Help Me, Geordie Boys and Girls!
My grandfather was from around Keithley, Yorkshire. To make an extremely long story short, he eventually ended up serving in the British Columbia Provincial Police Force, having been rejected for WWI service by both the British and Canadian Armed Forces because of a childhood injury to his foot. He died a number of years ago at the age of 98.
My mother recently gave me a box of curiousities he had collected. In it was a British War Medal 1914-1918, which had been issued to one, CPL. George Purvis Connelly.
Nobody in the family knows who George was or how my grandfather ended up with his medal.
I have discovered that George was awarded the medal for his service with the 238th Canadian Forestry Battallion, a unit which existed for only few months or so after its formation in 1916.
According to George's Attestation Paper for the Canadian Over-Seas Expeditionary Force (enlistment paper), dated July 26, 1916:
He was 36 years old.
He then resided at 511 Simpson St., Fort William, Ontario.
He was born in South Shields, England, October 8, 1881.
His next of kin was Mary Jane Connelly, his mother, who resided at 7 Maderia (sic: Madeira) Terrace, South Shields, England.
He was a "laborer."
He was 5' 8.5" tall -- he had a "dark" complexion, blue eyes, and brown hair.
He was a Presbyterian.
He had served in the Northumberland Hussars for seven years, which, given his age and the date of the Attestation Paper, almost certainly means that he was with the Hussars in the Boer War.
From the Province of British Columbia's archives there is the terse record of death:
Vital Event Death Registration
Name: George Purvis Connelly
Event Date: 1952 9 11 (Yr/Mo/Day)
Age: 73
Gender: male
Event Place: New Westminster
George appears never to have married.
There is probably a poignant story here.
Anyone (Geordie Boys and Girls) who can fill in more details, please do.
The Newcastle Discovery Museum apparently has the service records for the Nortumberland Hussars.
