Service numbers

[Flowed]

Hi everyone. I've had no joy finding records of my grandfather's war service, however on photos he always wears the same badge. A relative messages me that it has the number 102146 on it. Is this a service number? I can't make out what the badge actually looks like or says. His name is William King though. Help.

[Flowed]

Oh, and I should have said that he would have been with British forces in WW1.

[rosie99]

Over 50% of WW1 service records were destroyed in WW2 so you may never find anything for him

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pathways/firstworldwar/service_records/sr_soldiers.htm

[MaxD]

 It certainly looks like a service number but of the 17 men with a service number 102146 for whom some record survives, none are your man.  Rosie is absolutely right, it is a needle in an unknown haystack at the moment!

Might be worth posting a clip of the badge which someone may be able to identify.  If it is a medal, then it would be engraved around the edge if round or on the back if a star.  If it is a unit badge then they didn't have numbers (except regiment numbers sometimes).  Presumably he s in uniform when wearing the badge, that may be identifiable, can we see that?

MaxD

[jim1]

If it's a badge it may also be the SWB. If he's in civvies.

[MaxD]

Didn't find a Silver War Badge with that service number Jim although some with 2 regiments shown so could be the "other" number.

MaxD

[Gwil]

There is a Silver War Badge for a William King (shown as Wm) 2147 in 8th Manchesters. It has that badge number quoted in post one.
Enlisted 9 3 1914 and discharged wounded 30 5 1916.
No records apparent.

Landed Egypt 25 9 1914.

Wounded in Gallipoli most likely.

1/8th (Ardwick) Battalion
August 1914 : in Ardwick. Part of Manchester Brigade, East Lancashire Division.
Record same as 1/5th Bn.
19 february 1918 : transferred to 126th Brigade in same Division.

1/5th Battalion
August 1914 : in Bank Chambers, Wigan. Part of Manchester Brigade, East Lancashire Division. Moved to near Rochdale.
25 September 1914 : landed at Alexandria in Egypt.
6 May 1915 : landed on Gallipoli.
26 May 1915 : formation became 127th Brigade, 42nd (East Lancashire) Division.
28 December 1915 : evacuated from Gallipoli, landed on Mudros and proceeded to Egypt.
2March 1917 : landed Marseilles and proceeded to the Western Front.

[MaxD]

Good spot Gwil, must have a word with my optician!

MaxD

[Flowed]

YOU FOLK ARE TOTALLY AMAZING!!! And Gwil I strongly suspect you have found the right man as William was from Ardwick, Manchester and I always thought he'd been in Gallipoli but can't pinpoint where or when I heard that; just random information which has floated up through the passage of time.
One question which has me puzzled....If William was discharged injured on 30 May 1916 why would he be arriving at the Western Front in March 1917? Called up again? If so then I can see that we as a family were extremely fortunate to get him back a second time, and that we are all here today as a result. I can remember him showing me his war-wounds...very deep scars where chunks of flesh had disappeared.

Oh, and what does a Silver Badge represent? I am still waiting for a nephew to send me a photo of the badge but he does say that from memory words on it say something about Britain and Returned Soldiers.

I'm arriving in England in September to do what I'm calling The Grandad Trail, visiting sites where I know he was and lived/worked etc, so I am SO SO thrilled to have the gap of his war years very likely filled in  THANKS AGAIN