My Great Uncle Arthur William Austin died during the First World War, for the past 20yrs this is all that our family knew, then on sunday I found this
Surrey Recruitment Registers 1908-1933 Transcription Learn more Print transcription Attach to tree First name(s) A Last name Austin Service number 28071 Age 18 Years 0 Months Birth year 1898 Occupation Baker Attestation year 1916 Attestation date 24 August 1916 Attestation place Croydon Unit or regiment 29th Training Reserve Batn Regiment 29th Training Reserve Batn Height 5ft 4in. Weight in pounds 110 Chest expansion inches 2 Chest size inches 33 Remarks 30 Bensham Grove Thornton Heath Notes Conscripted men. Recruitment register: No.1, Infantry on cover. Name of recruiter column used for medical classification. Recruitment nos.25000-29350. Indexed. Country England Reference 2496 / 21 Series Conscripted men, 9th December 1916 - 20th February 1917 Page number 138 Record set Surrey Recruitment Registers 1908-1933 Category Military, armed forces & conflict Record collection Regimental & service records Collections from Great Britain copyright The Surrey History Trust
Finally something about this mystery man. But now I still cant tie this information down to a casualty. Any help or information would be appreciated Bob
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Did he move on from the training battalion?
Was your man born Thornton Heath?
If he changed regiments his regimental number would also have changed.
UK, Soldiers Died in the Great War, 1914-1919
Name: Arthur Austin Birth Place: Thornton Heath, Surrey<<<<<<<<<<< Death Date: 28 Mar 1918 Death Place: France and Flanders Enlistment Place: Croydon, Surrey<<<<<<<<<<< Rank: Private Regiment: Machine Gun Corps Battalion: (Infantry) Regimental Number: 115395 Type of Casualty: Killed in action Theatre of War: Western European Theatre
CWGC site:
AUSTIN, ARTHUR Private 115395 Died 28/03/1918 Regiment: Machine Gun Corps (Infantry) Country: United Kingdom Grave /Memorial Reference: Bay 10. Cemetery / Memorial Name: ARRAS MEMORIAL
British Army WWI Medal Rolls Index Cards, 1914-1920
Name: Arthur Austin Regiment or Corps: Machine Gun Corps Regimental Number: 115395
Victory & British Medals.
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Info about the Training Reserve:
http://www.1914-1918.net/training_reserve.htm
An excerpt.
"Men who were posted to the TR battalions were not allocated to any particular regiment when the time came for them to be posted. So from this time on it is not safe to assume that a recruit would serve with his local regiment. Later, from May 1917, this arrangement was itself altered when the units of the TR became Graduated and Young Soldier Battalions and were once again aligned with specific regiments."
So maybe he was assigned to the MGC when he moved on from the training battalion.
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1911 address tallies with the address on the Surrey Recruitment register, and this lad is said to be born Thornton Heath....
Census 1911
1911 England, Wales & Scotland Census
30 Bensham Grove Thornton Heath, Croydon, Surrey, England<<<<<<<<<<<
Alfred Austin Head Married Male 40 1871 Upper Norword Gravel Pits Sifting Alice Austin Wife Married Female 41 1870 Goudhurst Kent Arthur Austin Son - Male 13 1898 Thornton Heath School <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< James Austin Son - Male 11 1900 Thornton Heath School Rose Austin Daughter - Female 8 1903 Thornton Heath School May Austin Daughter - Female 6 1905 Thornton Heath Doris Austin Daughter - Female 0 1911 Thornton Heath
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Hello Kucinta, Thank you for this. This 1911 census is my man, Rose Austin, his sister is my grandmother. His birth cert says Thirsk Rd. South Norwood, Croydon, so all the same area. No idea as to which other regiments he may have moved to. As you say this does all look like the same man. This is all I have. Bob :-)
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Rank:PrivateService No:26070Date of Death:04/09/1916Regiment/Service:Northamptonshire Regiment 2nd Garrison Bn. Grave Reference:D. 2. 13642.Cemetery:CROYDON (QUEEN'S ROAD) CEMETERYAdditional Information:Husband of N. A. Austin, of 30, Bensham Grove, Thornton Heath.
Another relative>>>
This from CWGC,,
No name given just as,
Austin.A.A.
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Hello Kay, This was his father, my great grand father Bob
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