First World War ancestors in the news

I'm publishing a list of newspapers (below) which cover the period 1914-1918 and which are available to search online.

I have long been a fan of the British Newspaper Archive. Military service records, where these survive, are all well and good, but actually how much of the actual service do you ever glean from looking at a service record? There is a tendency amongst historians to hold up service records as the ultimate archival treasure, and whilst I would argue that these are essential to our understanding of where and when a man served, unless correspondence survives in the file, they are unlikely to actually tell us anything about what he went through. Neither do the service records put a man's service into the context of the time.  Step forward then, the British Newspaper Archive.

There are riches to be found in this archive of 15.9m pages - and counting.  This blog post deals only with the First World War, but what follows also holds true for other conflicts both before and since - and remember that the archive covers the period from 1710 right up until the end of the last century. That's nearly 300 years at your fingertips.

As far as the First World War is concerned, you'll find casualty details (men reported as wounded, prisoners of war and missing as well as those killed in action), and also mini obituaries - sometimes with photos - of men.

Take the example of 17166 Corporal Harold Meadowcroft whose obiturary in the Manchester Evening News includes a photo plus details which simply would not appear in a service record. Harold was an original member of the 20th Manchester Regiment or 5th City Battalion; an original Manchester Pal. He appears in the photo below, proudly taking his place in No 3 platoon of A Company.

No service record survives for Harold but even if it did, it would not have mentioned that he was an amateur footballer or that he been shot by a sniper. The newspapers add the meat to the bones and are still, in my opinion, a much under-used and possibly under-valued resource.  Anyway, enough of the waffle. Here's a current list of all those newspapers on the British Newspaper Archive site which cover the period 1914-1918, Unless otherwise noted, all five years are covered. Papers know to have published portraits of soldiers are also noted.

The links below will take you directly to the paper concerned - but you'll ned to pay for access to view the reports.

Aberdeen Evening Express [soldier portraits]
Aberdeen Journal
Aberdeen Weekly Journal
Aldershot Military Gazette [1918]
Arbroath Herald and Advertiser for the Montrose Burghs
Ballymena Observer
Banbury Advertiser
Banbury Guardian
Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette
Bedfordshire Times and Independent
Belfast Weekly News [1914]
Bellshill Speaker
Belper News
Berwick Advertiser [1915-1917]
Berwickshire News and General Advertiser
Beverley and East Riding Recorder [1914-1916]
Bexhill-on-Sea Observer
Biggleswade Chronicle
Birmingham Daily Gazette
Birmingham Daily Post
Birmingham Mail
Buckingham Advertiser and Free Press
Bucks Herald
Burnley Express
Burnley Gazette [1914]
Burnley News
Burton Daily Mail [1915-1917]
Bury Free Press
Cambridge Daily News [1917-1918]
Cambridge Independent Press
Chelmsford Chronicle
Chelsea News and General Advertiser
Cheltenham Chronicle
Cheltenham Looker-On
Cheshire Observer
Chester Chronicle
Cornishman
Cornish Telegraph [1914-1915]
Coventry Evening Telegraph
Coventry Herald [1915-1916]
Coventry Standard
Daily Gazette for Middlesbrough
Daily Herald
Daily Mirror
Daily Record
Derby Daily Telegraph
Derbyshire Advertiser and Ashbourne, Uttoxeter & North Staffordshire Journal [1914-1916, 1918]
Derbyshire Courier
Derbyshire Times and Chesterfield Herald [1914-1917]
Derry Journal
Diss Express
Dorking and Leatherhead Advertiser
Dover Express
Driffield Times
Dublin Daily Express [1914-1917]
Dumfries and Galloway Standard
Dundalk Examiner and Louth Advertiser [1914-1915]
Dundee Courier
Dundee Evening Telegraph
Dundee, Perth, Forfar, and Fife's People's Journal
Edinburgh Evening News
Essex Newsman
Evening Despatch
Exeter and Plymouth Gazette
Falkirk Herald
Fife Free Press, & Kirkcaldy Guardian
Fifeshire Advertiser
Folkestone, Hythe, Sandgate & Cheriton Herald
Framlingham Weekly News
Gloucester Citizen
Gloucester Journal
Gloucestershire Chronicle
Gloucestershire Echo
Grantham Journal
Hamilton Advertiser
Harrogate Herald [1915 & 1917]
Hartland and West Country Chronicle
Hastings and St Leonards Observer
Hawick News and Border Chronicle
Hendon & Finchley Times
Hertford Mercury and Reformer [1916-1918]
Huddersfield Daily Examiner
Hull Daily Mail
Jarrow Express
Kent & Sussex Courier
Kirkintilloch Gazette
Kirkintilloch Herald
Lancashire Evening Post [1916-1918]
Larne Times
Leamington Spa Courier
Leeds Mercury [1914, 1916]
Leicester Chronicle [1914-1915]
Lichfield Mercury
Lincolnshire Chronicle [1915-1918]
Lincolnshire Echo
Liverpool Daily Post
Liverpool Echo [soldier photos]
Liverpool Evening Express [1914]
Luton News and Bedfordshire Chronicle [1917-1918]
Luton Times and Advertiser [1914-1916]
Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser [1914-1916]
Manchester Evening News [soldier photos]
Middlesex Chronicle
Monmouthshire Beacon
Morpeth Herald
Motherwell Times
Nantwich Guardian
Newcastle Evening Chronicle
Newcastle Journal
North Devon Journal
Northampton Mercury
Nottingham Evening Post
Perthshire Advertiser
Portsmouth Evening News [1914-1916]
Preston Herald
Reading Mercury
Rochdale Observer
Sevenoaks Chronicle and Kentish Advertiser
Sheffield Evening Telegraph
Sheffield Independent
Shepton Mallet Journal, City of Wells reporter and county advertiser
Shields Daily Gazette [1916]
Shoreditch Observer [1914-1915]
South Bucks Standard [1914]
Southern Reporter
Sporting Times [1914-1917]
Sports Argus
Staffordshire Advertiser
Stirling Observer
Sunday Mirror [1915-1918]
Sunday Post
Sunderland Daily Echo and Shipping Gazette
Surrey Advertiser
Surrey Mirror
Sussex Agricultural Express
Tamworth Herald
Taunton Courier, and Western Advertiser
The Era
The Scotsman
Thetford and Watton Times
Walsall Advertiser [1914-1915]
Walsall Observer, and South Staffordshire Chronicle
Warwick & Warwickshire Advertiser [1914-1917]
Weekly Freeman's Journal
Wells Journal
West Briton and Cornwall Advertiser [1915-1916]
Western Chronicle
Western Daily Press
Western Gazette
Western Mail
Western Morning News
Western Times
Whitby Gazette
Whitstable Times and Herne Bay Herald
Yorkshire Evening Post [soldier portraits]
Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer

