Is this possible?

[Linda_J]

Hi

I am not sure this is the correct board to post this as it covers the years before ww1 as well as ww1.

I recently found an American newspaper article dated 16 February 1914 which reads as follows-

FORMERLY OF QUEEN'S OWN
Soldier in British Army Is Recruited by Company A.
John Charles Measday, who served six years in the Queen's Own Regiment in the British army, was collated in Company A Friday night. He is said to be a crack shot.

This raises a few of questions.

First what is/was Company A.?

Second and more involved. If this is the same person that I am researching and who arrived in America in August 1911. If he went to America soon after leaving the army then he would have joined in 1905. BUT he would have been just 12 years old in 1905. Is this possible?

Third. A passenger list shows he returned to the UK with his family in July 1915 and stayed until July 1919 but I can find no record of him serving in the British Army in ww1. But a bit of a coincidence is that his father did serve and his service covers from roughly a month after his son arrived to roughly a month before his son left to return to America.

This has left me rather puzzled so any opinions welcome.

Linda

[neil1821]

FORMERLY OF QUEEN'S OWN
Soldier in British Army Is Recruited by Company A.
John Charles Measday, who served six years in the Queen's Own Regiment in the British army, was collated in Company A Friday night. He is said to be a crack shot.

Is that the whole article? 

The context and the fact it's an American newspaper suggests that he's joining the US Army here, not the British Army.
Company A on its own is not much of a clue. A company is a subdivision of a battalion, and what we're not told here, it seems, is the battalion.

So if you're looking for him in WW1, you should check US Army records too.

[ainslie]

A few thoughts:
Company A is surely the US way of talking, while British use is A Company.  Is the cutting from a local, small-town paper?  Perhaps it was a small enough place to have a company, but not a battalion, based there, as happens/ed with British Territorials.  Signing on on a Friday night sounds very much like a part-time thing - National Guard perhaps?

The Queen's Own had a fuller,formal title from 1881 to 1961: The Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment.  It then merged with the Buffs (Royal East Kent) and more has happened since!

[Linda_J]

Hi Neil and ainslie

Thanks for your comments.
The newspaper was in fact the Rochester Democrat Chronicle February 1914 (Rochester, New York). So I agree that Company A was an American Army unit.
But as he returned to the UK for the duration of the war, I did not think he had remained in the American Army.

To put the picture a little clearer this is the time frame.
He arrived in America in August 1911.
He was married in Rochester, New York in 1913.
He joined Company A. according to newspaper in 1914.
His son was born in New York State in 1915.
He arrived in Liverpool, England with his wife and son in July 1915.
A daughter born in England is registered in 1916.
He left the UK with his now increased family and arrived back in America in July 1919.

Linda

[Redroger]

Certainly historically there have been drummer boys in the army; I don't know the age at which they were recruited, but it is possible. The Royal Navy in WW1 and before had a rank Boy 1st class, Jack Cornwell who won the VC at the battle of Jutland in 1916 was 16 at the time of his death. If he joined before the outbreak of war as I believe he did, he would have been 14 at most.

[Redroger]

Just noticed Linda, what period are you researching Stanton and where did they originate?

[km1971]

Certainly historically there have been drummer boys in the army

This is wrong I am afraid. These were two separate ranks. When a Private earned 1s a day, a Boy (under 18) earned 8d and a Drummer earned 1s 1d a day.

Before WW1 you enlisted in the army for 12 years. You could serve for 3 years with the rest in the Reserve. But the three years started at the age of 18, so a Reservist would have had to be 21 years old. And as a Reservist he would have needed permission to emigrate.

The numbers just do not stack up.

He may have joined the TF (Territorial Force) in 1910 at the age of 17. Served the minimum of one year, and lied to ‘Company A’. But then why would the Americans believe an 18 year old could have six years soldiering experience?

If he was discharged before WW1 his papers may be in Kew. If you cannot get to Kew Findmypast will be putting them online by 2011.

What age did he give at the time of his US marriage? And have you see a scan of the cutting, or has it been transcribed?

Ken

[Linda_J]

Hi Redroger  and Ken

Thanks for your input.
Yes the numbers do not add up which is why I was puzzled but I know nothing at all about army matters.
The newspaper article was from a digital image (whole page) with the date etc, so this could be a different person or he told a fib or the newspaper reported it wrong.

Redroger, the Stanton's are from Builth, Breconshire from about 1795 through to the early 1900's. We belive that earlier they were around Presteigne, Radnorshire through out the 1700's. Before that is any ones guess!

Thanks again
Linda

[Lexi]

Hi LJ,

What newspaper did you find the article in?  The New York Times? 

You could contact the the Milstein Division of the New York Public Library, the staff will perform limited research.   

 http://www.nypl.org/research/chss/lhg/genea.html

http://www.nypl.org/research/chss/lhg/genea.cfm

Lexi