Military Chat

The same to you :-) :-)

thank you all again - especially Jink20 for being so very kind in helping me.

For those such as myself that are new to family research, you are a god send - this is all a learning curve so I appreciate your patience in supporting me as I try to navigate my way around here.

happy new year to you

Helpful to know that....................

I have sent OP a lengthy email outling service numbers, ORBATS and War Diaries including a shortcut to the National Archives website regarding 295 Coy RASC

thank you for the link ArgllGran - this explains a lot - It was really useful to help me understand why I was seeing numerous numbers,
all the best

Re service numbers:

https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/why-does-my-soldier-have-two-numbers-or-more/

As Jink showed on page one there were NUMEROUS Maddens serving in WW1.

And,as has already been pointed out, around 70% of all WW1 records were destroyed during WW2

I am finding that some records for a serviceman have numerous service numbers - is this because they may have moved to a different regiment during the war perhaps?
for example there is a James Madden who I have come across in the WW! medal rolls index cards collection that has 3?

James Madden
Duke of Cambridge's Own (Middlesex) Regiment, Royal Fusiliers, London Regiment
267384, 68514, 699048

I thought soldiers only had one throughout their war service - is this not the case?

Also - without seeing the list, and other names before and after those three -
perhaps the list is just alphabetical ??

None of those Service numbers is the same as that on the record to which Jink refers on page one. Also, that man was in the Service Corps, not the Veterinary Corps…and he enlisted in 1915!!!

The names, I’m sorry, are very common, so may be entirely unconnected to each other.

hi again
thank you for all your help so far
I think I may have found something
I found a record for the ROYAL ARMY VETERINARY CORPS - and all 3 of my ancestors were listed one after the other on the same record!
surely this has to be them?
PRIVATE HENRY MADDEN 14984
PRIVATE JAMES MADDEN 31781
PRIVATE JAMES MADDEN 29001
I would guess they signed up together? the record was dated 1918

i am not sure where I can go now with this info so if anyone is happy to point me in the right direction so I can obtain anything further that would be so appreciated by me
thanks in anticipation x

You are very welcome. I have sent you 2 messages, which may be of interest to you.

ok thank you. I am not quite sure if this something I can find out but I am going to try by searching through record for middlesex - its all a bit beyond me to be honest as I feel like I have so little to go on but thank you so much for everything you have posted

"I recall an elderly relative telling me many years ago that he was an officer's assistant"
His was the Officers's orderly or (later after WW1) his batman.
Do you knew the name of the Officer?


Regarding James' Snr posting.
Middlesex Regt

National Army Museum website
The regiment's four regular battalions all served on the Western Front. The 3rd Battalion also deployed to Salonika in 1915. The regiment also raised 16 Territorial, 18 New Army and four works battalions

https://www.nam.ac.uk/explore/middlesex-regiment-duke-cambridges-own

You would need to know in which Battalion he was serving in order to correctly identify that specific Battalion's location during the War.

Checking Silver War Badge (discharged on medical and certain other grounds) entries on Ancestry.

Name James Madden
Badge number B250205
Regiment Labour Corps
Service Number 372561
Enlisted 1914

" James Madden
254951
Army Service Corps
T3/02265
Enlisted 1914

James Madden
B240911
Army Service Corps
R4/069569
Enlisted Oct 1915

hi Jink20
sorry but I am not sure what this last post means - when it says "this soldier can be excluded as service number does not appear on medal rolls index card" ... is this a bad thing?
apologies for my ignorance here

All UK, Absent Voter Lists, 1918-1925, 1939 results for Madden

26 Results
Only One James and One Henry

Name James Madden
Rank Driver
Electoral Date 1918
Electoral Place London Borough of Southwark, Southwark, London, England
Parliamentary Division Southwark
Regiment Royal Field Artilliary
Service Number L30062
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This soldier can be excluded as service number does not appear on Medal Roll Index Card of Madden 103359

Name Henry Madden
Rank Private
Electoral Date 1918
Electoral Place London Borough of Southwark, Southwark, London, England
Parliamentary Division Southwark
Regiment Army Veterinary Corps
Service Number 14984

His service record forms part of his Pension record

wow - im rather speechless with all of the war record info! You are all amazingly clever - I am so grateful for the fact that you each took time to help me - I feel rather emotional.
I am delighted to read my great uncle Henry's war records and subsequent medals awarded. It would be amazing if someone could find his dad's war record (James Madden senior born 1869 in Paddington London).
James senior was an orphan at a early age and so had a very hard life - I don't know much except his parents both died when he was very young - I have the photo of James in his service chevrons as I was given it on ancestry by a distant relative but they knew even less about his war records than me which was pretty much zero so if anyone can work out where he was posted etc from the photo that would be amazing.
I recall an elderly relative telling me many years ago that he was an officer's assistant (not sure of the terminology) but used to look after one specific officer and his horse.
thanks again everyone for any info you can find.-

Incidentally what can i do with the war record of my great uncle Henry? can I now use that info to obtain his record?

There is a tree on Ancestry which has a photograph of this James, IN UNIFORM

Entitled James Madden in his Horse Artillery uniform WW1

James Madden
1869–1928
Birth 30AUG1869 • 38, Saville, Street, Marylebone, Middlesex, England
Death 12 AUGUST 1928 • Pancras, London, England

The image shows him wearing Overseas Service Chevrons (4) each indicating one year's service overseas. There is also a cap in the photograph with a cap badge.

Off to check Cap Badge records.......


Middlesex Regiment !!

RHA cap badge looks completely different and is not the badge shown in the image.