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General => Armed Forces => World War One => Topic started by: *Sandra* on Monday 02 March 26 19:57 GMT (UK)
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A second request for the brother of the above post from the same young researcher. This one is Pvt Nathaniel Wallace - born 1891 - Waterbeck Lackerleie Dumfrieshire
Discharge Date 14 Mar 1919 - Service Number 41793 - Corps, Regiment or Unit Highland Light Infantry.
UK, British Army World War I Medal Rolls Index Cards, 1914-1920
King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, Highland Light Infantry. Regimental Number 2902, 41793
Any military information would be appreciated.
Thank You
Sandra
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Not sure what's being asked for.
WALLACE
NATHANIEL
COWAN
M
1890
829 / 13
Hoddom
WALLACE
NATHANIEL COWAN
91
COWAN
M
1981
836 / 34
Moffat
SS
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Just military information of where he might have been involved on the battlefields.
Thank you.
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Would Nathaniel have been involved in the same battle (Battle of the Lys (1918)) as brother Robert Cowan on this link ?
https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=897047.msg7718364
Sandra
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The picture is a little confusing. I can find no evidence of when he enlisted,
but if we assume that he volunteered and joined up in Dumfries, this might have been in the King's Own Scottish Borderers which is where he ws allocated the number 2902, around the Autumn of 1914 through to Feb 1915. He was therefore either part of the 2/5th or 3/5th Battalion KOSB. Neither of these battalions left the UK and their manpower was used to reinforce other units. [This part deleted in light of the information given by Neale below]
We know he was was overseas (due to being awarded the British War and Victory Medals), so he must have transferred to the HLI at some stage after completing his training. One of the references on FindMyPast mentions him as being in both the 12th and 18th Battalions HLI. However I don't think he went to the 12th Battalion (or at least not for long) because there is a record of another man named Private David Craig who was in the 12th battalion (and incidently who died in August 1917) with the number 41973 and I think it highly unlikely that there would be two men in the same battalion with the same number. The second, and slightly less persuasive, reason is that the 12th HLI deployed to France in July 1915 and if he had been with them he would have been awarded the 1915 Star which we know from his medal card he did not receive.
If my reasoning is correct then he was part of the 18th HLI. The 18th (Service) Battalion (4th Glasgow) landed in France as part of the 106th Brigade in the 35th Division in February 1916 for service on the Western Front. Interestingly the battalion was formed as one of the Bantam Battalions (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bantam_(military)). Do you know if Nathaniel was particularly short, that is to say, between 5ft and 5ft 3 inches? I can find little information about exactly where the 106th Infantry Brigade was employed, other than they took part in the battles of the Somme and Cambrai (1916) where they suffered heavy casualties.
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No service records exist for Private Nathaniel Wallace.
The medal roll shows he was with -
• King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry 21st Infantry Base Depot (number 2902). This was a training and reinforcement facility located in Etaples, France.
• Highland Light Infantry 12th battalion (number 41793)
• Highland Light Infantry 18th battalion (number 41793)
However there is no information about when he was transferred from one to the other.
There is a Pension Record Ledger for Nathaniel which might give you more information. Unfortunately, I cannot access it on Ancestry Fold 3.
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Do you know if Nathaniel was particularly short, that is to say, between 5ft and 5ft 3 inches?
That might be possible. His younger brother, Robert, was only 5ft 5 ½ inches tall.
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Just a small bit of additional information
Nathaniel married Jane HENRY on 22 Dec 1911
Their first children were born in 1912, 1913, 1916, 1917. (So 2 kids born during war-time)
The next child was named after Nathaniel’s deceased brother - Robert Cowan Craig WALLACE, born in 1920.
Several more children born after that date as well.
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Thank you both very much
The youngster will be delighted you were able to give more information.
Sandra
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There is a Pension Record Ledger for Nathaniel which might give you more information. Unfortunately, I cannot access it on Ancestry Fold 3.
There is a pension record which confirms that he was 41793 HLI, discharged on 11/3/1919 due to Gun Shot Wounds to his shoulder and chest.
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Does it say where he was when he was wounded please ?
Thank You
Sandra
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Does it say where he was when he was wounded please ?
Thank You
Sandra
That record does not but a search of the Weekly Casualty Lists (held by the National Library of Scotland) shows the list that was published on the 12th November 1918 and there were a number of men of the Highland Light Infantry including Nathaniel. It shows ... Wallace, 41793 (Ecclefechan) .... Ecclefechan would be his / his next of kin home town / village.
Although it does not record a date of his wounding, it is accepted that the Casualty Lists normally reflect deaths and wounding's that occurred 4 to 6 weeks previous to the date of publication.
Regarding where he was when wounded ... a very quick look at the Battalion's war diaries show that they were in the Ypres (Belgium) area during September and October 1918.
(snippet image courtesy of the National Library of Scotland)
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Fantastic, thank you so much for all your help. Again this is great information for a new researcher just starting out.
Regards
Sandra
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Happy to assist where I can :)