Army Pension or Service Record enquiry

[normabaker]

I, too, would like to know if this information is available. My Grandad's Medal Card Record is available and I have information he was a Sergeant but ended up a Corporal. How can I find out why? The family always believed he was a Sergeant Major!! Typical. I think Gerry was a good storyteller.

[MaryA]

It would be useful if you were to provide his name and as much other information as you have about him, including his Regimental number if you have it.

[normabaker]

Thanks Mary A. My grandfather was Gerald Kirwan b. 8.9.1887 Liverpool who married Alice Dodd in 1912. I understand he was in the 1st/8th Irish. On his Medal Rolls Index Card there is a no. 4436 and 306891. His medals are Victory, British and 15 Star and he served in France. He enlisted in first week of June 1915. At some point he was transferred to 19th King's Liverpool Regt. and then to 1st/6th KLR. Hope this is what is needed. Many thanks for any help I can get.

[daggers]

Norma
I do not have access to Ancestry,so cannot help with that search but here are a few thoughts.
A soldier might be promoted on a temporary basis, for example from corporal to sergeant. It would be no disgrace if he reverted to the lower rank.
The 1/8 th Battalion and 1/6th were prewar Territorials and even though your g/f joined up during the war, he would have been renumbered along with all others serving in TF units. The 19th Battalion was one of the four Pals battalions raised by Lord Derby at the outbreak of the war. There is a published history of the four, by Graham Maddocks.
Where did you find his date of enlistment?
D

[Katie]

I have checked my wounded database and I have one entry for this soldier see below

Date of list: 14th-Sept-1916
Regiment: King's Liverpool Regiment
Rank: Private
forename: Gerald
Number: 4436
Surname: Kirwin
Home Town: Liverpool
Incident: Wounded

I have no more entries for him as yet but this is a ongoing project and his name may appear again.

The list were published 4/5 weeks after in incident took place. So he will have been wounded approx 8th, August 1916.

[MaryA]

If he was wounded doesn't that mean he should have been entitled to a Pension? yet I can't find a record for him.

[Katie]

He may have been wounded, patched up and then back into the thick of things.

[MaryA]

Curious to know, would that preclude him from being given a Pension?

[Hilary]

His birth registration is for 1889 and his date of birth as given at death registration is 8 Sept 1889.

My understanding of the pensions at the time that you were graded as to how much % you were disabled. If he recovered and was sent back he would have been classed as fit to fight. Most men weren't "career" soldiers which would probably lead to a pension depending on their length of service but had joined up or were conscripted and so only qualified for pension if their service led to a severe disablement.

The above paragraph is my understanding rather than something I've found as definitely the facts.

As you have a date of joining do you have his service records?

[normabaker]

Many thanks to all who answered re Gerald Kirwan. I note his records also spell it as KIRWIN. I have checked Ancestry and could only find the Medal Rolls which I already had. I will have to check my files to see if there is anything about his date of joining.
I do not know if he had wounds but he was affected by mustard gas and he had episodes which we would call post traumatic stress syndrome. They would come on unexpectedly and gave my nana a hard time. One day he was working on a roof and came unstuck.

Will keep on researching and look forward to any more information to enlighten me about this character of a man.
Norma