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General => Armed Forces => World War One => Topic started by: Ian Blakesley on Thursday 02 September 10 19:51 BST (UK)
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I am trying to complete the life story of my great-uncle Walter, who was commissioned as a 2nd. Lieutenant in the Middlesex Regiment on 1 September 1917. He was serving in India; his World War I Service Card appears to indicate he had signed up to serve until 21 January 1935. I would like to see the Regimental records, because I understand he was an Army boxing champion. Can anyone confirm this? How can I reach the Regimental records, or I have to approach Veterans-UK?
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Have you been through the London Gazette??
http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/
You should be able to follow him on there, or in the Army List, published normally yearly but almost monthly in WW1
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You probably need to bite the bullet, and shell out the £30 for his service record from Veterans UK. You need to send a photocopy of his death cert too.
As Scrimnet says you can follow via London Gazette, but the records are not necessarily complete, they use OCR software and it is not that reliable in picking up all entries. You can try using the Time archives too, as they published the LG information, but you tend to get different answers as the Times uses OCR software too. The Times may give you boxing entries if they were "worthy" of mention
I would add that the LG is an "acquired" skill to be able to get the info you want out of their database, and you just have to persevere.
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Ian,
21/1/35 looks like the date his medals were issued. Officers had to apply for them.
As he was awarded the British War Medal, without the Victory, he served in India throughout probably . He was also awarded the Territorial Force War Medal.
Looking at his 6 digit service number, it is 10th Battalion, Middlesex Regiment and 1/10th were the battalion that arrived in Bombay on 2/12/14 and remained there throughout the war.
I'll have a look as soon as I get the chance to see if his service record is held at Kew. If it has survived and he left the army before the mid-1920's, there is a possibility of finding it.
Phil
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Ian,
What was his middle name?
There is a service record for a Walter Pearson Blakesley in WO 339/139075.
However, the Territorial records should be in WO 374, so I think that this is probably him in WO 374/7050. Unfortunately, there is no entry in WO 338 to confirm it.
http://www.rootschat.com/links/09oj/
Promoted Lieutenant, 10th Middlesex, 1/3/19
http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/31269/supplements/4375
Phil
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Thank you all , Corisande, Forester and Scrimnet , so much for all the information about Walter Blakesley you've given me so quickly and fully. It has answered pretty well all my questions. I 'm uncertain as to whether I want to go through the hoops that Veterans-UK impose (and the cost), but I'll try the London Gazette sometime. I've got enough to update Walter's profile (his middle name was Pearson), but I want to be quite sure of the date of 10th. Battalion Middlesex's arrival in Bombay: is it 12 February or 2 December 1914? I appreciate the showing of dates in digits varies between US and UK. I hope that further reseach at Kew might reveal Walter's sporting prowess in the Army; when he joined Thomas Cook Ltd. in Calcutta in October 1922, he was a fine rugby player, according to the Company Archivist. Thank you all, again.
Best wishes Ian Blakesley
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Ian
As I am kind :)
http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/31269/supplements/4375
http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/34138/pages/1470
http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/32553/supplements/10360
http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/34075/pages/4974
But I do not see anything in Times on sport for him
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Ian,
Forget Veterans-UK and save yourself the £30. His records are at Kew, although now you have confirmed his middle name, not where I thought.
My dates are in the British system. :)
http://www.1914-1918.net/msex.htm
Phil
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Ian,
This is the link that you want for the service record of Walter Pearson Blakesley.
If I have attached the extract properly, you will see that the long numbers match.
http://www.rootschat.com/links/09p3/
Phil
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Thanks very much, Phil, for this extra information. The trouble is, I can't use it, as the National Archives won't let me register as a new account. I'd really like to find out if the Middlesex Regiment have a Regimental history and/or an archivist I could contact, which could help me in finding out about Walter's sporting achievements throughout his time in the Army. Thank you again for being so helpful to me.
Best wishes Ian Blakesley.
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Hello Ian, my name is Hannah Ward-Burns. I am the grand daughter of Hannah Elizabeth (Blakesley)Ward. I believe that she was the sister to the Walter Pearson of whom you are referring to.
