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Military service records ww1

ProfilePosted byOptionsPost Date

jansmith

jansmith Report 30 Jul 2017 22:11

Thomas William Terrill Barnes
Born Olney, Northamptonshire, England .
Could anyone please give me details of this mans service records on Ancestry, Thank You.

+++DetEcTive+++

+++DetEcTive+++ Report 30 Jul 2017 22:58

As you probably know, in the region of 70% of WW1 service records were destroyed as a result of WW2 bombing.

In case you don't have it, this might be his medal card - they were stored elsewhere. However, there is no way of being sure its the correct soldier.

British Army WWI Medal Rolls Index Cards, 1914-1920
Thomas W T Barnes
Regiment or Corps: Northamptonshire Regiment
Regimental Number: 7236

Image says awarded Victory, British, 14 Star medals & clasp. The clasp is linked to the notation 'Decd'
First entered a theatre of war on 13-8-14

Another version
WWI Service Medal and Award Rolls, 1914-1920
Thomas William Terrill Barnes
Military Year: 1914-1920
Rank: Private
Medal Awarded: British War Medal and Victory Medal
Regiment or Corps: Northamptonshire Regiment
Regimental Number: 7236
Previous Units: 1st. North'n. R. 7236. Pte.
Notation - KIA (i.e Killed in action) 3 - 11-14

jansmith

jansmith Report 30 Jul 2017 23:00

Thank you . That is him. I had just found his name on the Olney war memorial.when I searched Ancestry it said service records but I haven't a subscription to the site at the moment.

+++DetEcTive+++

+++DetEcTive+++ Report 30 Jul 2017 23:42

You're in luck

British Army WWI Service Records, 1914-1920
Name: Thomas William Terrill Barnes
Gender: Male
Birth Date: abt 1885
Birth Place: Olney, Northamptonshire, England
Enlistment Age: 18
Document Year: 1903
Regimental Number: 7236
Regiment Name: Northamptonshire Regiment
Number of Images: 53
Form Title: Short Service Attestation

As there are 53 images, you might like to visit your local library & use their access to read or download them all. some may be duplicates.

He must have been called up from the Reserves as the Attestation is dated 16 Nov 1903
He was 18y 1mth and worked in the shoe trade.
5ft 5 3/4 ins, Fresh complexion
Brown eyes & hair.
Cof E
Scar on left eye & leg
Approved fit - 18 Nov 1903 in Northampton
Originally signed on for 3 years, then extended for (or to) 9.

Oops!
Letter from his wife dtd 24 Aug 1914. She married him at Welligborough reg office 5 Oct 1912 but has been living apart from him since 14 Feb 1914 on account of him co-habiting with another woman.
She'd checked the army docs and noticed they hadn't listed that he had a tattoo on his chest with an Eagle, Shamrock, Thistle and Rose. Other parts of the letter is his wife's insistance that she should have an allowance as they were married. She is living with her parents, Mr & Mrs Cox.

Killed near Ypres

Wife Mrs N E Barnes writes 27 Nov 1914 asking if its correct that he is Dead in Action as she wants to know as soon as possible.

Records are not sequential....
On 3 Aug 1905 he wants to extend his service to complete 8 years. The original was to expire on 15 Nov 1906

Death Cert of child Violet Ivy age 9 months at Higham Ferrers Northants sub district registered 25 Oct 1915. Dated & place of death, Oct 20 something, Ieshlingborough? docs later date it as 23 Oct. She was his only child.

Mrs E Judd claims for a child Thomas William Barnes Judd b 27 Nov 1914.

Mrs Barnes not eligible for a seperation allowance as they had parted prior to his recall to the BEF. She did receive a widows pension
Police reports confirm that he was 'brutal' (there might be newspaper reports)

Sorry - Ancestry and my PC decided not to play with each other. I was hoping to get a proper list of his postings during his 8 years service but at that point only had his medical records.
He was at Bordon (Borden?) Aden & Devonport.

+++DetEcTive+++

+++DetEcTive+++ Report 30 Jul 2017 23:52

Marriages Dec 1912
Barnes Thomas W T Cox Wellingbro' 3b
Cox Naomi E Barnes Wellingbro' 3b 401

Birth of his legitimate child - is she really??
Died Oct 1915 age 9 months, so born say Jan/Feb 1915. Conceived say end of March 1914. Parents seperated 14 Feb 1914. It makes you wonder. Its certainly a close call!

Births Mar 1915 (>99%)
BARNES Violet I Cox Wellingbro 3b 229

Child out of wedlock
Births Dec 1914 (>99%)
Judd Thomas W B Whiteman Wellingbro' 3b 206

jansmith

jansmith Report 31 Jul 2017 04:03

THANK YOU. It was good of you to write all this down. I didn't think I would find all that info. I will certainly go and have a look at it fully.

mgnv

mgnv Report 5 Aug 2017 21:05

http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/926697/BARNES,%20THOMAS%20WILLIAM%20TERRILL
BARNES, THOMAS WILLIAM TERRILL
Rank:Private
Service No:7236
Date of Death:03/11/1914
Regiment/Service:Northamptonshire Regiment 1st Bn.
Panel Reference: Panel 43 and 45.
Memorial:YPRES (MENIN GATE) MEMORIAL

