WWI - Erskine House.....

[annpa]

I posted this on another forum, before I found this one. Perhaps someone will be able to help.

Have been trying to find the death of my Grandmother's brother, JAMES KELLY. He was born in 1880 in Falkirk and fought at the Dardanelles in 1915. He was badly wounded (lost both legs) and was shipped back home, and ended up at Erskine House, where he stayed until his death in the 1950s.
I have written to Erskine House to try and find some details about him, but have received no answer.
Does anyone know how I can find out about servicemen who spent their time at Erskine House?

One problem is that I don't know his regiment, though I remember we did have some "Seaforth Highlanders" shoulder badges. That may be a red herring but it's the nearest I can get.

His family had come over from the West of Ireland so there would have been no tradition of a special regiment. What would the usual regiments be for the Falkirk area? A poster on the othe forum suggested Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders as a common regiment around Falkirk.

He would have been 35 in 1915 and I wonder whether he would have been a serving soldier before the war as opposed to a volunteer. I cannot find him in the 1901 census, so this is one possibility for an occupation.

Would his death be in the normal Death register on SP or are military deaths held somewhere else?
I know records are only available online till 1954, but I feel he died before then, though memeory is fickle. I remember my grandmother going over to Erskine and I'm sure it was before 1956. Of course that gives me another two years to wait before SP put the records on line. I shall just have to come up to Scotland to register house. That's no hardship of course to come back home - it's just the finding the time!!

I have also tried the National Archives but not knowing his regiment makes it difficult. There are 800 plus cards in the index for James Kelly!!

Thanks in advance for all you help.

[Skywave]

See my reply on your original post.

[nancy]

Hi Annpa,spoke to my cousin and it's a different Kelly,one she knew was Donald.He seemed to be in charge of shop there!Sorry no luck.Cheers Nancy.

[annpa]

Skywave and all
Thanks for your advice. I did write to Erskine House and received the following reply:

With regard to your recent enquiry re Mr James Kelly, I regret that our records do not go back that far. However, if we did have records we would be unable to disclose any information under the Data Protection Act. The only place we can suggest for possible information as his regiment is not known might be the Ministry of Defence but we can not be certain of this.

We have no trace of any previous request you have made and I am sorry we are unable to assist you further but I do hope you are successful in your search.


So that's that, then. I think it means a trip up north to Edinburgh to see if his death has been recorded, and perhaps a trip up to London to the PRO to see what I can find there. As he was war-disabled (lost both legs) I presume he would have had a pension.
Any other thoughts folks?

Thanks for everything so far.

[Skywave]

Annpa,

Sorry I did not get back to you sooner but have been busy. I am afraid I got much of the same answer in response to my Email, known contact or not. I am shocked however that they fail to keep all records, available to us or not and intend to take it up with him on my next face to face meeting. If you want a copy of the Email contact me off the Bulletin Board, my Email address is listed.

[AthollHighlander]

http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/

Hi Annpa and all forum members.

Annpa I don't know what forum you posted on previously but have you tried the Great War forum? There's a lot of guys on there very switched on to researching that particular era and may be worth a try also. I visit frequently just to build a broader picture of the Great War which becomes more fascinating and horrific and tragic the more you learn.

Gallipoli could be the clue and starting point as the British Divisions that served down there can be easily pinpointed and from there hopefully the Regiments/Battalions, particularly if you can narrow down the approx date he was wounded. I have a WW1 databook that details Campaigns and the book states that the 52(Lowland)Div served with the Mediteranean Expeditionary Force in Aug 1915. This appears to be the only Scottish Division and may tie in with the Falkirk connection! Perhaps some experts on that Division (and there will be one on the GW Forum I'm sure) could help from there. I'll try to find out more about the Division but you may find someone more knowledgeable than me before I post again..

Hope this helps and Good luck

AH

[AthollHighlander]

52nd (Lowland) Division

155th (South Scottish) Brigade
4th Bn / The Royal Scots Fusiliers
5th Bn / The Royal Scots Fusiliers
4th Bn / The King's Own Scottish Borderers
5th Bn / The King's Own Scottish Borderers

156th (Scottish Rifle) Brigade
7th Bn / Cameronians
8th Bn / Cameronians
4th Bn / The Royal Scots Regiment
7th Bn / The Royal Scots Regiment

157th (Highland Light Infantry) Brigade
5th Bn / The Highland Light Infantry
6th Bn / The Highland Light Infantry
7th Bn / The Highland Light Infantry
5th bn /The Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders

Annpa

If the advise given was correct perhaps he was in the 5th Battalion Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders !

Atholl

[annpa]

Skywave/Atholl Highlander
I've had a couple of days wondering where to go next, following the email from Erskine House, but your posts have cheered me up!

Thanks, Skywave, will contact you off-list. I must say I was quite surprised that they had no records of the early patients.

Atholl - Thank you for the URL and the list of regiments. I now have something to investigate more fully. My problem is I have no idea at all what regiment he could have been in. Have not been able to find him in the censuses after 1891 when he was 11 so have no idea what trade. That's why I was wondering whether he had gone straight into the Army as a young man as he was 35 in 1915. perhaps slightly older that most volunteers??
Cheers to all

[DavidWW]

.....snipped...........
Atholl - Thank you for the URL and the list of regiments. I now have something to investigate more fully. My problem is I have no idea at all what regiment he could have been in. Have not been able to find him in the censuses after 1891 when he was 11 so have no idea what trade. That's why I was wondering whether he had gone straight into the Army as a young man as he was 35 in 1915. perhaps slightly older that most volunteers??
Cheers to all

If he was 35 in 1915 then the chances are that he had served a 12 year commission (7 years active service and 5 in the reserves) before that date, and then been called up on the outbreak of WW1 as a reservist .......

My own great-uncle Joseph Young WEBSTER falls into such a category in that he served in the Cameron Highlanders, - in the Sudan and S Africa, - and then, - his home town being Montrose, in the Black Watch reserve, before serving in Flanders with the Montrose company of the the 5th (Angus) battalion of the Black Watch (The Royal Highland Regiment) who were involved in the battle of Aubers Ridge in early 1915, - a battle that involved major casualties but which is little known, following which Sjt. Joseph WEBSTER's body was never found, and he was gazetted postumously as DCM.

Anyone of this age who served in WWI may well have an earlier service record...........

David

[annpa]

Thanks David -

Presuming Uncle Jimmy joined up as a young man (before 1901, say) would you (or anyone else) have any idea where I could find him in the 1901 census? I think I'll have to find him in the 1901 E&W census on ancestry (mercifully still free till the end of September!)
Any other ideas?
Have taken up Atholl's suggestion and registered on the WWI site, so i'm looking forward to educating myself on this particular campaign.
Cheers