1st/5th manchesters and North Staffordshires

[Foxkarej]

Hi to you all and I hope you can assist me.

I am researching Private 41103 Sam William Cox of the 1/5th Manchesters. The CWGC shows he died on the 5th May 1918. Someone kindly looked him up on SDGW and he is shown of dying of wounds and is buried at Bagneux Cemetary Gezaincourt. I have a few pages from the war diary and a likely action he could have been wounded in was on the 4th May at Gommecourt. His medal index card also shows he served as Private 25622 of the North Staffordhsire Regiment. I'm trying to find out how he transfered from one regiment to another and his likely date of enlistment and when he went to the front. The medal card index is blank in those sections. He was 28 when he died. His parents lived in Sheffield and I can't understand why then he joined  those regiments. Any advice/ tips how to answer these points gratefully received.
Thanks John.

[harribobs]

hi John

and welcome to the group

i'll transfer this to the great war section and see what we can come up with

cheers

chris

[harribobs]

 Name:     COX, SAM WILLIAM
Initials:    S W
Nationality:    United Kingdom
Rank:    Private
Regiment/Service:    Manchester Regiment
Unit Text:    1st/5th Bn.
Age:    28
Date of Death:    05/05/1918
Service No:    41103
Additional information:    Son of Reuben and Martha Elizabeth Cox, of 94, Middlewood Rd., Hillsborough, Sheffield.
Casualty Type:    Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference:    I. G. 28.
Cemetery:    BAGNEUX BRITISH CEMETERY, GEZAINCOURT


lets have another look at SDGW as well

[harribobs]

hmm  and he enlisted at market rasen in Lincolnshire 

i think we could do with having a look at that MIC,

my first thoughts are that that 40,000 series were mid war late 1916 but i'd like Mack's opinion on that

do we know what battalion of the North Staffordshire he was in? the 5th batt MR was a territorial battalion in the 42nd div and was out in gallipoli until december 1915, so we might not be able to pin down the exact date but possibly a range

chris

[mack]

the northern training reserve included men from both the staffordshire regts and the lincolnshire regt,as well as the lancashire regts,many men returning after being wounded/sick etc,would have all gone through it,the NTR fed drafts to the regts it was designated to provide men for,men had no choice of which unit they went to,thats probably why sam ended up in the manchesters,because it was the battalion that was in need of a draft at the time.
his number is around the time chris stated.

mack

[mack]

many of the men who had a service number in the same range of numbers as sams,mostly came from the north staffs regt,with a few newly recruited manchesters and some from the east yorks regt.
mack

[themonsstar]

Can you us the codes & pages numbers from the medal index card (MIC) as it may gives us a date?

[The Colonel]

Here is the Lincolnshire link... 1891 census. RG12 Piece 2596 Folio 100 Page 9.
Parish of Faldingworth.
58, The Rectory.

Reuben Cox Head age 46 Ag. labourer born Fillingham, Lincolnshire.
Martha Cox Wife age 32 born Upton, Lincolnshire.
Samuel William Cox Son age 1 born Cannick, Lincolnshire.


1901 census. RG13 Piece 3116 Folio 28 Page 2.
Harpswell. (St Chad). Registration District, Gainsborough. Lincolnshire.

13, Thos. Tatam's Farm.
Reuben Cox Head Age 56 Farm Labourer born Fillingham.
Martha E Cox Wife Age 36 born Upton.
Arnold Cox Son Age 15 Labourer on farm, born Willingham, Lincolnshire.
Samuel W Cox Son Age 11 born Cannick.
Jesamine Cox Dau. Age 9 born Faldingworth, Lincolnshire.
Leila E. C. Cox Dau. Age  2 born Aisthorpe, Lincolnshire.

I hope this helps.

The Colonel.