WW1 service? James Dean Hutcheon

[runmerry]

Anyone help?

My cousin thought that our grandfather James Dean Hutcheon (1891-1929) served in WW1
and caught rheumatic fever which damaged his heart and lead to his early death at the age of 38.

I on the other hand thought he was exempt from war service because he had rheumatic fever as a child which left him with a weak heart.

I don't know how we got two totally different ideas as we agree he did have rheumatic fever and a weak heart.

He lived in Keith, Banffshire, was married there in 1914 and first child born early 1915 second
child not born until mid 1918 which leads me to believe that my cousin might be right.

If she is right how do I find out, not knowing which regiment, where he served or length of service?

Regards
Jen

[LesleyB]

Hi Jen
All soldiers who served in WW1 should be mentioned on the medal rolls index. These can be searched for free on the National Archives site with an option to download the card for payment
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/docu ... ueryType=1
or alternatively on Ancestry, with access to full results requiring payment. The medal cards often do not give enough to positively ID a soldier without some other info. At the link above, there are only 8 results, no James D showing, but I'm not sure how we'd know for sure that he is not one of the plain just Jameses...

Service Record search on Ancestry also not showing a likely candidate with the middle initial for me, but I'm only seeing the "non sub" version.

Another way to maybe find out would be to view the 1918 birth entry and see what his occupation was.

Best wishes
Lesley

[Pandabean]

Hmmm. I had a look on Ancestry and there is a James Hutcheon, who appears to have enlisted at Stonehaven and was born in Foveran around 1891-93. No middle initial, do you have a birthplace for James as I know boundaries up this part changed quite a bit.
EDIT: I notice you said Keith so this may not be your man.

It seems to be medical papers I have for him on Ancestry, mostly getting influenenza and being discharged in 1918.

In 1916 he got Dysentry and bad left foot caused by Rheumatism and appears to have stayed in Aberdeen during that time.

[runmerry]

Thank you for your prompt replies.

I had a look at the medal rolls index and you're quite right, no way of telling which James is mine if any.
Ancestry is too expensive as I wouldn't use it much.
The 1918 birth is my mothers but I think my sister-in-law has the certificate. I'll ask.

When you asked where he was born I thought of perhaps another complication. He was born at Whitefolds, Boharm on the 14 Apr 1891. He was illegitimate so his birth cert shows him as James Dean. Would he have to show his birth cert when he enlisted? If so might he be in the army under Dean rather than Hutcheon.

His mother died a week after he was born, he lived with his maternal grandparents (Dean) at Whitefolds until about the age of three when his grandfather died and his grandmother went into the poorhouse. He then went to live with his paternal grandfathers (Hutcheon) family in Keith where I found him on the 1901 census.

Regards
Jen

[LesleyB]

hi Jen

Ancestry is too expensive as I wouldn't use it much.

Not sure where you are in Scotland, but some public libraries offer free access to Ancestry e.g. The Mitchell Library in Glasgow - it may be worth asking locally to see if any near you offer this as you coudl then check the modal cards and the service records for your James.

Best wishes
Lesley

[emanday]

Hi Jen,

Was his wife's name Jeannie Agnes? If so I think I might have found him.

[runmerry]

Hi
Lesley,
Thanks for the suggestion but my local library service doesn't have Ancestry access as I have asked about it before for something else and in the present economic climate is unlikely to get it.

Mary,
Unfortunately grannys name was Elizabeth.

I wish we had a clue to which regiment or where he might have joined up.Did they have conscription in WW1 or was it all voluntary?

Regards

Jen

[emanday]

Mary,
Unfortunately grannys name was Elizabeth.

How spooky is that then?

A James Hutcheon, who also suffered rheumatic fever as a child, but is not your chap. The one I found didn't seem to have a great life during WW1, spending a lot of time in hospital. In fact, very few of the several page images have what might be called military, rather than medical, information.

[runmerry]

Hi Mary,
To tell the truth I'm not at all surprised, when I first started on the Hutcheons I found that if they
weren't named James they were John! Which meant that there could be two or three Jameses and John cousins in each generation. I used to get very confused about who was who.
Thanks anyway for your efforts.

Regards

Jen

[emanday]

there could be two or three Jameses and John cousins in each generation.

That is a situation we all understand all too well

In a couple of my families every son named his children the same as his brothers had done, just as THEIR fathers had!

?? Can we have a "tearing hair out smilie", please ??