Hi all,
I'm new to this Forum but have posted in another a while ago regarding my grandfathers war service WW1. His name is William Bristow Murphy, Born 1895, Bootle. He was a sailor on The Empress of Ireland when is sank in 1914, sailed on a few other ships then joined the 2/7th KLR in May 1915. I have done a lot of research to find his Army number as there are no records (Service, Medal Roll or Card) for him. I found his number through a birth certificate from one of his daughters who was born April 1917 that gave me a start. He was numbered 266508 (4135), which has been a great help. Through the war diary of 2/7th he was awarded a pay rise, appointed Lance Corporal(unpaid) and invalided back to UK in Jan 1918 Sick. He was listed in the newspaper as wounded in July 1917. Then after that he disappears!! until Jan 1919 where he re-enlists in the merchant navy sailing on the Aquitania returning troops back to USA. There is another record of him awarded the Mercantile Marine Medal and that the British Medal awarded Army. I am just tying to piece together where he was between Jan 1918 to Jan 1919. I have looked through the relevant medal rolls to try and find if he served in another regiment,ie Labour Corp... but there is nothing there. I suppose there must have been a few mistakes in recording soldiers service with different regiments over the course of the war, unless I have to go through the whole medal roll books to pick a mistake I could surmise that he war still in the army up until early Jan 1919 when he returned to the merchant navy. I did find out through someone (Katie) who has compiled the Voters list of Liverpool for 1919 that he was registered as M (military) at his home address in Bootle.
Hi and welcome to the forum. I'm sure you are aware that Katie is a member of this forum. I hope some of our more knowledgeable military members will be able to help.
MaryA Our Facebook Page
Names - Lunt, Hall, Kent, Ayre, Forshaw, Parle, Lawrenson, Longford, Ennis, Bayley, Russell, Longworth, Baile
Any census info in this post is Crown Copyright, from National Archives
Hi and welcome to the forum. I'm sure you are aware that Katie is a member of this forum. I hope some of our more knowledgeable military members will be able to help.
Hi Mary and thank you,
I am from Australia after my parents moved here in 1962 and am visiting Liverpool for the first ime in July, can't wait to get there!!
He could have returned back to see early 1918. NM stand for Naval or Military this could suggest he may have been in the Merchant Navy or Military. It may be worth getting a copy of the Crew list dated 18th January 1919 to see of his previous ship is recorded and go backwards from there.
He could have returned back to see early 1918. NM stand for Naval or Military this could suggest he may have been in the Merchant Navy or Military. It may be worth getting a copy of the Crew list dated 18th January 1919 to see of his previous ship is recorded and go backwards from there.
Hi Katie thanks for the reply.
Going through the records it show his Merchant Navy discharge card as sailing on the Aquitania after the war in Jan 1919. Looking at the crew list on Aquitania for that trip it shows his last engagement as the "Demerara", which was the last ship he crewed in May 1915 before he signed up in the Kings'.
I know it is going to be a long shot at trying to find where he was between Jan '18 to Jan'19. Just trying to find a definitive answer to his medal service roll.
I could surmise that he war still in the army up until early Jan 1919 when he returned to the merchant navy. I did find out through someone (Katie) who has compiled the Voters list of Liverpool for 1919 that he was registered as M (military) at his home address in Bootle.
