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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Cheshire => Topic started by: GMB2010 on Monday 05 September 11 20:41 BST (UK)
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I've just come across some postcards sent by my grandfather to his father during WW1. He was born in Wrexham on 17th Oct 1894 but was living in Chester in 1911 and after the war. The first postcard was of Knaphill in Surrey but had a Pirbright Camp postmark and dated May 1915. The next one was dated July 1915 and said he was at sea on active service. The next 2 were from hospitals in Malta and dated Oct & Nov 1915, and the final one from Bagshot Park. I have a photo of him in uniform (attached) with sergeant's stripes but no service number. I'm fairly certain he must have been in the 8th Battalion of the Cheshire Regiment, but I'd love to know his service record and the reason for him being hospitalised
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Have you contacted the Cheshire Regiment museum:
http://www.cheshiremilitarymuseum.co.uk/museum-services/research.aspx
regards
Shep
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Thanks, I'll try that tomorrow.
BTW, I notice you have Chaloner on your list of surnames. Yesterday I was doing some research into Sarah Jane Eaves who married Frederick Charles Chaloner in Chester in 1905. Is that in your tree?
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The only one I can see that is perhaps close has an address of 16 Stanlow Cottages, Ellesemere Port.
12th Batt. Cheshire Regiment. ???
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Unfortunately that's not him. He was living in Gough Court off Northgate St in Chester at the time.
I don't have access to Ancestry, but on the free search I did see a William S Bradshaw in the medals section. Do you have access to that?
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Not likely.
William S. Bradshaw
Army Cyclist Corps 3757 & South Wales Borderers 42128.
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Did you mean to write William S Bradshaw?
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Yes :o
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Hi - I'm no expert, so this may not be a valid comment, but here goes anyway. I hope it's helpful.
I don't recognise that cap badge as a Cheshire Regiment badge. Have you researched it? I've attached a photo of my grandfather's cap badge. Here's a link to the badge on Wikipedia and another to what I take to be a WW1 badge.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Cheshire-Cap-Badge.jpg
http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=162666
My grandfather was in the 1/4th Cheshires during WW1. I visited and contacted the regimental museum in Chester. They tried but weren't very helpful. My grandfather also sailed to the Med with his battalion in mid 1915 to take part in the Dardinelles campaign. Perhaps that's where your grandfather was heading. Mine ended up in hospital in Alexandria to recover from disentry, but that was after months at Gallipoli.
HTH
Les
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I agree with Scottiedog, not like a Cheshire cap badge.
The cap badge to me looks like the South Wales Borderers.
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I take your point about the cap badge, but why would someone living in Chester join the South Wales Borderers? Maybe because he was born in Wrexham, but usually men volunteered with their friends to be together in a local regiment. Checking the regimental records, the 4th (Service) Battalion of the Borderers was in Cirencester until June 29th 1915 when it moved to Woking - this doesn't tie in with the date on my first postcard. It did however embark from Avonmouth to Mudros, arriving on July 12th - this could tie in with the second postcard.
The other option is that the photo is actually of my grandfather's brother John Thomas Bradshaw who was born in Wrexham in 1896, but also living at Gough Court in Chester at the start of the war.
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From the soldiers in my tree who lived in Chester, they either enlisted in the Royal Welch Fusiliers or the Cheshire Regiment.
There is a medal index card for a Private John Thomas Bradshaw who was in both the Cheshire Regiment (39278) and the Lancashire Regiment (64643). There is also a note on the bottom of the card 'S.W.B . list J/863' - anyone know what that means?
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Silver War Badge
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The cap badge on my photo isn't Royal Welsh Fusiliers or Cheshire Regiment.
I've made a research request to the Cheshire Regiment Museum as I'm still fairly certain from the postcards that my grandfather was in the Cheshires. However, I'm now thinking that the photo is of his brother John Thomas Bradshaw who was described as a soldier on his marriage certificate in 1916.