WW1 Servicemen Records (General)

by VINEY HILL MINER, Friday, November 09, 2018, 00:00 (2215 days ago) @ Jefff

HI All

Thanks for all your comments.

I hadn't appreciated my first post would generate this much interest.

Apologies if my initial post was slightly " cryptic " but the following information may provide some context:

Archie Leonard John Harper was the husband of my Great Aunt Clarice Hible.

He served with the 9th (Service) Battalion Gloucestershire Regiment in Salonica and later in France.

His unit saw action at the Battle of Horesehoe Hill on 10th August 1916 and Battles of Doiran/ Dojran, April /May 1917 in the Salonica Campaign. He was injured during this campaign and hospitalised at the 66th Field Hospital between 14 June 1917 and 17 June 1917.

His unit moved to France in July 1918 and he saw action at the Battle of Cambrai 8 Oct 1918, Pursuit to the Selle 9 Oct 1918 and Battle of the Selle 17 Oct 1918.

His injuries in France were related to mustard gas. He was initially taken to the 74th General Hospital at Trouville and then 1st Australian General Hospital near Rouen on 25th October 1918.

I suspect his bravery in one of these later actions led to the award of the Military Medal ( see London Gazette dated 17th June 1919) although I am still trying to track down the citation.

He survived the war and moved to South Yorkshire. He lived in Tankersley and worked as a miner ( Hewer according to the 1939 Register) at Wharncliffe Silkstone colliery.

He had six children with Clarice and died in 1972.

I have gathered my information from multiple sources: However my primary source has been conversations with my Father and family photos.

Secondary sources include Ancestry, Find My Past, Forces War Records, The Long Long Trail and National Archives websites together with " Under The Devils Eye " book by Alan Wakefield and Simon Moody, and the London Gazette.

I hope this update may be of interest to other forum members.

regards

Ian