572 Sergeant Richard Gray, Leinster Regiment

Above, unknown sergeant from Richard Gray collection. 

I bought some photos on eBay recently which were from a larger collection of photos that had once belonged to Richard Gray. The vendor of the photographs had broken the collection up and some had already been sold elsewhere. Having been together for well over a hundred years, I always find it deplorable that collections are thus distributed, and so if the buyer of those other photographs should happen to read this, I will be very happy to buy back the missing photos.

The notes which follow are from my research into Richard Gray. Numbers in square brackets refer to the last four digits of his service record which happily survives in series WO 363 (now available on Ancestry and Findmypast). I shall be happy to receive information about this man. 

For help researching your own soldier ancestor, contact me.

23rd September 1865

Born at Aharn, Fermoy, County Cork [2821 & 2829]; son of William Gray of Portlaw, County Waterford

3rd December 1865

Born [1939 Register]

23rd August 1884

Attested, aged 18 years and 11 months [2821], a teacher [2829]

24th August 1884

Birr. Accident off duty. [2826]

27th August 1884

Depot. Joined Leinster Regiment, regimental number 572 [2825]

28th October 1884

Depot. Obtains First Class Certificate of Education [2833]

15th November 1884

Posted to 2nd Battalion [2832]

21st February 1885

2nd Battalion. Appointed lance-corporal [2832]

23rd July 1885

2nd Battalion. Promoted corporal [2832]

19th September 1885

2nd Battalion. Fermoy [2826]

14th December 1885

Posted to 1st Battalion [2832] 

INDIA: 15TH DECEMBER 1885 - 13TH JANUARY 1895

15th December 1885

HMS Malabar [2826]

10th January 1886

Landed in India [2826]

25th January 1886

Faizabad? [2826]

1st May 1886

India? [2826]

8th November 1886

Calcutta [2826]

19th November 1886

Assistant Instructor in Army Signalling [2833]

1889

Silver Medal for Mathematics [2818]

16th March 1890

Transferred to the Unattached List for employment in the Public Works Dept. Promoted Sergeant on the Unattached List [2832]

