Our resident military expert Paul Nixon, pictured below, answers your queries.

From Wendy Thomas in Australia:

‘I would like to obtain the Service Record for Elijah Francis who died and was buried on 27 July 1852 in Dinapore, Bengal, India. Elijah was aged 30 and his date of birth was given as 1822. He was a Corporal in HM 29th Regiment. I would like to find out if this Elijah Francis was born in Stoke Lane (Stoke St Michael) in Somerset on 16 January 1823 and baptised in that parish on 23 February 1823. His parents, Samuel and Ann Francis, moved to Bath in around 1830.

I obtained this information about his death and the film (number 98990) hoping it may provide more identifying information, but it did not. I would appreciate any assistance you may provide.’

Paul says:

‘Hello Wendy, thanks for your query. The 29th Regiment of Foot had been in India since 1842 and would only return to England in September 1859. In the interim, as well as venturing into Burma, the regiment took part in operations now known as the 1st Sikh War (1845-46), 2nd Sikh War (1848-49) and Indian Mutiny (1857-59).

Assuming that Elijah joined the regiment as a young man, the majority of his service would have been overseas and he may well have qualified for the Sutlej Campaign Medal and the Punjab Campaign Medal. Without a surviving service record for him you’ll need to see if he’s mentioned in a regimental description book. These survive in WO25 at The National Archives in England, pieces 266-688 covering Infantry of the Line, among others.

Descriptions typically give name, rank, regiment, height, age, description (complexion, hair colour, eye colour and sometimes “visage”), county where born, parish where born, trade and former service (where applicable). Here, it’s the where born and age which will enable you to tie him in to Stoke Lane in Somerset. You can call up these National Archives files yourself or engage a researcher to do this for you. While you’re at it, also have a look at WO12, the muster books and pay lists, as you’ll be able to track his career with the 29th through these.’

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Our resident military expert Paul Nixon, pictured below, answers your queries.

From Ian McIntosh in Cambridgeshire:

‘Please can you help? My grandfather was in the Liverpool Regiment in WW1. I have his medals which are inscribed on the edge. What I am looking for is which Battalion he was in and where he went during his service period.

His name was Otto Dorer McIntosh. From the information I have on the paperwork that accompanied the medal he was a Sergeant. The number on the medal is 57981.

I believe he was injured and in hospital at one point in Arras, France. I look forward to hearing from you and hope you can guide me to the correct information.’

Paul says:

‘Determining a battalion from numbers can sometimes be done but I’m afraid not in this case. The number does, however, indicate that it was given to him in late 1916; probably November or December of that year. He may have attested earlier, however, and been called up at this time. I see that he married in early 1916 and this would have placed him in a lower call-up category than he would have been in had he been single.

If he had attested under the Derby Scheme, he would have been placed into one of 46 groups. Group 1 was for single 18-year-olds, Group 2 for single 19-year-olds right up to Group 23 for single 40-year-olds. Group 24 was for married 18-year-olds, Group 25 for married 19-year-olds and so on. In early 1916, Otto would have been married and 23-years old so he could have been in Group 29. Alternatively, had he been conscripted he would have fallen into Class 6, which was for those men born in 1892. Without seeing a service record, it’s difficult to know whether he was a Derby Scheme man or a conscript.

Your best bet in trying to track down a battalion would be to have somebody check the medal rolls at The National Archives. As you know, he was entitled to the British War and Victory Medals and at some point transferred to the RAF. Details of his medals are in the RAF rolls: RAF/101 B16 Page 314. It may also be worth contacting the RAF museum at Hendon to see if they hold any additional information about your grandfather.’

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Our resident military expert Paul Nixon, pictured below, answers your queries.

From M Marshall in Barnet, Hertfordshire:

‘A relative called John Telford Graham (born 1890/91) came from Newcastle upon Tyne and served in the First World War. He belonged to The Army Medical Corps (Territorial Force) and died on 15 July 1917 in Malta. His army number was 386384 and his rank was Private.

What was the cause of John’s death? Where was he buried in Malta? Why was his unit serving in Malta? I would be most grateful if you could answer these questions.’

Paul says:

‘Soldiers Died in The Great War notes simply ‘died’ which probably means that he died as a result of sickness or accident; probably the former, as Pieta Military Cemetery dealt with the sick and wounded from Gallipoli and Salonika. The Commonwealth war Graves Commission gives the following information:

Name: GRAHAM, JOHN TELFORD
Initials: J T
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Private
Regiment/Service: Royal Army Medical Corps
Unit Text: 2nd/1st Northumbrian Field Amb
Age: 26
Date of Death: 15/07/1917
Service No: 386384
Additional information: Son of John Sewell Graham and Margaret Ann Graham, of “Holmside,” Armstrong Rd., Benwell, Newcastle-on-Tyne.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: C. XIV. 5.
Cemetery: PIETA MILITARY CEMETERY

The 2/1st Northumbrian FA was initially part of the 63rd (2nd Northumbrian) Division and you can read more about this Division on The Long, Long Trail website. From the information contained here, the unit had moved to Salonika as Army Troops in September 1916.’

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