Moranthorse1 wrote: Hi Berenice,
Happy New Year to you.
I have found attestation papers on Ancestry for your grandfather as follows;
Charles attested to the Royal Engineers on 22nd October 1902 at the age of 23 years and 11 months receiving the service number 11560. He is recorded as having served two years previously with the Cheshire Regiment.
The service number 11842 was also issued to him at some point during his military service.
The papers give his place of birth as Barnham, Leominster, Herefordshire. But with a bit of local knowledge, I will stick my neck out and say that is a mistake as I think it would be Bodenham, near Leominster.
Charles gave Electrical Wireman as his profession and stood 5' 8 3/4" tall and weighing in at 148lbs. Chest minimum 34 1/2" maximum 36 1/2". Fresh complexion, grey eyes, dark brown hair and of Church of England denomination.
His next of kin were his father William and mother Harriett who resided at 24 Walker Street, Hoole, Chester.
Also a brother also William is given as serving with 'C' Battery of the Royal Horse Artillery.
His army service record with the rank of Sapper totalled 13 years 6 days comprising of;
Home-22/10/1902---17/11/1904
Gibraltar-18/11/1904---06/03/1910
Home-07/03/1910---03/09/1912
South Africa-04/09/1912---19/09/1914
Home-20/09/1914---03/10/1914
France-04/10/1914---16/10/1915
Home-17/10/1915---27/10/1915
He is recorded as receiving a head wound on 01/12/1914.
For his Great War service Charles received the 1914 Star, War Medal and the Victory Medal.
His army character reference as follows:
"A skilled permanent line telegraphist, hard working, thoroughly sober and reliable. In every way absolutely trustworthy."
This Attestation document shows no service during the ABW, but his attestation date of 22/10/1902 would fit in with service in SA.
I have found a 2800 Private G. Baynham on the medal rolls for the Cheshire's. On WO100/180 entitled to QSA with Cape Colony, Orange Free State and Transvaal and WO100/327 entitling South Africa 1901 & 1902.
Interestingly, the rolls show that Private G. Baynham was returned to militia reserves of the 4th Battalion of the Shropshire Light Infantry. The 4th Battalion SLI had on their strength many men of North Herefordshire.
Baynham is a reasonably common family name in the area.
Is there a connection here?
I hope this is of help.
Cheers Steve
Happy New Year to you too, Steve, and thank you very much for digging up his service record. So he didn't see active service in the ABW. Now I don't regret not asking him about it!
The profession I have for Charles is an electrician at a steel works - perhaps at Shotton (opened 1896), a short train journey from Chester. He later worked on the railways, according to his late daughter (one of my aunts).
.Moranthorse1 wrote: of Church of England denomination.
Now that's odd. As far as I was aware the Baynhams were Methodist. My mother was, and maybe I just assumed they all were. Too late to ask now.
.Moranthorse1 wrote: His next of kin were his father William and mother Harriett who resided at 24 Walker Street, Hoole, Chester.
Also a brother also William is given as serving with 'C' Battery of the Royal Horse Artillery.
William and Harriet both died at that address, round the back of Chester Railway Station; Harriet passed away in early November 1915, just after Charles had returned from France. William, the father, was from Much Marcle, Herefordshire, and Harriet from Ross-on-Wye, and they moved to Kington before starting a family. Lots of Baynhams in Kington then, perhaps cousins of William. Then to the Leominster area (more cousins there?), on to the Montgomery area, and finally to Chester. There was at least one other Baynham family in Chester in the late 19th century, so George Baynham was likely to have been some sort of relative, but I haven't researched that far yet.
Find my Past says "Where most Baynhams lived - In the 1900s, you'd probably bump into a Baynham in Herefordshire."
Yes, Charles had a brother called William - born Kington, Hereforshire, 1873, died in 1970 (a long-lived family - two sisters of Charles and William both reached the age of 100, dying in 1990 and 1991. Of the ten brothers and sisters, seven lived past the age of 85). Did William see active service in the ABW?
