Albert Price 6357

[Rothwell]

I'm trying to piece together my grandfathers time in the RWF,and like everyone else I'm looking for some help.I have a piece of paper addressed to my grandfather, from his mother which says, January 13th 1902, L/corp A Price 6357,D Coy 2nd Batt RWF,Murray Barracks.Hong Kong,China and thats as much as I know about what and where he was with the RWF.Could someone tell me anything about where he went, or what he did while with the RWF?His service records are on Ancestry if anyone would care to take a look,and try to explain it to me.

Albert Price 1882 St Wretton Mon


http://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=BritishArmyService&rank=1&new=1&so=3&MSAV=1&msT=1&gss=ms_db&gsfn=albert&gsln=price&gsln_x=NN&msbdy=1883&msbpn__ftp=Newport%2C+Wales&msbpn=1651444&msbpn_PInfo=7-|0|0|3257|5250|0|0|0|1651444|0|0|&dbOnly=_F0003C18|_F0003C18_x&dbOnly=_F0003CA3|_F0003CA3_x&uidh=5s4&msbdp=2

Rothwell

[Baconwallah]

The service record is a bit confused, incomplete and not always legible. But here goes.

6357 Pte Albert Price
Born St Woollos, Newport, Mon.
Enlisted at Newport 24/02/1900, age 18 years 4 months
Posted 1 RWF 26/06/1900
Posted 2 RWF 05/02/1901, stationed China, India, Burma
Granted Good Conduct Badge
oscillated between L/Cpl and Pte several times between 1902 and 1907
not clear when he returned to the UK
discharged Time Expired 20/02/1912
enlisted Army Reserve Sec D 14/06/1912

married Ellen Danaher [?] at Newport Registry Office 24/12/1910
daughter Annie 08/09/1911
son John James 11/04/1912 [?]
son Albert Rothwell [date ?]

the first part of his service in the Great War is missing from the record
he proceeds to France with 1 Works Coy King's Liverpool Regt, date unknown
[strangely, still with the number 6357]
then changed into 67 Labour Coy
served Boulogne (Docks, probably) and Ypres Salient
invalided home with pneumonia 03/1918, returned to France, date unknown
in 05/18 39921 CSM A Price, 67 Labour Coy, Labour Corps
later served with Royal Defence Corps as 83485

If you are interested in the China-India-Burma period of the 2nd Battalion, read Frank Richards's Old Soldier Sahib.

Hope this helps.

John

[Rothwell]

John, many thanks for taking the time out to try and help,your breakdown of Albert's srevice record helps alot.The 6357 numbers still confuses me,as the only medal I have of his,gives that number and the Liverpool Regiment.Albert did marry Ellen Danaher,one of the witnesses being another RWF soldier William Heirene.Can I ask did the 2nd battalion stay out in China-India-Burma until 1907,before Albert came home?[sorry if that's a daft question].I will try to get a hold of Frank Richards book.

many thanks again for your time and effort

Rothwell

[Baconwallah]

Yes, the number is confusing. The attestation form clearly states "6357" and "Royal Welsh Fusiliers". while the list of postings mentions both 1 RWF and 2 RWF. Unfortunately the beginning of the Great War period is missing from the file, and all we have is his own summary which begins with his arriving in France with 1 Works Coy KLR and numbered 6357. A bit of a mystery.

2 RWF movements were as follows:
From Manchester to Malta July 1896
Crete April 1897 to September 1898
[Cairo August 1898]
to Hong Kong December 1898
to India November 1902
to Burma December 1907
to India December 1910
to UK 1914, arriving Southampton 10th March

Frank Richards 6584 served in India with 2 RWF and was a contemporary of Albert Price. The book should interest you. You might try your local library and see if they can get you the annotated and illustrated edition of 2005 (Edited and published by H.J Krijnen & D.E. Langley). Much better than the bare text editions.

Albert's posting to 1 RWF in 1900 is interesting. He did not have any South African War medals. I seem to remember that a large draft left the UK for SA and was sent on to India because the men were no longer needed in SA. He may have been on that ship...

John

[Baconwallah]

Interestingly,, Albert's Great War Medal Index Card makes no mention of the RWF and puts him in the Liverpools from the beginning. Very strange, in view of his number. I have no explanation for it.

John

[Rothwell]

Again, John many thanks for your help.I know my grandad was always a RWF man through and through,and always travelled to Wrexham once a year for a reunion,something to do with a leek?[pardon my ignorance] and even has RWF on his headstone.Woud there be any records of what the RWF did and where they stayed during his service period,and what ships the troops sailed on? Sorry to keep asking questions,but I'm hoping to write a short history of his military career for the family,and the more I can piece together the better.

Rothwell

[Baconwallah]

That's a bit of a tall order... But once you have read Old Soldier Sahib the story of 2 RWF in India will be much clearer to you. The annotated and illustrated edition even has a photo of the ship that took them from (I think) India to Burma. Another good source is Vol II of the Regimental Records of the Royal Welch Fusiliers, available through the Regimental Museum (see http://www.rwfmuseum.org.uk/pu.html) or - again - your local library. I don't know what yours is like, but my library somehow always manages to find what I want, if necessary they get it from another library, at home or even abroad.

John

[jungle1810]

Hello Dr John,(Baconwallah),
Re the second Battalion in India and Burma. One of my uncles served in the 2nd battalion RWF number 8616 Pte Ivor Undery (My mothers maiden name) the details I have are : Home 25/1/05 to 8/1/07 1 year and 349 days.
India 9/1/07 to 14/12/07.
Burma 10/1/11 to 8/11/12.
A total of 9years and 251 days,
His other details were Looks like (SS Comassie) 31/11/05
SS Assaye 15/1/09
Shwebo 15/10/08
Shwebo 19/4/10
Shwebo 29/10/10
Karachi 27/1/11
Quetta 2/4/11
A bit sketchy but might be of help to other amateurs like myself
Regards Brian aka jungle1810

[Baconwallah]

And another man for the Regulars database. Thanks very much for the info, Don!

John

[Rothwell]

Many thanks again for all your help.I came across this photograph of the 2nd RWF arriving in Portland March 1914 from India. http://www.isleofportlandpictures.org.uk/Army/DR0432.jpg

Rothwell

[Baconwallah]

Thanks for the photo, Rothwell. I'd never seen it before. For the collection.

John

[Rothwell]

There is another RWF photograph on the isleofportlandpictures website if you're interested.Re this photograph, could this be my grandfathers 2nd that arrived in March 1914 from India?

Rothwell

[Baconwallah]

Indeed it is. Your grandfather probably knew many of these men.

John

[Rothwell]

Well this is one for my family album then!

many thanks [again].

Rothwell

[Baconwallah]

And another one for the family album: RIMS Northbrook, which took 2 RWF from India to Burma. Frank Richards tells some great stories about the move.

John