Private William Hughes King's Liverpool Regiment

[Katie]

Need some thoughts on this one.

At present I am tackling the local casualty list for November 1914.

I have the above mentioned soldier details below

Date of list 16th November 1914

Regiment: King's Liverpool Regiment
Surname: Hughes
Regiment No: 11685
Forename: William
Cause: Died

According to SDGW and CWGC he died 1st November 1918.

http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casua ... %20WILLIAM



Name: William Hughes
Birth Place: Liverpool
Residence: Anfield, Liverpool
Death Date: 1 Nov 1918
Death Location: Home
Enlistment Location: Liverpool
Rank: Private
Regiment: King's (Liverpool Regiment)
Battalion: 3rd Battalion
Number: 11685
Type of Casualty: Died
Theatre of War: Home

I am querying his date of death thought welcome.

[daggers]

Probably still in training, no overseas service. 3rd Battalion were Militia, so pre-war service possible,though part time only. perhaps died from accident or sickness.
D

[dickiesam]

If he died at 'Home' would this be William in the GRO Index? Unfortunately there are two possibles, one in 1914 and the other in 1918.

1) Deaths Dec 1914: Hughes, William - 42 - W. Derby - 8b - 424
2) Deaths Dec 1918: Hughes, William - 46 - W.Derby - 8b - 483

Unless #1 was a serving soldier when war broke out he seems to be a bit too old when he died. Perhaps Daggers could advise?

[Katie]

I'm hoping the family have put a obituary notice in the Echo. He is recorded on a screen wall in Fermoy Military Cemetery in Ireland. Does that mean he is buried within that cemetery.

Sorry I started this, all the errors I am finding if he has died 1st November 1914 and not 1918 I will have to see if I can get the actual proof.

Thanks DS I'll check those 2 out.

[Bertieone]

22 commonwealth burials with names

http://www.cwgc.org/find-a-cemetery/cem ... 20CEMETERY

He must have died in the republic I would think, if so, would his death be registerd here.

[Katie]

I don't know I have checked death Registrations for Ireland. I wouldn't have a clue at the moment on the death registrations for soldiers. As Daggers has just helped me identify a Police Constable who Died of wounds in Netley Military Hospital in Southampton. As he died in England I would have expected his death to be registered in the deaths but he isn't he is on the GRO war deaths, so I keep a open mind with the registrations of their deaths now, check all is my motto.

[Bertieone]

PDF doc for names

http://www.irishwarmemorials.ie/html/sh ... p?show=367

[daggers]

3rd Bn KLR were at Seaforth in Aug '14, then Hightown. Went to Pembroke Dock in July '15 and to Cork at end of '17.
I'll have a look at age limits etc tomorrow.
'Night
D

Date amended for continuity. MA

[Bertieone]

Looking at the info provided by Daggers (Seaforth 1914, Typo) 1918 appears to be the correct date our chap died, it falls in where the Bn was.
Also there are 2 registered deaths for William Hughes, Fermoy, oct-nov-dec 1918, aged 26,
Cork, oct-nov-dec, 1918, aged 24.
Could one of them be our William?

[daggers]

Sorry, 14 was meant. Too late when I did it.
D

[daggers]

One the age question, as far as I can see men were conscripted up to the age of 40, but those who joined earlier served beyond that age.
I have read the posts here again and feel sure the 1918 death is the right one.
D

[promenade]

Katie

William Hughes was a regular soldier who, although he crossed to France with the original contingent of 1 KLR, did not join them in the Field until 14/11/14 as part of the fifth reinforcement draft (source 1 KLR War Diary). The reason for this is not stated but it could be that he was unfit for service in the Field and kept at a Base Camp on the French coast. Examination of the medal rolls (NB not cards) show that he served with four KLR battalions in France 1, 11, 20 and 19 - the rolls only show service overseas hence no mention of 3 (Reserve) Bn KLR who had arrived in Ireland at the end of 1917 from Pembroke Dock. This is another indication that he may have been suffering from poor health - either that or he was extremely unlucky and kept on getting wounded! 11 KLR did not arrive in France until 20/5/15 and the Pals not until 7/11/15. As Daggers has suggested all available evidence points to the fact that he died of illness as a Private in Ireland with 3 KLR in 1918. Another point that support the illness theory is that he went to France as a Private and died as one - if he constantly suffered from illness his time at the Front would have been limited and thus any opportunities for promotion recognition would have been considerably diminished.

Joe

[Katie]

Thanks Joe.

I think the War Office and those at the front who were trying to keep track of who had been killed and wounded knew what hit them the first few months of the war. Just working on a list of soldiers 2nd Battalion South Lancashire Regiment, published 17th-Nov-1914 out of 16 reported killed 20th September 1914 8 survived, fascinating social history wise on these lists.

[dickiesam]

FamilySearch has two deaths in Cork in 1918:

Death: William Hughes
registration district: Fermoy
registration quarter and year: Oct - Dec 1918
estimated birth year: 1892
age (at death): 26
volume number: 4; page number: 425

Death: William Hughes
registration district: Cork
registration quarter and year: Oct - Dec 1918
estimated birth year: 1894
age (at death): 24
volume number: 5; page number: 134

[dickiesam]

1911 Irish Census:
Residents of a house 16.2 in Barrack Hill (Fermoy Urban, Cork)
Sadler, James - 23 - Head of Family - C of E - England - Bandsman 1st Kings, Shrop Light I
Sadler, Ellen - 22 - Wife - C of E - England - married 2 years.
Sadler, Maud - 2 - Dtr - C of E - England.
Hughes, William - 21 - Visitor - C of E - England - Private, The Kings Regiment.

[Katie]

Thanks DS and all who have replied