I’m looking for a record of a casualty of the first world war.
I was given this info some years ago.
There were 2 brothers who were killed in the war, only days apart.
1. HUMPHRIES, GEORGE CLEMENT
Initials: G C
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Private
Regiment/Service: Worcestershire Regiment
Unit Text: 3rd Bn.
Date of Death: 12/03/1915
Service No: 9606
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: Panel 34.
Memorial: YPRES (MENIN GATE) MEMORIAL
2. Ernest Marcus Humphries – the date I have is 25 Mar 1915
I have tried to look for Ernest Marcus on the CWGC but can’t find his name. Ernest was born 17 Jan 1897 in Rock, Worcestershire.
It doesn’t help that he may have spelt his name Humphreys. Although, I did search under that too and came up blank.
Any suggestions?
Results 1 to 10 of 12
Thread: CWGC. Record search
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15-01-2012, 8:15 AM #1terrysfamilyGuest
CWGC. Record search
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15-01-2012, 8:52 AM #2
Could this be him, 25 May not March though.
Name: HUMPHREYS, ERNEST GEORGE
Initials: E G
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Private
Regiment/Service: South Lancashire Regiment
Unit Text: 1st/5th Bn.
Age: 19
Date of Death: 25/05/1915
Service No: 1375
Additional information: Son of Parker and Martha Humphreys, of 3, Queen St., St. Helens.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
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15-01-2012, 8:53 AM #3CoromandelGuest
There's a list here of those on a war memorial at Callow Hill to those from Rock:
https://www.
smilodon.plus.com/WarMems/rock.html
It includes an Ernest Humphries and George Humphries. Further down the page are some research notes about those named on the memorial. George Clements Humphries is there, as is an Acting Lance Corporal Ernest Humphries, 175th Tunnel Company Royal Engineers 198032. The date of his death is given as 1/9/18. Birthplace is given as Bewdley, enlisted at Worcester, residence Bridgenorth, Salop (this info is probably from Soldiers Died in the Great War, which you can see on Ancestry or FMP). The notes also say 'formerly 14447 Worcestershire Regiment'.
From CWGC (which spells the surname differently), the latter soldier did have the middle initial 'M': it says that 198032 Lance Corporal E. M. Humphreys, 175th Tunnelling Coy, died on 1 September 1918; he is buried or commemorated at St Sever Cemetery Extension, Rouen.
The date of death is completely different from what you have, though. There's no info on next of kin. Perhaps local newspapers might help in proving whether this is Ernest Marcus?
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15-01-2012, 8:59 AM #4
Hm. I wonder if there is something awry with CWGC at the moment. I couldn't get ANY hits for G.C. Humphries, even without the date. I then entered an ancestor of mine who I know is there and it came up with 0 hits for him too.
However, I then tried Humphries and 1915, omitting initials altogether, and George Clement comes up on page 2 of 3Sue Mackay
Insanity is hereditary - you get it from your kids
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15-01-2012, 9:05 AM #5
Name: HUMPHREYS
Initials: E M
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Lance Corporal
Regiment/Service: Royal Engineers
Unit Text: 175th Tunnelling Coy.
Date of Death: 01/09/1918
Service No: 198032
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: R. II. R. 8.
Cemetery: ST. SEVER CEMETERY EXTENSION, ROUEN
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15-01-2012, 9:12 AM #6terrysfamilyGuest
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02-02-2012, 3:56 PM #7humphrjGuest
These two gentlemen were elder brothers of my grandfather. My parents told me that Ernest Marcus Humphries (or Humphreys) was killed very close to the end of the war.
Ernest Marcus Humphries born January 17 1896 in the parish of Rock
He died in the great war.
I have found an Ernest M Humphries in the medal cards which says he first joined the Worcestershire Regiment (1444Y) but was soon transferred to the Royal Engineers 175th Tunnelling Coy (198032)
He entered the war in France on the 25th March 1915 but was killed on 1st September 1918.
His name (although spelt Humphreys, but has the correct service umber 198032) is on the grave memorial R.II.R2 in the St Sever Cemetery Extension at Rouen and also on the war memorial at Callow Hill in Worcestershire (OS ref SO 740739).
He is also remembered on the war memorial in the churchyard of St Mary’s Church in Highley
During 1915 the army was actively assembling men for tunnelling Companies of the Royal Engineers and were particularly recruiting people who were miners specifically for their operations, which was to tunnel under enemy positions and then collapse their trenches.
When they were not involved in this type of work, they would construct underground areas for their colleagues.
It was apparently very hazardous job in that the tunnels were only large enough for one man, and they were under constant threat of being gassed or blown up by the enemy as well as the usual hazards of being underground
I have aslo found an account of the battle in which George Clement Humphreys on the day he died
and included it here
On January 4th 1910 George married the 19 year old Fanny Potter, the daughter of Edmund Potter, a carpenter from Clows Top, at the parish church in Bayton.
Over the next four years it appears that George and Fanny had four sons:
Edmund George (b 1910), Arthur William (b 1912) and Ernest (b 1914).
Even though George had a young family, with the youngest being a newborn, he entered the army as a volunteer, joining the Worcestershire Regiment, as a private, regimental number 9606.
He entered the theatre of war in France on the 19th December 1914 and was killed in action at Spanbroek Mill just three months later on 12th March 1915.
An account of the battle2 activity noted that from the 4th until the 11th of March, the 3rd Worcestershire were billeted at Locre. On the morning of the 10th the rumble of the firing at Neuve Chappelle from the south could be heard. The following day orders arrived to attack. The 7th Brigade would take and consolidate Spanbroek Mill as a preliminary to a further advance. The 3rd Worcestershire were one of the battalions detailed for the attack, which was due to start at 8.40 am the next day (12th March).After a night March from their billets in Locre, the troops formed up at the dawn of the 12th in newly dug trenches behind the front line.
The weather resulted in orders to postpone the attack.On the morning of the 12th there was a mist (which had been present for two days) which had deepened to a dense fog through which nothing could be seen which made it impossible to see the results of the bombarding which the British Artillery started at 7 a.m.
The trenches were only half dug and were full of water, the troops were afforded little cover and remained crouched all morning while German shells exploded about them. As the mist slowly cleared the German shells became more accurate. There were many casusalties.
At 4.10pm came the orders to begin the assault, the leading battalions rose from the waterlogged ditches, crossed the front line trenches by temporary plank bridges under a hail of bullets and plunged through the knee deep mud to the assault.
The battle raged until dusk, but the losses incurred were disastrous and 9 officers and 77 men of the 3rd Worcestershire lost their lives.
The remaining men of the 3rd Worcester retreated to their billets and after three days of rest and reorganisation they returned to the trenches where the principal occupation was to bury the dead.
Most of those who perished that day, including George are remembered on a panel at the Menin Gate Memorial at Ieper (Ypres).
He is also remembered on the War Memorial in his home county at Callow Hill.
regards
john
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02-02-2012, 6:59 PM #8terrysfamilyGuest
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02-02-2012, 7:58 PM #9terrysfamilyGuest
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02-02-2012, 8:17 PM #10terrysfamilyGuest
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