War Diaries Talk

Advice needed on classifying this page please...

  • Maria64 by Maria64

    I'm looking at this object http://www.operationwardiary.org/#/classify (WO/95/1361/2 Page 255 of 260) following the disbandment of 17th Middlesex Regt and the dispersal of the men to other units. It is a typed list of numbers, ranks, names of personnel posted to 21st Battalion, Middlesex Regt.
    How would I classify this page, please? Thanks in advance.

    Posted

  • HeatherC by HeatherC moderator

    We can't see the page you have mentioned. You need to use the "talk" link in the comment box to highlight it here. Maybe tag it as a report so you can tag all the names?

    Posted

  • Maria64 by Maria64

    Sorry Heather - here we go
    http://talk.operationwardiary.org/#/subjects/AWD0000mjo
    Do I then list every individual soldier and their details on the list under the Report tag?

    Posted

  • eatyourgreens by eatyourgreens moderator, admin

    That's a nominal roll, I think. Those are very useful to the historians on this project. Classify it as a report, and tag as many of the people as you are able to.

    Posted

  • Maria64 by Maria64

    Thank you. This may take a while... 😉

    Posted

  • eatyourgreens by eatyourgreens moderator, admin

    I set the site up so that your tags are saved by the browser, until you press the Finish button. You don't have to tag the page all in one go. If you close it and come back, your work should still be there so that you can continue. 😃

    Posted

  • HeatherC by HeatherC moderator

    I can appreciate how long it's going to take to tag that! However the opportunity to actually tag the names of ORs is not to be missed, especially in an Infantry Battalion where this might be the only mention of the person's name. As I expect you have noticed, Infantry Bns don't usually mention the names of ORs even when killed...

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  • eatyourgreens by eatyourgreens moderator, admin

    Finding a document with numbers for the ORs seems like gold dust on this project too. 😃

    Posted

  • David_Underdown by David_Underdown moderator

    Though the numbers are not always accurately recorded in war diaries! However, there's an interesting set of prefixes to some of those numbers too. Those with the F prefix (and particularly with numbers below around 1000) would have been original memebrs of the battalion, the F standing for Football, the 17th Middlesexes being the "1st Football Battalion", the higher numbered men may have been in 23rd Middlesex (2nd Football) which was a kind of overflow unit once the 1st battalion had reached its complement (there is some more detailed analysis of the numbers assigned to these men at http://armyservicenumbers.blogspot.co.uk/2009/08/middlesex-regiment-football-battalions.html). PS suggests the man was originally with 16th (Public Schools) Middlesex (there were 3 other public schools battalions in the Royal Fusiliers, tends to suggest that the man was rather better educated than most of the rank and file - many of the original members of these battalions were commissioned during the course of the war). L (for infantry battalions of the South East of England) indicates the man was a regular soldier, http://armyservicenumbers.blogspot.co.uk/2009/07/middlesex-regiment-1st-2nd-3rd-4th.html indicates he would have joined up sometime in 1905 (and was serving past his original 12 year enlistment, or he may have been a recalled reservist). PW points to a member of the Public Works Battalions, 18th, 19th and 26th Middlesex. The G indicates those who had signed up for General Service, ie a wartime enlistment to no particular battalion.

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  • Maria64 by Maria64

    Hi Everyone,

    Thanks for your input and encouragement, folks. I do feel quite honoured to be able to do this for them. It's very interesting to learn how ranks were designated, especially O.R. I did the whole of the 17th Bn. Middlesex Regt diary and I must admit that the O.C. or Adj. usually listed the names of O.R. that were missing, presumed dead.

    And thanks for the information on the 'Football' name too: they played at every opportunity and I noted that sometimes their description of a match said ''no professionals.''

    Thank you again for your help and support. This is a fascinating experience. 😃

    Maria x

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  • lukesmith by lukesmith moderator

    Belated, but sincere thanks for this herculean effort. Your work will ensure that these people are remembered in Lives of the First World War and that their contribution to the war is better understood.

    many, many thanks.

    Luke.

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