My father Eric, (in his eighties) has mentioned Uncle Walter many, many times over the years and might be able to help you with some questions that you might have about "Great Uncle" Walter.
I know that I would love to hear everything that you know about Walter.
My father Emmigrated to Canada after the second world war and my grandparents, Hannah and James Ward followed suit in the 60's.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Please send me an email at
Mod comment...Welcome to Rootschat...Email removed to prevent spamming! Once you have x3 posts you can send a PM through the RC system!
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Hullo, Hannah! I am overjoyed you have contacted me. For the last year or so I have been trying to trace my great-aunt Hannah Elizabeth (my grandfather's elder sister) and her husband James Ward, who I met only once, in 1958, when they visited my grandfather Harry Blakesley in Leicester in September of that year.
They had been staying with my great-uncle Walter (my grandfather's younger brother) and his wife Margaret at Hunton, near Maidstone, Kent, who had their address in Canada. Walter died on 22 December 1967 in Leicester. His wife noved to Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire, where we visited her once,in 1970. She died on 9 July 1979; I have not been able to trace her papers, so I have ner had Hannah and James Ward's address in Canada, though I recall my late father told me they lived in Toronto.
I am a member of Ancestry.co.uk and have built up as many family member profiles as I can with the information available through their databases. I could not trace Hannah and James Ward's family fully.
Similarly with great-uncle Walter, I was able to trace most of his life, except for his marriage. I believe it took place either in India or Ceylon sometime between 1927 and 1931, but I cannot find a record anywhere of that event. If your father can help, I would be most grateful.
Unfortunately, your e-mail address has not been shown, so possibly the best way we can communicate is either through RootsChat, or , if you have a friend who is a member of Ancestry.com, through them. If you use the latter method, please feel free to access my family tree and view the profiles of the Ward family in Canada and (I believe) in Massachusetts USA.
I really do look forward to hearing from you all.
Best wishes
IAN BLAKESLEY
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That is definitely my gran! I was able to get a quick view of a picture on Ancestry.ca that showed my gran as a young woman. OH! I so would like to view more. This is so exciting!!!
Who have you contacted in Mass? Bernard, my now deceased uncle moved there in the 1970's with his daughters Amy, Amanda and I believe that his youngest daughter Jessica was born there. I have not seen these cousins since I was about four years old. They have two half brothers close to your age, Peter and Michael who live in Ontario, Canada. My Aunt, named Cisley is also deceased. She had one daughter named Lesley. My father Eric remains the last living child of Hannah and Jim.
I do not have many pictures of my grandparents and so to see them is a wonderful thing. Hannah and Jim died within 6 months of each other when I was four, in 1973.
From what little I understand, Dad says that Walter worked for Thomas cook while he was in India. I look forward to seaking to you more so that we can connect through personal messages and perhaps phone...Do you have skype? It is a wonderful way to connect with people.
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Ian, you might also be interested to note that my Father, Eric is putting together his memoirs at the moment. I believe that he will be of great use to you. All the best.
h
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Hullo, Hannah; thank you so much for your latest message. Unfortunately, I don't have Skype yet as far as I know. I am a comparative novice with computers, but luckily I have an excellent family-run IT shop very close to my flat, so I'll ask their advice.
I would love a copy of your father's life story. I know so little about your side of the family other than what I have gleaned through my Ancestry research and memories of my own. For example, I know far more about Great-Uncle Walter.
Through RootsChat, I got in touch with the official archivist for Thomas Cook Ltd. They forwarded extracts from the Company's Magazine, which summarised his career, but were unable to tell me when and where he got married to his wife. Could your father tell me, possibly?
Thank you for telling me when James Ward and Hannah Ward died and also your aunt Cicely. I assume she emigrated to Canada at the same time as them?
I have not contacted anyone in Massachusetts, as I have no addresses. All I know is that Bernard Ward became a naturalised US citizen in 1965 in Billerica.
I attach some more photographs, which, I hope, you will like. I have your e-mail address, so I'll e-mail you so as to give you mine, so as not to reveal it here (RootsChat privacy protection),
Best wishes
IAN BLAKESLEY
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Just to add to this lovely family reunion...I know Spratton VERY well!!!
