Genealogy Chat

Yesterday I went to Meeesden Church in Hertfordshire to look at Parish records for my Freeman ancestors. It was a lovely sunny day in very picturesque surroundings and heaps of baptism, marriage and burial details to record! Nathan Freeman was my Grandmother's cousin and his name is on a plaque inside the church commemorating those from the area who lost their lives in WW1. All it says is that he was in the Royal Army Service Corps and died aged 42 (meaning the year of his death would have been 1916). How can I find out about his service record with such little information to go on? I've Googled Royal Army Service Corps but all the sites I've found want more information than I have to give. All advice as to what to do now would be appreciated. Thanks Lyndsey

Is this your man ?? From CWGC site Name: FREEMAN Initials: N Nationality: United Kingdom Rank: Private Regiment/Service: Army Service Corps Unit Text: 29th Lines of Communication Coy. Date of Death: 21/11/1916 Service No: SS/21211 Additional information: Husband of A. A. Freeman, 6, G Block, Peabody Estate, Rosendale Rd., Herne Hill, London. Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead Grave/Memorial Reference: 686. Cemetery: SALONIKA (LEMBET ROAD) MILITARY CEMETERY

Medal cards can be downloaded from National Archives site - http://www.nationalarchives(.)gov(.)uk/documentsonline/ found 2 references to Nathan Freeman in Army Service Corps - so not sure which one is yours. Medal card of Freeman, Nathan Sidney Corps: Army Service Corps Regiment No: T4108066 Rank: Driver 1914-1920 WO 372/7 Medal card of Freeman, Nathan Corps: Army Service Corps Regiment No: SS/21211 Rank: Private... 1914-1920 WO 372/7 (You may be able to confirm the regiment number from the CWGC site)

Thanks Elaine Sorry about the delay in replying. I'm really not sure and not entirely sure how to find out! Does the 2nd medal card you listed relate to the N Freeman you refered to in your first post (the one buried in Salonika)? If so that is definately not him. 'My Nathan' was born to a family of ag labs who never went that far away, Edmonton and Enfield were about their limit.

Yes - the second medal card reference matches the CWGC reference (same service number)

Many thanks again Elaine

Cannot see anyone else on the CWGC site that looks possible http://www.cwgc.org/

Lyndsey Look at it from a different angle.. Do you know if he was married ..?? If So who too ?? If you can find the marriage you would be able to confirm that the entry from the CWGC is correct.. He may have only been an Ag Lab.. But that does not mean that he did'nt die abroad.. There was a War going on and lots of these young lads were conscripts..some probably had never held a gun in their lives... but Ag Labs would have been ideal candidates as they would already possibly known how to shoot rabbits. Mo

This is the same one but taken from 1837 Name: FREEMAN, Nathan Memorial Scroll Purchase scroll Regiment, Corps etc.: Royal Army Service Corps Battalion etc.: Surname: Freeman Forename(s): Nathan Initials: N Birthplace: Neasden, Middlesex Enlisted: London Residence: Herue Hill, S.E. Rank: PRIVATE Number: SS/21211 Date died: 21 November 1916 How died: Died Theatre of war: Balkans this appears to be him in 1901 Albert N Freeman abt 1900 Walthamstow, Essex, England Son Walthamstow Essex Annie A Freeman abt 1875 Mildenhall, Suffolk, England Wife Walthamstow Essex Charles H Freeman abt 1899 Hackney, London, England Son Walthamstow Essex Nathan Freeman abt 1876 Neasden Green, Hertfordshire, England Head Walthamstow Essex age fits !!!! Says born in Hertfordshire. Neasdon/Meesdon confusion by enumerator ???? and his probable marriage Marriages Sep 1897 Freeman Nathan Hackney 1b 955 Phillips Annie Agnes Hackney 1b 955

Do you realise there are two other people (David and Susan) on GR who have the name Nathan Freeman (b 1874 Meesden) on their tree. Can they help you with the info?

Thanks Elaine and Mayoress for all that info! It's times like this I realise how much I still have to learn so your help is much appreciated! I guess that must be the correct Nathan. I'll have to order a copy of his marriage certificate. I know he was not married at Meesden Church because there was only his baptism details on the Parish records, and I know he no longer lived in Meesden with his family by the time of the 1901 census so everything you say fits. One thing I don’t understand though – if he lived in Walthamstow with his wife and children where does the Herue Hill SE residence fit in? How would I set about finding out how and where he died? As for Susan and David – all three of us are related and they know less about this particular branch of the family than I do – I will be passing my findings onto them!! Many thanks again Lyndsey

Well - he may have lived in Walthamstow in 1901 and then moved to SE London by the start of the war. Another alternative - maybe his wife was living there with relatives while he was away at war. I would imagine that the address given was the wife´s contact address, and may not have been their permanent address before he went away to war.

If you go to the Commonwealth Graves web site http://www.cwgc.org you can see details of where he was buried - there is also a photo of the cemetry there.

Itching to look right now but boss has just arrived.!Will look later. Lyndsey

Tut Tut Lyndsey - you´re not supposed to be working are you !!!! When you go on to the CWGC site just type in Freeman (for surname - obviously!!) and N for first name. Don´t put in full name. Click on 1st world war - and then search You will see the one that I found. Click on his name. At the bottom click on cemetry details - and then you will see a cemetry plan & photo tab at bottom of page.

Have just come in, so come to this thread late. It may be worth pointing out that the CWGC records were made up well after the end of the war, so addresses for relatives would be only relevant for where the next of kin was living at that time, not when the serviceman died. My grandfather died in South Africa in 1916, and his family were stationed there with him, yet on the CWGC site it gives the address my grandmother was living at in Hampshire in 1920. Another family member listed on the site, died early in the war, by the time he was listed on the site some years later, his wife had remarried and is named under her new married name. Jennifer

Thanks for that Jennifer - you learn something new every day on here!

Elaine, it is these little nuggets of information that are worth the telling, they can save an awful lot of wasted research time. The trouble is, we usually only hear of them when it is too late. Jennifer

- and the other problem is we can never remember them when we need them !!!

Hi Have now had time to study and inwardly digest the CWGC site - thanks for the tips. Given that there is a precise death date, do you think it will be recorded somewhere how he died? Lyndsey