Liverpool & South West Lancashire FHS - Forum

Hi folks,
I realise this is an 'across-the-Mersey' query, but we've got such great military-minded members here...

I don't have Anc and I am trying to find the Army Service Record, if it still exists, for Henry Roberts, born Birkenhead 1890 [+/- a couple of years... varies on the censuses and his marriage cert].
He appears to have been a sapper in the Royal Engineers. I have his Medal Card:


Any assist appreciated to help solve a 95 year old mystery!

Dickiesam

I've had a look but no success . Someone else may do better.

What's the mystery?

Hilary
Ed Officer

Hi Hilary,
RE:

What's the mystery?

There's a possibility this man had at least one 'extra' wife. We know one for certain but there's circumstantial evidence there may have been at least another, perhaps more. Hoping his Army service might throw up an address or next-of-kin etc.

DS

You may know this, but the MIC shows he first served in Egypt from 1 Aug 1915. He was discharged as unfit on 2 Nov 1918 and qualified for the Silver War Badge [SWB]. The actual rolls for medals and SWBs are not online but can be seen at Kew, and MAY show more info, but maybe not.

Daggers

Thanks Daggers,
I had noticed the Egypt service. Can you tell me the reason for 2 Regt numbers on the card if he stayed in the REs?

DS

DS
All members of the Territorial Force were renumbered in 1917, and he may have been one of them.
I am not familiar with the RE and its details and if you want to pursue this you could try asking on the Great War Forum where experts of all kinds hang out:
http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/
D

Hi Daggers,
Thanks for the link. I'll dive in and ask around!
Thanks again,
DS

Had a look at about 160 records - the filtering of these records is very annoying - didn't find any that fitted the bill although I did find the medal record.

My grandfather William peter Lee had a different Regiment number for the 3 regiments he was with in WW1 3/3 Scottish Horse, Black Watch and Gloucesters. This led me down many cyber dead ends until I matched him with his records in the Gloucesters - they have a great site for tracking soldiers. Not sure about the Royal Engineers but it might be worth a look at the Regimental website. My grandfther's records are now on the commercial website we have been discussing because i was able to provide his demob details from the original papers. I found out that he was only 5'53/4" - my dad and his brothers were all over 6 foot! He died in 1930 from war related illness so I never met him - it was nice to have the records.

As you know many records were affected by fire at the MOD during WW2 so it is difficult to match them.

Thank you Sandy. All pointers welcome.

Brian

There was a discussion a few years ago about Henry Roberts here:-

http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forum ... opic=63571


Blue

Hello Blue,
Your post has saved me reploughing old ground. I am doing this info-hunt on behalf of a friend, who omitted/forgot to tell me they had already been down the Invision road 5 years ago!

He's the same man. It's all there, everything I was looking for.
Thank you!

DS

I can't find a match on Ancestry but this one below is a bit intriguing with it being a Henry Roberts from Birkenhead with a regiment number of ??58:-

British Army WW1 Service Records 1914-1920

Name: Henry Roberts
Age at enlistment: 28
Residence: 21 Kelnington Roa?? Birkenhead
Regiment No: ??58
Regiment Name: Royal Regt of Artillery (RH & RF?)
No of images: 3


Blue