My dad was born in Coton ;D
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Hi Hannah and Ian.
I live near to Spratton and know it very well.
If you wish for help to earlier records for Spratton "Wards"
let us know by starting a topic on the Northants Board.
I have all the gravestones of the Churchyard and Cemetery
if you wish me to look up any remaining family (if they still
remain) are noted.
The Spratton Local History Society have also brought out a book
and a cd rom of the Inhabitants of Spratton which lists "Wards" but
at an earlier time span.
Rootschat at it's best - uniting relations already in the New Year.
Sandy
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I have been in that graveyard. It's a bit strange to see your name. :-\ I had thought that the cottage at the end of the road near the curve was in the family for some time. that might explain the exisitance of Wards...Dad was born in that house and when he was eight months old, they moved.
these are some notes that I took when this summer I visited my father in Toronto. Dad was going over his "humble" beginnings.
Eric George Ward had Jaundice
When Eric was 8 months old James George Ward took an appointment in Canterbury
hannah Elizabeth Blakesley called nana was in service, she was a ladies maid... She overcame her basic upbringing and was afforded luxuries that appointment allowed
Hannah's brother was Harry Blakesley asked what Jim's intentions were towards his sister. This was a result of a 10 year courtship.
Mary Pearson Blakesley, born in the villiage Wold or Old.
William Blakesley was a brewmaster called Will and had three children when he married Mary and she had three children, Hannah, Walter and Harry.
I look forward to more and more and more. HOW EXCITING!!! I have attempted to attach a photo of Eric from this past summer.
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Wow, Hannah! It's like we've opened a dam; so much information is pouring out.
The cottage belonged to the Pearson family, who had been in the village of Spratton as farmers, landowners and minor squires since the 15th. century. It was part of a group of thatched cottages, which were demolished in the 1950s, probably because they were declared as "unfit" for human habitation, i.e. they had no inside toilets or specious reasons like that....typical bureaucratic vandalism. Today they would be restored by rich commuters and command £250000 (nearly $400000) each,
Can i just add a little to your father's memories? Hannah was described in the census of 1901 as a " nurse"; not the same meaning as today. A "nurse" or nursery governess would look after the young children of the family before they went to school. Hannah's father was Edward, who had a variety of jobs over his life, which included brewing beer for local farmers and publicans.
Edward was married twice: first to Clara Masters, from Flore, near Daventry in Northamptonshire, by whom he had four children: Leonard, Matilda, Lawrence and David. Leonard died, aged only 16, as the result of a shooting incident.The two younger brothers, who were so alike they were mistaken as twins, were footmen at Goodwood House in West Sussex and later both settled in London. Matilda's great-granddaughter Gaynor was one of the first members of Ancestry to contact me; she had been looking for other Blakesleys for 20 years!
Edward's second wife, Mary Pearson, bore him five children: Hannah, Harry and Willie(twins, but Willie died after only three days), Frank (died aged 3 years) and Walter.
Seeing all the lovely photos of you and your family( and the brilliant one of your Dad!), I can see the family resemblances.
My father was Harry's son, christened Douglas Arthur, but always. known as Peter, for reasons even he couldn't tell me.
Early afternoons actually are ideal for me, being retired with all the time I need.I am usually checking e-mails around midday.
I must finish off now, as it is nearly 0100 GMT and I need my beauty sleep. I'd like to attach one more photo, one of my father ( who I lost in 1993).
Hannah, thanks so much for getting in contact; this is the one reason I started this whole family research: to connect with my cousins in North America. Take care all of you: we'll keep in contact.
Warmest regards and best wishes
Ian Blakesley
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Not been on here for a good while and was pleasantly suprised to see this topic.
The Pearsons of Spratton connect direct to my wife who comes down the Paternal line
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Hullo "Man of Kent". Thank you so much for your message. I am fascinated to know that your wife is a Pearson descendant. I am a member of Ancestry and I have been trying to trace the Pearsons who left Spratton for London and subsequently Canada. Is she connected to that branch, please or how are we connected?
If you could send me some names and dates, hopefully I can link them up with my existing research; I will be most grateful.
Best wishes
Ian Blakesley.