Howdy
From his pension card, he was born in 1891
Married
I lived at 7 Victoria Road, Wardleworth, in Rochdale.
Discharged., April 3, 1918
The medal has 301 & 266 stamped on the top. This could be the company he served with in the Labor Corps.
There is a capital B in the top right-hand corner.
There were sets of dates of when the BW&V medal was issued. Your man has a number 2 in his pensil by his name. His medal was issued along with 5406 others; the issue voucher number is 76/13, and it is dated January 27, 1921.
Regarding his military service,. The casualty list is dated May 15, 1916; however, the war diary is missing April 15, 1916. Here is a summary of the first two weeks of May 1916.
The battalion is in billets at Pierregot. They took part in a tactical scheme (rehearsals) under a Divisional Commander on May 1 and 4.
5th May: Left Pierrgot at 1400 hrs., marched to Warloy, arriving at 2000 hrs. They took over billets from the 16th Bttn. Highland Light Infantry.
6th May. 2000hrs, left Warloy, marched to Aveluy and took over billets from 16th Northumberland Fusiliers. A and C companies moved into tunnels at the Crucific Corner.
7th and 8th May. Battalion at Aveluy, B & D Billited A and C at crucifix corner. Enemy shell Aveluy, one man wounded by shrapnel (slight).
9th and 10th May. Same situation as above. Late on the 10th, we carried out a sub-section relief in Authville. The relief began at 2000 hours, relieving the 19th-century Lancashire Fusiliers. A reconnaissance party under Lt. H.R. Tomblin is carried out between 2300 and 0000 hrs.
11th May, Authville: In the early hours of the morning, the trenches are subjected to a heavy bombardment by the enemy. 7 men are killed and 12 men are wounded, including Lt. A.E. Parry
12th May Battalion is in the trenches, and one man is wounded. A night patrol is carried out by Sgt Whitfield, LCpl. Holt and LCpl. Trivett; they reconnoitre the ground infront of the trenches
13th May. Battalion in the trenches. Two men wounded, including Lt. E. Tanner. During the night, another night patrol goes out. The patrol, consisting of Sgt. McGrane, Cpl. Morgan, and LCpl. Trivett, reconnoitred the ground in front of the Authville subsector. This is carried out from 2030 hours until 0200 hours.
14th May. The 19th Bn. Lancashire Fusiliers relieve the battalion, the relief begins at 2000hrs. A and C companies move into billets at Aveluy, and B and D companies move into Crucific Corner. battalion complete by 2335hrs.
30 reinforcements arrive at all other ranks.
15th, 16th and 17th, situation remains the same - No Change, 2 men wounded on the 17th.
18th May: Battalion moves out and marches back to Warloy; they arrive at 3am on the 19th, taking over billets vacated by the 17th Highland Light Infantry.
One thing to keep in mind is that, from the thousands of service records that i've studied, you will find that the term 'GSW' is often used. In casualty admission sheets, a Gunshot wound is categorized, so you will see GSW VIII, etc. However, in a servicemans casualty card, you will see GSW, but in actual fact, the man wasn't shot; he was hit by a sharpnel pellet from a shrapnel shell. They designated GSW to a shrapnel shot. This is usually rectified later, with the word 'Shrapnel' being added to the man's casualty card.
So Robert may have been one of the 12 men injured on May 11. This will depend on when the casualty return was sent to Brigade HQ. His wound and casualty report in the Times does seem to fit the timeframe.
Working forward: As he was wounded, he would have been moved back to a field ambulance, then to a Casualty Clearing Station. As his unit was now part of the 32nd Division, your search starts there. He would then have been moved back to a military hospital; there were many at this point in time. Once recovered he would have been adminstered by a Command Depot. I'm not 100% positive, but the Command Depot for the Manchesters was located at Heaton Park in Manchester. He would have been put in front of a medical board and his future decided there. from the medal role, I'd look at 301 and 266 Company Labour Corps, some were agricultural units, some were dockside workers etc. From there he would have been boarded again and his discharge arranged. I hope this helps.
Regards
Ginge
