Hello All

[Jon]

Hello, my name is Jonathan, I'm new to the forum but have a common interest with you all in the Manchester Regiment.  My Gt Grandfather was John Nield (Neild) he joined up in 1891 at 18yrs. He was posted to Gibraltar, South Africa and India before requesting his discharge in 1910 but only to re engage as a reservist with the 12th Battalion after the out break of WW1.

Best Wishes
Jon

[Tim Bell]

Hi Jon,
Please can you provide his full name + some relatives names?  It should help identify the right John Nield.
Good luck with your research.

Tim

[pete th]

Hi Jon, welcome to the forum

[Jon]

Hello Tim,
Thank you for your reply, I have done a lot of my family research over the years and have a lot of information. My Gt Grandad John Nield is the person I have spent most time on due to his military background. I have his medal cards and discharge papers and where he was posted. His Reg No. 3200(1st Manchester Reg.) was from his 1st time he served and then after the outbreak of WW1 he re enlisted with the 12th Manchester reg.(2931). I applied for his wedding cert. to my Gt Grandma Beatrice Whitehead(13th Sept 1905) and to my surprise I found out he was a widower. Only this week I have visited the Local Archive section of the library at Ashton Under Lyne and a young gentleman that worked there printed out his Military paperwork for me inc postings, discharge papers and medal cards. This is when I found out who his 1st wife was, Annie Lee and since then I have applied for their marriage cert.
Since Wednesday I have been doing more research and found that she had been married to and lost her husband (Ben Lee) and just today I have found out he was a Sgt in the Manchesters which leads me to believe my Gt Grandad and Ben served together.

I have so much information I could go on all night....I would love to find out more about Ben Lee and his and Annies two sons Ben and John Cyril Lee who are named on my Gt Grandads papers and I am also desperated to find a picture of me Gt Grandad.

I hold also hold a copy of a birth cert of one of my Grandads brothers who was born in India(1/4/08) in Trimulgherry whist my Gt Grandad served there. This forum is now like a candy store to me because of the information you have all posted.

I hope I can help other people to as I'm very local to the Museum/Archive and whats left of Ladysmith barracks.


Regards
Jonathan.

[Tim Bell]

Jon,

You have a great journey for your gt grandad and the Service Record tells a detailed tale.  I partic. like the term 'war weary NCO'. 

Cheers

Tim

[Wendi]

Welcome Jonathan 

[Jon]

Thanks Wendi and thanks once again for accepting my request to join the forum.

Jonathan

[themonsstar]

Hi Jon

I hope you enjoy the site

All the best

Roy

[Jon]

Thank you Roy, I'm already blown away with the information you and your members have collected. Just a quick question, I have my Gt Grandfathers military records on a print out from Ashton Local Studies and Archives is it possible to get them in pdf format so they can be saved to disc for future generations to read. I know I could scan them and save them but I would like to get the best possible quality.

Jonathan

[Wendi]

This is when I found out who his 1st wife was, Annie Lee and since then I have applied for their marriage cert.

Jonathan have you received the wedding cert yet?  I'm curious to know how old Annie was, and in what year she was probably born.

Wendi

[Jon]

Hello Wendi, I don't have the marriage cert yet but I believe she was 28yrs old when she died in 1904. I have used Cheshire BMD and Free BMD to get my information. Biggest clue was my Gt Grandfather and Annie had a baby girl who's name was Doris but both her and Annie died. Doris was born in Aldershot which tells me John Nield was station there. The free BMD only returns 1 Annie Neild that dies in 1904. Please see images.

[Jon]

Sorry meant to say checked Aldershot and Farnham and that checks out too.

[Jon]

Also found this from just searching the net yesterday.

[Jon]

I would love to know more about Sgt Ben Lee and the thing that really stands out is my Gt Grandfather named his 2nd Son who was born in India John and his 3rd Son (my Grandad) Cyril.

[mack]

john nield married annie lee at st.peters church,ashton on 15th august 1903,johns residence was south camp,aldershot,annies was 21 Marlborough st,ashton

john didn't finish up as a sgt during the war,he was a CQMS

mack