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Hi Alan,

I have an aunt and uncle (children of Jim) as well as several grandchildren all living in Christchurch. They were not aware of any newspaper articles at the time of Jim's death. However, I am told that the RSA and one of my cousins now have enough to replace his headstone.

Thanks for your kind thoughts.

 

Thanks Crisane,

It turns out that my grandfather was not in the 153rd Machine Gun Company. He had been with the 9th Battalion, Machine Gun Corps when he recovered those animals. The award of Military Medal was gazetted on 17 June 1919 (Issue no 63). I have read that MM's gazetted at that time usually were for actions undertaken about October 1918. I have not been able to access the actual gazette - my inexperience showing up?
 
I understand that the 9th MGB was part of the 9th (Scottish) Division, which was in the Battle of Ypes (28 Sep - 2 Oct 1918), the Battle of Courtrai (14- 19 Oct 1918) and action at Ooteghem on 25 Oct 1918 so I'll try to find a War Diary of the 9th Battalion, MGC for that period to see if Jim's actions were mentioned. If he is not identified by name, that Officer who was with him may have been mentioned.

My grandfather, James McKenzie, served with the Black Watch during World War 1. His service number was 2921, and then 17357 after transfer to the Machine Gun Corps. Sometime during the war he was awarded the Military Medal after he and an unknown officer (awarded the MC) recovered under heavy enemy fire some much needed animals which had entered no mans land.

I have not been able to find out much more about his service. I presume that he initially served with the 1/7th (Fife) Battalion before moving to the 153 Machine Gun Company, both of which were part of the 153 (2nd Highland) Brigade. However, my reading of the War Diaries of both units have not identified Jim. There were others with the same name in the 153 MGC.

After the war, Jim married in Co Durham before moving to New Zealand in 1925.

Are there other places to look at, or would anyone have any information about my Jim McKenzie?

Several years ago, I wrote about Owen and Anne and their 9 children. At the time, I thought that their son Richard Griffiths (c.26/6/1791 LT - bur.9/4/1855 LT) had married to Maria Jones (1799 Plas Newydd). I now know that Richard really married to a Mary Owens (abt.1790) as her name is shown in the death record of their daughter Jane.

Richard and Mary had 4 children: -
- William Griffiths abt.1823 LT died abt.1900 NZ who married in Ruabon in 1844 to Sarah Edwards
   (1822 -1892 NZ). They had 7 children in 3 Denbighshire, 1 Herefordshire and 3 Australia.
- Edward Griffiths abt.1833 LT died 1918 NZ - he never married.
- Jane Griffiths abt.1836 LT died 1920 in NZ married 1855 in Australia to Abraham Mason
   Wainwright. They had 2 daughters in Australia and 2 more in New Zealand.
- Margaret Griffiths abt. 1818 died 1866 West Derby, Lancs married in Wrexham in 1839 to Peter
   Jones. They had 3 children.
 
Richard Griffiths (1791) is thought to have been living at Nant in 1831 when he was appointed a guardian of the younger children of John Jones of the "Harp Inn". Richard still was at Nant in 1851. It is unknown as to why the family left Nant. Records of a 1856 emigration to the USA of Welsh converts to the Mormon faith reveal that one convert, Richard Griffiths of Llanfair Talhaearn, had recently died and so could not make the journey with the others. The only death in the area around that time appears to be the 1855 one for Richard Griffiths then living in the Village of Llanfair Talhaearn.
 
It is unusual that no marriage record for Richard Griffiths nor for the births/ baptisms of his children have been located, whereas such records have been found for his siblings and their families. Is it possible that any such records for Richard and his family were expunged from church records when Richard converted to the Mormon faith?

By the way, Mary Owens (abt.1790) was one of 4 daughters of Owen Owens (1752- 1832 LT) and Gwen Hughes (1751- 1833 LT). Each of those 4 (then married) daughters was mentioned in their father's 1832 will. It also mentioned his only son Owen Owens (1781- 1854 LT) who married in 1844 to Mary Jones (1797 -1866 LT), a sister of Maria Jones (1799 -1850) mentioned earlier.

At Chevington on 30 June 1681 Thomas Nunn married Elizabeth Clark.
Other family trees I have found show that Elizabeth was born in 1660 at Swaffham Prior, Cambridgeshire to parents William Clarke and Grace Wheler. However, none of Thomas' and Elizabeth's children have the names of those grandparents.
I think that Elizabeth was born 11 Sep and baptised 12 Sep 1660 in Chevington to parents Ann (unknown) and John Kidby Clerke, with Ann and John appearing in the names of the grandchildren.
Thomas Nunn likely was baptised 9 Oct 1653 in Bradfield Saint George.
Does the marriage record show where Thomas and Elizabeth came from, or the names of any witnesses?
Thanks for your help.