The Menin Gate is one of four memorials to the missing in Belgian Flanders which cover the area known as the Ypres Salient. Broadly speaking, the Salient stretched from Langemarck in the north to the northern edge in Ploegsteert Wood in the south, but it varied in area and shape throughout the war.
The Salient was formed during the First Battle of Ypres in October and November 1914, when a small British Expeditionary Force succeeded in securing the town before the onset of winter, pushing the German forces back to the Passchendaele Ridge.
The YPRES (MENIN GATE) MEMORIAL now bears the names of more than 54,000 officers and men whose graves are not known.



http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/regiments-and-corps/the-british-infantry-regiments-of-1914-1918/northamptonshire-regiment/
Northamptonshire Regiment
Battalions of the Regular Army
1st Battalion
August 1914 : in Blackdown near Aldershot under command of 2nd Brigade in 1st Division.
13 August 1914 : landed at Le Havre.



http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/order-of-battle-of-divisions/1st-division/
1st Division
The history of 1st Division
One of the first British formations to move to France, the 1st Division remained on the Western Front throughout the war. It took part in most of the major actions, including:
1914
The Battle of Mons and the subsequent retreat, including the Rearguard Affair of Etreux (August)
The Battle of the Marne (September)
The Battle of the Aisne including participation in the Actions on the Aisne heights and the Action of Chivy (September)
First Battle of Ypres (October-November. On 31 October 1914, at the climax of the battle, 1st Divisional headquarters at Hooge was hit by enemy shellfire, whereupon the Divisional Commander (Major-General Lomax) was severely wounded and the GSO1 (Col. F.W.Kerr) was killed.
1915
Winter Operations 1914-15
etc

2nd Brigade
2nd Bn, the Royal Sussex Regt
1st Bn, the Loyal North Lancashire Regt left for 1st Brigade February 1918
1st Bn, the Northamptonshire Regt
2nd Bn, the King’s Royal Rifle Corps
1/5th Bn, the Royal Sussex Regt joined February 1915, left August 1915
1/9th Bn, the King’s (Liverpool Regt) joined March 1915, left November 1915
1/5th Bn, the King’s Own (Lancaster Regt) joined October 1915, left January 1915
2nd Trench Mortar Battery joined by 27 November 1915
2nd Machine Gun Company formed on 26 January 1916 left to move into 1st MG Battalion 28 February 1918


An infantry division had three brigades. Thru spring 1918, each brigade had 4 infantry battalions.
A UK infantry bn had a nominal strength of close to 1100 soldiers of all ranks.
In 1914, the 1st & 2nd Divs were grouped together as I Corps, commanded by Haig.

When operating in a theatre of war, units like 1st Northants and 2nd brigade were requiredd to keep a "war diary".
This described on a day by day basis what that unit did.
These are available online via Ancestry
(search the card catalog for keyword "war diaries" gets)
http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=60779
Browse for Northamptonshire Regiment in 1st Division
-------------
or for Various (Infantry Brigades, 1st Division) in 1st Division
and select 2 Inf Bde HQ (1914 Aug - 1916 Dec)

I realize you don't have an Ancestry sub.
Ancestry periodically give free access to subsets of their records.
Maybe they'll give free access to their military records for the weekend around Sat 11/11/2017.
Sign up for Ancestry's free newsletter so you don't miss any announcements of freebies.



http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/battles/battles-of-the-western-front-in-france-and-flanders/
The named battles of the Western Front
For information about the battles and which British units took part, just click for “More”.

Battles of the initial phase of the war, when the small British Expeditionary Force (BEF) played a part in fast-moving actions that finally resulted in stalemate and the beginning of static trench warfare.
Began Ended Name Context
23 Aug 1914 24 Aug 1914 The Battle of Mons More A very small part of the initial clashes between the German and French Armies, often known as the Battle of the Frontiers. BEF begins lengthy Retreat from Mons which only ends in early September.
7 Sept 1914 10 Sept 1914 The Battle of the Marne More The BEF plays a small part in this immense, decisive battle that halts the German advance into France. The French and BEF now begin to advance northwards.
12 Sept 1914 15 Sept 1914 The Battle of the Aisne More The advance is halted as the Germans dig in along the heights above the Aisne. British attacks are repelled and both sides dig in: the roots of trench warfare.
19 Oct 1914 22 Nov 1914 The Battles of Ypres, 1914 More Often known as the First Battle of Ypres, this is a series of named battles that also form part of the outflanking encounter. It becomes a desperate epic fight east of the city of Ypres which finally results in stalemate and entrenched warfare. It takes place at the same time as the Battle of the Yser, fought nearby by the Belgian Army against the Germans.

Battles trying to break the deadlock of entrenched warfare, with the BEF as junior partner having to follow the strategies of the French.
Began Ended Name Context
23 Nov 1914 6 Feb 1915 Winter operations More French orders for a major offensive in December lead to disastrous piecemeal British attacks. Localised operations seeking tactical advantage continue through winter.
etc
[only listed those involving 1 Div]


http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/battles/battles-of-the-western-front-in-france-and-flanders/the-battles-of-ypres-1914-first-ypres/
This page also has a link to a:
Downloadable copy of the British Official History volume covering First Ypres
https://archive.org/details/3edmilitaryopera02edmouoft
[Well, it certainly is official - but whether it's a history or a work of fiction is a lot more debateable
I'm no longer familiar with UK copyright law, but I think this volume has just gotten out of copyright]

For the earlier 1914 stuff:
https://archive.org/details/militaryoperatio01edmouoft

jansmith

jansmith Report 6 Aug 2017 06:32

Thank you for all the above information. I wii have a look at the links.