Genealogy Chat

hello all

I have found the following for my grandad on a military genealogy web site and tried to track it through the medal cards on ancestry with out any luck.

"J E Page, Sapper - R.E. 18385 -November 1915 volunteered & drafted to Eastern Front Front on completion of training. Took part in ops in Palestine & Egypt. Suffered greatly from Malaria. De-mobbed Sept. 1919. Holds General Service & Victory medals. 21 Brereton Rd. Tottenham N17."

I would love to find out more as he married my Nan - in Breconshire, Wales - in November 1915. Occupation - engineer!
He was born in peckham, London and is in London on 1911 census. Nans family are all Londoners but moved to Wales sometime after 1911 - then back to London between May 1916 & Dec 1917!

Any one out there any ideas where to go next in view of the above.

Hi,are you looking for his past.

Maryb

I can't even find his records!!

Maryb

Is this your nan's marriage???


Marriages Dec 1915 (>99%)

Eastmond Edith M Page Hay 11b 257
Page John E Eastmond Hay 11b 257



so now we know his name was John



sylvia

I notice that you have engineer with an exclamation mark. Engineer at that time usually meant someone who was in charge of an engine, usually stationary. Such as the engines that powered cotton mill machinery, pit heads, etc.

Ozi

Hi all
Sorry for not getting back sooner. Comp probs at home! Anyway thank you all so much for your replies.

Yes, thats his marriage to Edith May Eastmond.

We have some of his history and original birth cert from my Mum as he was born John Cass Dowsett !! and I have also traced his family (Dowsett)on the census records fairly easily.

What i am really after is how to find further details of his army service, particularly where he was when he joined up. Though reading the replies I have a feeling that this may now prove impossible from your replies.

I have now found a medal record card which shows what looks to be 3 service numbers but none are the same as the one on the extract below. Does any clever person out there know how to decipher these.?

Speaking to my Mum last night she says grandad was possibly working as an engineer on either dam/reservior building. Maybe he was in 'the valleys' of wales.

I have to go now as my lunch hour is finished but I'll try and get obn here again tonight when - hopefully - things will be working properly at home again.

Thanks again to all.

for reference -

1891 England Census
Name: John C Dowsett
Age: 2
Estimated birth year: abt 1889
Relation: Son
Father's Name: John W
Mother's Name: Lucy M
Gender: Male
Where born: Peckham, London, England

Civil parish: Camberwell
Ecclesiastical parish: St Chrysostom
Town: Peckham
County/Island: London
Country: England

Street Address:

Occupation:

Condition as to marriage:

Education:

Employment status: View image

Registration district: Camberwell
Sub-registration district: Peckham
ED, institution, or vessel: 33
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members: Name Age
John W Dowsett 37
Lucy M Dowsett 38
Alice M Dowsett 9
Kate L Dowsett 8
Emil F Dowsett 6
John C Dowsett 2

Source Citation: Class: RG12; Piece: 480; Folio 36; Page 66; GSU roll: 6095590.



1911 -

SIMS, John Head Married M 54 1857 Harness Maker Unemployed City of London VIEW
SIMS, Elizabeth Wife Married
6 years F 41 1870 Muslin Apron Machinist Marylebone VIEW
DOWSETT, John C Boarder Single M 24 1887 Engineers Fitter London Peckham VIEW

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

RG number:
RG14 Piece:
2576 Reference:
RG14PN2576 RG78PN87 RD27 SD6 ED6 SN39

Registration District:
Camberwell Sub District:
Peckham South Enumeration District:
6 Parish:
Camberwell

Address:
1a Battens Yard Peckham S E County:
London

LakesLass, can you post the details from the medal card? More than one number usually means that a man was in more than one regiment, or re-joined a regiment.

The regiment mentioned in your first post - R.E., would be the Royal Engineers, so no surprise that he is listed on his marriage cert as Engineer.

Is this the medal card you found:

Name: John E Page
Regiment or Corps: 11th London Regiment, 11th London Regiment, Royal Engineers
Regimental Number: 4471, 451871, 549882

The first two numbers refer to the 11th London Reg and the last to the RE - and, as you say, this isn't the same as the one in your first post.

This site has quite a lot of info on Regimental numbering:

http://armyservicenumbers.blogspot.com/2009/07/army-service-numbers-1881-1918-index.html

and from what it says about the London Regiment, the man this medal card belongs to joined between Oct 1915 and January 1916 and was still there (or re-joined) sometime after 1917.

The site doesn't have any info on the RE.

Hi all
I'll check the medal card when I get home and let you all know.
regards

Hi potty & choccy
Yes thats John Dowsett, my grandad, and yes, thats the medal card I found earlier.
Think I'll check out that web site and see where I go from there.
Messing aboiut at work earlier I found a site which mentioned the TA's in S Wales and it had details of the numbering system and how hat changed. I'll have to find it again and re-check the info.

Must away until I have more spare time.

Thanks again all of you.