59803 Pte Ernest Dyer

[Aled Roberts]

Looking for a lead on this one.

Ernest was one of the 23 men of the RWF to be awarded the General Service Medal with Kurdistan clasp. There is the posibility that his service records may still be held by the MoD as he was still serving after the war, but I can't go for a FoI request as I do not have a date of death. Or birth. Or anything else much.

What I do know is that he was serving with 8/RWF during the war and was one of the five RWF men drafted to the 1/5th East Surry Regt for Kurdistan.

The only clue for further avenues of research are on the MIC, being the address the GSM was posted to:

3 New Cottages
Filstock {sp} (Most likely Tilstock?)
Whitchurch
Salop

I am struggling to find any census hits for this address in 1911.

Can anyone add anything?

TIA

Richard

[Hywyn]

It's Tilstock which is a stones throw from Prees Heath. That strange F looking T was the way T was written at one time.

He is on Cheshire AVL at 22 Faulkener St, Hoole, Chester. There is one on the 1911 at 83 Faulkener Street to have a look at.


Curiously he is not in the 1921 book having been renumbered to the RWF so possibly he was renumbered to E Surrey albeit he was only shown as an attachment . Were the other 4 renumbered RWF?


Hywyn

[Aled Roberts]

That looks like it could be my leg up Hywyn. As always, sincere thanks for your time and efforts.

I have just checked the other guys, none at all seemed to have got an East Surrey's number. It is quite possible he was back in the UK by 1921, just checking with an East Surrey's expert on that front.

What is the date of the AVL you are looking at? As the Dyer at 83 Faulkener Street was a boarder, working on the railways, so more than likely the same man given my findings with other men in the same situation where they didn't tend to stay in the same house for long, but a lot of the time in the same street, or very close by.

Nearest contender on the 1901 census is a chap living in Ludlow, some 9 miles from Bouldon, Shropshire given on the 1911 census as his place of birth.

Richard

[Hywyn]

The AVL is 1918.


I have no experience of obtaining the MoD files. I have been assuming that they held only those of men with the 'new' Army numbers. If he wasn't renumbered would he be there?

[Aled Roberts]

I have no experience of obtaining the MoD files. I have been assuming that they held only those of men with the 'new' Army numbers. If he wasn't renumbered would he be there?

I think the cut off for Service Papers is 1920, so technically you are correct. If a man served after that date then his papers were not released. It could well be that they have been destroyed in the 1940 bombing anyway.

I can find no trace of Dyer getting any new service numbers, and I strongly suspect that he was discharged just before the new 417xxxx came into effect (the early months of 1920)

Hopefully my East Surrey's contact will give us a date when the 1/5th left Kurdistan.

Richard