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Author Topic: Middlesex Regiment 3540 PTE A. BLANCHE  (Read 1176 times)

Offline MaisieCat

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Middlesex Regiment 3540 PTE A. BLANCHE
« on: Wednesday 12 September 12 23:45 BST (UK) »
Hi,

I'm hoping somebody can help me find out a little more about what happened to my Mum's Grandad, Alfred Blanche (b. 1876), during WW1.

We have his war medals (I got the regiment and army number from them), cap badge and another badge type item which I have yet to identify.

We also have two letters he wrote back to his son (Mum's Dad), one dated 14 June 1918 and one 22 August 1918; the later of the two says that he had been hoping to be home to help with the harvest, but didn't expect that to happen.  We even have the envelopes, so I wonder if the postmarks might help.  The envelopes are stamped "Passed by censor No 1319" in case that helps!

I do know he did get home (I have another letter he wrote to Grandad in 1946) and have been told that he was blinded in one eye in the war.

I did wonder whether the letters were written from some kind of army 'field hospital' as the June 1918 letter says
Quote
"... hope they hear from Uncle Bob soon, good job I got hit or I might have been like him or worse so I am very pleased that I did ... am not such a long way from home you know only can't get there that's the trouble..."

Brings a tear to my eye every time I read it ...

If anyone has any ideas regarding how I might find out more, I'd be really grateful.  I wondered how I might go about finding out which battalion he was in, as I assume there is information out there somewhere about where each battalion got sent.

Earlier on in the June 1918 letter he says that it's been about 7 months since he last saw the family, so I suppose he must have left around November/ December 1917.

I haven't had any luck searching any online records and I'm not sure where else to try (I have a current findmypast subscription, but not Ancestry (I believe they may have more records but I'm not sure).

I do hope someone can help as I'd dearly love to find out.

Thank you all in advance.





Offline Buzancy18

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Re: Middlesex Regiment 3540 PTE A. BLANCHE
« Reply #1 on: Thursday 13 September 12 00:22 BST (UK) »
Alfred Blanche 3540 Middlesex Regiment, 578040 Labour Corps, GS102909 Royal Fusiliers, awarded the Victory and British Medal so post 1915.
Buzancy18
Girdwood, Fergusson, Graham, Porteous, Watson, Donaldson,

Offline GrahamSimons

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Re: Middlesex Regiment 3540 PTE A. BLANCHE
« Reply #2 on: Thursday 13 September 12 00:23 BST (UK) »
His medal card is available on the National Archives website.

He's recorded as 3540 in the Middlesex Regiment, but also 578040 in the Labour Corps and GS/102909 in the Royal Fusiliers, so he changed units twice. [just beaten to this discovery by the previous post!]

I couldn't find his service record, though - might be me not searching effectively, but over half the records were destroyed by bombing in WW2 and his may well have been among them.
Simons Barrett Jaffray Waugh Langdale Heugh Meade Garnsey Evans Vazie Mountcure Glascodine Parish Peard Smart Dobbie Sinclair....
in Stirlingshire, Roxburghshire; Bucks; Devon; Somerset; Northumberland; Carmarthenshire; Glamorgan

Offline MaisieCat

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Re: Middlesex Regiment 3540 PTE A. BLANCHE
« Reply #3 on: Sunday 23 September 12 13:23 BST (UK) »
Thanks so much for looking this up for me both of you.

I didn't realise you could see such stuff on the National Archives website.  Is that where you looked for the service record too?

I wondered if there was a way of finding out where that regiment was posted and what they were doing.  Any ideas?

Thanks again.

Offline forester

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Re: Middlesex Regiment 3540 PTE A. BLANCHE
« Reply #4 on: Sunday 23 September 12 22:45 BST (UK) »
He was transferred to the Labour Corps at some time in the period May to September 1918 and probably towards the latter end of it, which may tie in with the second letter. (From "No Labour, No Battle")

Phil
Sussex: Satcher (Hamsey) and Gatton (East Grinstead)
Leicestershire: Pratt
South Wales: Evans (Neath)
Poland: Gonet, Deren

Forest Row: War Memorial and Camp WW1
Lewisham War Memorials & WW1 Graves

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Offline forester

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Re: Middlesex Regiment 3540 PTE A. BLANCHE
« Reply #5 on: Sunday 23 September 12 23:01 BST (UK) »
The GS/102909 Royal Fusiliers service number looks like it belongs to the 43rd or 44th (Garrison) Battalions.

From the Long Long Trail:

43rd and 44th (Garrison) Battalions
Formed in France in May and September 1918 from Garrison Guard Companies, for duty at the five Army HQ's. Manned by troops who had been rated as medically unfit for front line duty.

http://www.1914-1918.net/royalfus.htm

Phil
Sussex: Satcher (Hamsey) and Gatton (East Grinstead)
Leicestershire: Pratt
South Wales: Evans (Neath)
Poland: Gonet, Deren

Forest Row: War Memorial and Camp WW1
Lewisham War Memorials & WW1 Graves

Census information is Crown Copyright  http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

Offline DavidGreenall110

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Re: Middlesex Regiment 3540 PTE A. BLANCHE
« Reply #6 on: Sunday 23 September 12 23:59 BST (UK) »
What does the other badge look like?

David
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Offline MaisieCat

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Re: Middlesex Regiment 3540 PTE A. BLANCHE
« Reply #7 on: Monday 24 September 12 14:16 BST (UK) »
forester Thanks  - That does make some kind of sense.  I was told he was blinded in one eye in the war, but maybe that was before he was in the batallion formed from this unfit for frontline duty.

David I'll try and post a picture shortly...

Thank you both for your help and interest.

Anne-Marie

Offline MaisieCat

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Re: Middlesex Regiment 3540 PTE A. BLANCHE
« Reply #8 on: Monday 24 September 12 20:05 BST (UK) »
I have finally worked out how to reduce the size of the photo I took in order to post it!

The 'unidentified' badge is the one at the bottom right.  I assume the badge on the left is his cap badge - it has a kind of 'hook' on the back.

Thanks for having a look for me.
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