Army information about Alfred Coleshill 3952 WW1

[Luke Elmore]

Hi I was wondering if anyone can tell me more about my great grandad his name was Alfred Coleshill and his was in the Coldstream Guard I just really want to know what places he went his service number is 3952 thanks luke

[CaroleW]

Over 60% of WW1 service records were destroyed during the WW2 blitz.  No trace of anything for Alfred except a Medal Roll Index Card showing he was a Private and was awarded the British & Victory medals plus the 14 star

[MaxD]

He also has a Silver War Badge which shows he joined the Coldstream in December 1900.  He went to France on 11 September 1914 when the CG battalions were already there so at the moment we can't tell which battalion he served with (there were 3 in his time frame) .  He was discharged in October 1916 with chronic nephritis (a kidney disease).
This link:
https://coldstreamguards.org.uk/pages/history will take you to the CG history although not knowing his battalion means we can't be sure where to place him!

There is a pension record card for him in the Fold3 (extra subscription) element of Ancestry.  I doubt it will say what battalion he was with though.

In 1901 he was at the Guards Depot in training, can't find him in 1911. 

CaroleW is absolutely right but there is a twist with the Guards regiments.  Up until recently, in the case of the CG Oct 1918, the regiments kept duplicate copies of their service records which were not among those destroyed and which one could apply to the regimental archivists for.  These though are now all at Glasgow and can be applied for in the same way as post 1920/21 records. https://www.gov.uk/get-copy-military-service-records.

There is also another avenue I wish to explore.  I'll get back.

Max

[CaroleW]

That's interesting about the Guards records Max - will bear that in mind for future posts so thank you for the info

[Luke Elmore]

He was definitely at the front line because my grandad told me he was the first person to go over and he said he was in the Trenches and I think it was like Christmas and he got sent a chocolate tin

[MaxD]

This is what the troops were sent in the first Christmas:
https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/look-inside-the-princess-mary-gift-fund-1914-box

The definition of "first person to go over" is perhaps a little off the mark.  His medal record https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D1880618
has the date of entry to France as 11 September 1914, all 3 of the Coldstream battalions had been there since August.
https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/regiments-and-corps/the-british-infantry-regiments-of-1914-1918/coldstream-guards/

I am on the track I hope of finding which battalion he was with which will give us more detail.

MaxD

[Luke Elmore]

I think he told my grandad he was in the 3 or 2 Battalion he really can’t remember he just said he survived the run

[MaxD]

I've been in touch with someone who has a large database of the Coldstream, his name does not appear in the roll of 4th Battalion or in any of the other partial sources he has.   Your choice now if you really wish to know about his battalion, and thus his war, is to apply to Glasgow for his record as suggested earlier.  From war diaries I get only that 1st Battalion received 218 reinforcements on 20 Sep which would fit entering France on 11 Sep.  2nd Bn received reinforcement on 4 Sep and I find no clues with 3rd Bn.

MaxD

[Luke Elmore]

Thank you for looking for me I really appreciate your help and I really want to know more where he went. I have checked his medal roll card and it says he was qualified on the 11 September 1914