Genealogy Chat

Mandy, Having researched the use of gas in WW1 a little, it seems that the victims didn't necessarily die immediately (sorry to be gruesome). Many people actually 'recovered' although I guess quality of life might have been an issue. If you google around a bit you'll find a long account of the Staffs Regiment and their experiences with gas attacks. There's also an account somewhere about the first British use of gas - they didn't check the wind direction and it blew back in their faces. Your 'family legend' sounds as though it has 'substance' but over time the exact circumstances (ie whether he actually died in action) may have become blurred, but I believe that the essence is likely to be true. Agree with the others that if you can find his death cert, you'll have more info to follow up. Without doubt there's a 'story' here. Good luck Annie

Mandy I would suggest that you persevere with finding his death - though as MMM says, it might be sometime after the end of the war. Once you get that death cert it will tell you cause of death which might help to prove/disprove the family legend. With an exact date you can then ask the relevant library service if they can check the newspapers for an obituary. nell

sorry, Georgina. His parents were Joseph Rose and Annie Rose (nee Knight)

Thank you all so much!!!!! Fabulous. Guess how I am going to spend my Sunday? Yep, I'm going to follow these leads. I knew you guys could help. Love ya all!

try putting a message on the 1914-1918 site - even tho I didn't have my Great Uncle's service number they tracked him down for me - I believe some sort of books exist which list all the soldiers who were in the army etc along with details of where they enlisted and parents name's etc - worth a try! Good luck

From the CWGC site... Name: ROSE, WILLIAM EDWARD Initials: W E Nationality: United Kingdom Rank: Private Regiment: Essex Regiment Unit Text: 2nd/5th Bn. Age: 19 Date of Death: 13/06/1917 Service No: 251898 Additional information: Son of William and Louise Rose, of 2/24, Penn St., Birmingham. Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead Grave/Memorial Reference: Screen Wall. 64. 08675. Cemetery: BIRMINGHAM (WITTON) CEMETERY Georgina.

Mandy do you know who William Rose's parents were? Georgina.

Thank you ladies! Gosh that's really interesting Merry. Never thought of that. Off to 1837 online.....

Hi Mandy, Someone on here put a thread up a while ago, about a similar site to CWGC, and I have had a look on there. There are 64 William Rose's. Only 2 are listed as being born in Birmingham, BUT some don't have any place of birth entered. One of these is a William Alexander Rose, so I presume it's not him, or you would have mentioned that. So, hopefully this might be him? William Rose Regiment, Corps etc Royal Welsh Fusiliers Battalion/etc 15th Battalion. Surname Rose Christian Name William Initials W Born Birmingham Enlisted Birmingham Residence Rank PRIVATE Number 235288 Died Date 06/12/1917 Died How Killed in action Theatre of War France & Flanders Supplementary Notes FORMERLY 7058, ROYAL WARWICKSHIRE REGIMENT If you want to take a look at the site it's a pay per view, but I think you can search without paying, just need to register. www.military-genealogy*com/ (replace * with . ) Debbie

Not sure if it was France or Belgium. So would the death be registered as being France? ie, France would be the district? Sorry, I'm not being very clear!!! I have no idea whether this story is absolutley true - we all know have embellished things get! But I would love to get to the bottom of it. I don't live in Birmingham, so not able to search the local papers in the archives. Although I have dropped strong hints to family up there, none have volunteered to look for me.

Hi Mandy If he died in France or overseas during the 1st war, I think his death would be on the overseas section of the death registers, which are on 1837online. It's where the relatives I have that died during the war are registered. Heather Merry beat me to it!

If he died overseas, then his death cert would be in the overseas WW1 entries on 1837online. However, in theory (!!) his death record should also be on the CWGC site. Another possibility is that if he was gassed, he initially survived and came home, but died later from the effects. Some people who died years later are on the CWGC site because their death was associated with the effects of the war.....but I expect only a percentage of these deaths were picked up. So, if his family hadn't spoken to the right people his death might have gone unrecognised as a war death and mght be in the ordinary deaths in the UK and not on the CWGC site. A rellie on my tree died in 1925 from the effects of a bullet wound from 1917. He is on the CWGC site, but that's probably because he died in a military hospital. Had he died at home and no one at the War Office (or wherever) was informed, I wouldn't have located his death because I would never have looked as far forward as 1825. Merry

Mandy I wish I could help. Family stories often have a basis in truth but may not be the full story. Was this incident in France? Would there have been a death notice in the hometown local newspaper? The death would be registered where it took place I believe. Any idea what this medal was - it sounds like it would be one for gallantry/bravery as opposed to the one you got for just being in a theatre of war. nell

I think I may have asked for help with this a while back, so sorry if you have tried to help before. The 'story' is that one of my Gt grandmother's brothers died in the first world war when he gave his gas mask to a 14 year old drummer boy, and a medal was issued. I have narrowed it down to one brother - William Rose, born 1890-1891, in Birmingham. I have no idea which regiment he was in. I have looked on the rolls of hounour for the warwickshire,worcestershire and staffordshire regiments, but nothing. I have searched the Commonealth graves site - nothing. I have searched the London gazzette - nothing. National Archives - lots fo William Roses, but not knowing his regiment I can't afford to download lots of medal cards in the hope that I find him that way. So, I am searching the death registers for his death. How would his death have been registered? Would his family have registered his death in Birmingham? Thanks Mandy XX