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  1. #1

    Default Absent without leave

    Hi all, I’m new to this site so apologise if I’m posting on the wrong forum.

    I believe I have found an ancestor on the Forces UK site in 1917 where the incident states Absentee from Territorial Force Unit. As a story goes the relative had gone missing and when found was taken away and never seen again. Later that year he was “killed in action” also found on the Forces site and has a memorial on the CWGC website?

    Is there anywhere I can find out further information on this please at least to verify these details. Im led to believe that absentees were shot, would they then be given a commemorative memorial because they served in the war?

    Thank you in advance.
    Trinity

  2. #2
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Trinity Archers View Post
    Hi all, I’m new to this site so apologise if I’m posting on the wrong forum.

    I believe I have found an ancestor on the Forces UK site in 1917 where the incident states Absentee from Territorial Force Unit. As a story goes the relative had gone missing and when found was taken away and never seen again. Later that year he was “killed in action” also found on the Forces site and has a memorial on the CWGC website?

    Is there anywhere I can find out further information on this please at least to verify these details. Im led to believe that absentees were shot, would they then be given a commemorative memorial because they served in the war?

    Thank you in advance.
    Trinity
    Perhaps you can give us the name of your ancestor, and any other info you may have e.g. where born, parents etc. Anything will help.

  3. #3

    Default

    Sue's right. If you can give us the info about him that you are sure of - name, number age, date of death - then we can have a look.
    If he'd been AWOL, he would have had a hearing or court martial (depending on how serious it was), at least. AWOL is not the same as Deserter. Men guilty of being AWOL for trivial reasons had reasonably lesser punishments - loss of pay, loss of rank, etc. They were not what would be called "sensitive" about such things today. A deserter was highly unlikely to have been recorded honorably.
    Until we can see whatever records have survived, we can't judge.

    PS Welcome to the British Genealogy Forum.

  4. #4

    Default

    Hi Sue and Lesley

    Thank you both for your replies. Sorry it would have been helpful to post additional information. My ancestor is Alfred Reynolds service number 574371 born 1893 in Bethnal Green. His parents were Peter and Alice Cracknell. I believe he married in 1916 to a lady called May. I’m ignorant when talking about absence without leave and deserters so your explanation Lesley is most helpful.

    Thank you
    Trinity

  5. #5

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    574371 Pte Alfred Reynolds of the London Regiment is in the medal rolls index, with the Victory and British medals. The lack of the 14/15 Star means that he did not arrive at the Front before 31 Dec 1915.

    The CWGC site says that 574371 Rifleman Alfred Reynolds of 17 Bn London Regiment died 30 Oct. 1917 and he is buried in the Cement House Cemetery, Langemarck in Belgium. The reference card for his grave has Rifleman crossed out and Pte entered (the card is full of such changes for other graves as well).. There is no family mentioned (not unusual). There is a note that his body was identified from letters he was carrying, and that he was found and reburied in the official cemetery after the war (the card is dated 2 Sept 1919. I must say that most of the men recovered from the same place were "Unknown Soldiers". You can see all this yourself - Go to CWGC.org, click "find records" then "find records". You don't have to fill every box, I just gave it his forename, surname, number and ticked the box for WW1. Select him from the list, you get his front page, then scroll down and click in turn on each of the 5 links below. One relating to the headstone gives the choice of text for the stone as supplied by Mrs Reynolds, 164 Brady St., Bethnal Green, E2. The last card gives his age as 25.

    It looks as though his service record is among the 2/3 of such records that did not survive WW2.

    His entry in Soldiers Who Died in the Great War say KIA,, France & Flanders, and that he was in the 17th (County of London) Battalion (Poplar and Stepney Rifles). They also say that his residence was Mile End.

    Oddly, the Register of soldier's effects says "30.10.17 Death presumed", but they paid out to "Wid. May". I think the "presumed" is because they didn't find him until later (as I mentioned under CWGC).

    I have seen nothing indicating serious trouble - he was probably just late reporting back, or something like that.

  6. #6

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    Dear Lesley thank you so very much, all the information you have given is so much appreciated ��. Brady Street is where my dad was born so 100% believe this is my Alfred. It’s So very sad ��,he obviously went absent for a good reason to only die later that year is awful. I’ve now seen the information on the CWCG too so thank you too for your help.

    Best wishes Tina

  7. #7

    Default

    Hello Trinity and welcome to the British Genealogy Forums.

    I'm unsure how much you know, and how much you want to know about Alfred, but here goes, as there's nothing to lose by posting some info I've found

    There's a tree on Ancestry which says Alfred's mother was Alice Maria Reynolds, and Peter Cracknell was his stepfather.

    Alice Maria Reynolds and Peter Cracknell married at St James the Great, Bethnal Green 18 Apr 1897
    Peter was age 21, occ. baker, father William Cracknell a labourer.
    Alice was age 23, father Alfred Reynolds a baker.
    Witnesses Alfred Reynolds and Eliza Reynolds.

    Alfred Reynolds married May Busby between Jan - Mar 1916 at Mile End Old Town registration District.

    I think it possible that Peter Cracknell and Alice Maria Reynolds had an ancestor in common, I'll look further into it and get back to you.

    If you are aware of a common ancestor between Peter and Alice please say as it will save me wasting time searching.
    Alma

  8. #8

    Default

    Dear Alma

    Thank you for taking the time to find this information, it’s really kind of you. Peter and Alice Cracknell are actually my gt grandparents and I do in fact have this information already,I also have a tree on Ancestry. Your help is much appreciated though.

    Thank you again
    Trinity

  9. #9

    Default

    Thanks for getting back to me, Trinity. If there's anything else we may able to help you with do ask.
    Alma

  10. #10
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    A little bit extra from the medal award rolls, rather than the index cards.

    Served in France/Flanders with the 17th London Regiment 17 July 1917 - 5 Aug 1917, and then the 8th London Regiment (Posted)6 Aug 1917 - 30 Oct 1917, when presumed dead.

    There is also a Red Cross/PoW card for him on Find my Past which was basically the Red Cross asking if he was in a PoW camp. The card confirms his name, regiment & number & that he was missing from 30 October 1917. The contact details were Mrs Reynolds (wife) 69 Brady Street, Bethnal Green. The card is stamped Negative and there is a hand-written date of 16.8.18

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