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General => Armed Forces => World War One => Topic started by: annesthreads on Saturday 30 April 16 17:19 BST (UK)

Title: Samuel Elijah Prestidge, Northamptonshire Regiment, regimental no.20864
Post by: annesthreads on Saturday 30 April 16 17:19 BST (UK)
I've been looking for service records for the above. I've found the records for his death and the fact that he's listed on the war memorial at Thiepval, but I can't find his name in enlistment or service records. I'm new to military records - should I be expecting to find him in the indexes on Ancestry and Find my Past? Thankyou.
Title: Re: Samuel Elijah Prestidge, Northamptonshire Regiment, regimental no.20864
Post by: CaroleW on Saturday 30 April 16 17:22 BST (UK)
Over 60% of WW1 service records were burnt during the WW2 blitz.  If you have been unable to locate them on the sites you mention they will have been part of those destroyed
Title: Re: Samuel Elijah Prestidge, Northamptonshire Regiment, regimental no.20864
Post by: CaroleW on Saturday 30 April 16 17:25 BST (UK)
There is a Medal Roll Index entry for him - do you already have it?

http://www.rootschat.com/links/01hjm/
Title: Re: Samuel Elijah Prestidge, Northamptonshire Regiment, regimental no.20864
Post by: annesthreads on Saturday 30 April 16 17:29 BST (UK)
Quote from: CaroleW on Saturday 30 April 16 17:22 BST (UK)
Over 60% of WW1 service records were burnt during the WW2 blitz.  If you have been unable to locate them on the sites you mention they will have been part of those destroyed
Ah, that will be why! Thankyou. I'll stop looking! And yes, I've found the medal record, thanks.
Title: Re: Samuel Elijah Prestidge, Northamptonshire Regiment, regimental no.20864
Post by: jim1 on Sunday 01 May 16 18:13 BST (UK)
According to the Roll he was in the 2nd. Batt. On the day he was killed he was involved in the attack on the village of Contalmaison France.
The attack on the 7th. brought many casualties & by the end of the day the Batt. had to retire to a position between Birch Wood & Peake Wood where they entrenched.
On the 8th. a second attempt was made but again they had to fall back due to heavy machine gun fire from the village (intel. said the village had been evacuated by the Germans by this time) & heavy artillery fire from Mametz wood.
Your man was one of 20 OR's to perish during this attempt.
At the end. of the 8th. July the Batt. were relieved & moved back to Lonely Copse just South of Lozenge Wood.
Map 1 shows the first attack on the village. Map 2 shows the  initial advance.
Title: Re: Samuel Elijah Prestidge, Northamptonshire Regiment, regimental no.20864
Post by: annesthreads on Monday 02 May 16 16:28 BST (UK)
Jim - thankyou so much for this. He was a friend's grandfather and they've never managed to discover more than the basic information.This will mean a lot to her. Thanks again.
Title: Re: Samuel Elijah Prestidge, Northamptonshire Regiment, regimental no.20864
Post by: Stebie9173 on Sunday 08 May 16 20:42 BST (UK)
Based on his number his date of enlistment would have been 12 October 1915. I would probably expect him to have been sent to the Western Front in March or April 1916.


Steve.