. There is also a Walter Gurden who was killed in action on 10th July 1916 and this is possibly Alfred's older brother. He is commemorated on the Thiepval memorial.

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

Sources:

Ancestry.co.uk (MIC, 1901 census)
Army Ancestry
Army Service Numbers 1881-1918
Commonwealth War Graves Commission

23251 Pte Frank Rance, 7th Battalion, Border Regt

23251 Private Frank Rance was one of five 7th Battalion, Border Regiment other ranks to die on this day, 6th August, 1916. Four of the men, including Frank, were killed in action whilst the fifth died of wounds.

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission notes that Frank was the son of Charles and Daisy Rance of 1 Queen's Road, Berkhamstead, Hertfordshire whilst Soldiers Died in The Great War records that he was born in Berkhamstead and was living there when he joined up. His place of enlistment though, is given as Bedford.

Frank Rance came from a large family. The 1901 census lists eleven members headed by his father, 44 year old Charles Rance, a general labourer, and his wife Mary aged 43. In age order their children are recorded as follows: Ada Rance (18), Harry Rance (16) and William Rance (14) both working as errand boys; Lily Rance (12), Bertie Rance (10), Frank (aged eight), Amy Rance (aged six), Alice Rance (aged four), and finally Horace Rance (aged two).

Frank originally joined the 7th Norfolk Regiment and was given the army service number 12144. This ties his joining date down to the first couple of weeks of August 1914 and so he was an early and willing Kitchener volunteer. He sailed for France with the 7th Norfolks, arriving there just in time to qualify for the 1914-15 Star on 30th December 1915. Whilst in France, I'm guessing, he transferred to the Border Regiment and whilst I'm not sure of the precise date of this transfer, I'm guessing that it would have been pretty soon after he arrived. Further research is necessary to determine the exact date. Of his three medals though, the 1914-15 Star bears his Norfolk Regiment details, whilst the British War and Victory Medals carry the Border Regiment information.

Frank Rance was 24 years old when he died. He has no known grave and is one of over 72,000 men commemorated by name on the massive Thiepval Memorial on the Somme.

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

Sources:

Ancestry.co.uk (MIC, 1901 census)
Army Ancestry
Army Service Numbers 1881-1918
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The photo on this post shows the Thiepval Memorial under construction in 1930. It would be unveiled in 1932. Photo courtesy of Australians on the Western Front 1914-1918.

3363 Pte Eric Raymond Cornall, 1/4th Gloucestershire Regiment

3363 Pte Eric Raymond Cornall of the 1/4th Gloucestershire Regiment was killed on this day, 17th July, in 1916. The 1/4th (City of Bristol) Battalion, The Gloucestershire Regiment, was a Territorial Force battalion, and Eric's number indicates that he must have joined it on about the 10th or 11th November 1914. His medal index card (MIC) adds the initials T. R. after his number, presumably standing for 'Territorial'.

According to his MIC, Eric landed in France on 31st March 1915, having presumably been turned from a raw recruit into a Gloucestershire Regiment infantryman in under five months.

Soldiers Died in the Great War does not note a place of birth, but it gives his place of residence as Sheffield, and his place of enlistment as Bristol. There is an Eric Raymond Cornall birth registered in London in the March quarter of 1893 which, if it's the same man - as seems likely - would have made Eric 23 years old when he was killed.

Eric Cornall has no known grave and is commemorated on the Thiepval memorial in France.

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

Sources:

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

7980 Pte George John Albrecht, 8th Royal Fusiliers

Soldiers Died in the Great War notes that 2140 men died on 7th July 1916 and George John Albrecht was one of these.

There is conflicting information regarding George's military service. Soldiers Died in the Great War records his number as 7980 8th Battalion, Royal Fusiliers (City of London) Regiment. This cannot possibly be correct because 0nly the 1st four (City of London) battalions of the London Regiment were affiliated to the Royal Fusiliers and the 8th Battalion was the Post Office Rifles.

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission records George's battalion as 8th Royal Fusiliers but it is his medal index card which records the vital information. It notes two numbers for him: SR/7980 and 7980 and also records the fact that he entered the Balkans on 25th September 1915.

The SR/ prefix, denoting Special Reserve, effectively rules out all of the London Regiment battalion which, being Territorial Force formations, had no Special Reserve. That leaves two possibilities for the Royal Fusiliers - either the 5th (Special Reserve) Battalion, which would have issued number 7980 around the beginning of June 1908 or the 7th (Extra Reserve) Battalion which would have issued the same number in early 1913.

SDGW notes that George was born in Lambeth, was living at Vauxhall (both of these places in south London) and enlisted at Finsbury (north London). The 1901 census, in turn, reveals one George J Albrecht, aged eight, born in Lambeth and living in Lambeth. The household comprised George M Albrecht (head, aged 37, a tile cutter), his wife Mary A Albrecht (aged 32) and their five children: George (aged 8), Mary A Albrecht (aged 6) William A Albrecht (aged 5), Edward S W Albrecht (aged 3), and Frederick A B Albrecht (aged 1). All the children, and their parents were born in Lambeth.

George' age in 1901 rules out 1908 as a year of enlistment which, by default, means that he must have joined up with the 7th (Extra Reserve) Battalion in early 1913. This battalion was also located in Finsbury which is where (as Soldiers Died tells us) George enlisted.

When Britain went to war the following year, George must have been posted to another battalion of the Royal Fusiliers and then sailed for the Balkans. The 7th Battalion did go overseas - but not until July 1916 - and the 8th Battalion - with which he was killed - did not go to the Balkans. It arrived in France in May 1915 and stayed there until it was disbanded in February 1918.

George has no known grave and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial.

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

Sources:

Ancestry.co.uk (Medal index card, 1901 census)
Army Service Numbers 1881-1918
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Soldiers Died in the Great War
The Long, Long Trail