CWGC. Record search

[terrysfamily]

Whoops. I don't know what made me type that. My apologies, Terry.

No worries Graham, It gave me a laugh and I needed cheering up today, so many sad memories of a year ago today. Thnk you

[terrysfamily]

There's a list here of those on a war memorial at Callow Hill to those from Rock:

http://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?

Well, well, well Coromandel, you were spot on with Ernest. I seem to have had his enlistment date as his death date for some reason.