21st March 1890

Agra [2826]

15th May 1891

Resigns appointment on Bengal Unattached List [2832]

Corporal [2832]

23rd September 1891

Passed fit to extend service to 12 years [2826]

21st May 1892

Passes class of instruction in Divisional Transport [2833]

6th November 1892

Appointed Orderly Room Corporal [2831]

9th December 1892

Dessa? India [2826]

31st December 1892

Appointed Lance-Sergeant [2831]

12th October 1893

Appointed Acting Sergeant [2831]

I believe this photo - not one of those which I purchased - dates to this period

3rd March 1894

Poona  [2826]

Deolali [2826]

HOME - 13TH JANUARY 1895 - 18TH OCTOBER 1900

14th January 1895

Tipperary [2826]

22nd April 1895

Clonmel [2826]

16th September 1895

Tipperary [2826]

11th December 1895

Promoted Sergeant [2831]

27th February 1896

Re-engaged at Navau to complete 21 years [2831]

1st March 1896

Transferred to 5th Battalion [2831]

16th September 1896

Marries Alice Edith Slade at St Mary's Church, Navan [2833]

1st October 1896

Birr [2826]

25th September 1898

Son, William F D Gray born at Navan, Meath [2833 & 1911 Census]

1st March 1899

Posted to Depot [2831]

8th April 1899

Shorncliffe [2826]

I believe this superb photo dates to around this time. All of the men pictured appear to be senior NCOs, mostly from the Royal Artillery.  Richard Gray is standing, third from left. 

5th September 1899

Fermoy [2826]

17th January 1900

Birr [2826]

20th June 1900

Daughter, Alice Edith Gray born at Birr, King's County [2833 & 1911 Census]

24th August 1900

Sentenced by DCM to be reduced to the ranks for drunkenness on duty [2831]

25th August 1900

Reduced to Private [2831]

SOUTH AFRICA - 19TH OCTOBER 1900 - 20TH SEPTEMBER 1902

19th October 1900

Transferred to 1st Battalion [2831]

20th September 1902

S S Englishman [2826]

1st September 1902

Appointed paid Lance-corporal [2831]

HOME - 21ST SEPTEMBER 1902 - 22ND AUGUST 1905

28th October 1902

Fermoy [2826]

18th July 1903

Son, Richard Bruce Gray born at Fermoy [2833 & 1911 Census]

1st March 1904

Obtained Acting Schoolmaster certificate [2833]

18th June 1904

Shorncliffe [2826]

30th October 1904

Promoted corporal [2828 & 2831]

22nd August 1905

Corporal Richard Gray. Discharged at Shorncliffe, aged 39 years and 11 months, on the termination of second period of limited engagement [2818]. Intended place of residence is Military Avenue, Cheriton, Kent [2833]

1908

Son, Thomas Alexander Gray born at St-Peter's-in-the-, Kent [1911 Census]

1910

Daughter, Eleanor Dorothy Gray born at Chelsfield, Kent [1911 Census]

April 1911

Recorded as "Army Pensioner - Schoolmaster. Not employed" Living at Ivy Dene, Green Street Green, Orpington, Kent [1911 Census]

Detail from a larger photograph - not mine - which may date to around this time.

11th August 1914

Attests for General Service at Maidstone with Royal West Kent Regiment, aged 48 years and 9 months; a teacher. Posted to regimental depot, regimental number G/659 [2835]

11th September 1914

Attestation date incorrectly noted [2821]

12th September 1914

Promoted sergeant [2821]

23rd October 1914

Posted to 9th Battalion, RWK [2836]

30th August 1915

France [2837]

22nd September 1917

Transferred to Labour Corps, sergeant [2836] Reg No: 378453 [2837]

19th December 1918

Discharged [2821] no longer physically fit for war service [2836]. Address, Ivy Dene, Green Street, Orpington, Kent [2836]

This photo - not mine -must pre-date the award of Richard's First World War medals. The cap and collar number suggest an omnibus or tram company but I would welcome further thought on this.

29th September 1939

County Hospital, Farnborough, Orpington. "Incapacitated. Retired civil servant. Army Pensioner. Wife Alice is also a patient  [1939 Register]

23rd January 1940

Died, County Hospital, Farnborough, Orpington, aged 74. Address given as Ivy Dene, Worlds End Lane, Chelsfield, Orpington. Death registered by son, Richard B Gray, of Southlands, 148 Park Avenue, Orpington [2822]