Dr James Anderson Loughridge. Information needed.

[Coquet]

Originally Posted by janwhin

Well I've found out what "Jack Johnsons" or "Coal Boxes" were. A nickname used by British infantrymen for a heavy German shell (15cm artillery shell)which burst in thick black smoke, named after the World heavyweight boxing champion of the time, Jack Johnson (African American).

And they were still just the small ones compared to some of the Howitzers and railway mounted guns in use by both sides. Man's inhumanity to man.


uploaded a newer version of the 1915 page, it's been sitting here for months. Not sure how far from the end we are on that one. Just needs me to check it for typos. (there'll be a few)

[Coquet]

The very last one on the 1915 page, Adam Young from Alnwick:

I was shot by a sniper. The bullet penetrated through the right cheek and came out the left, carrying away some of my teeth with it.

[janwhin]

Just finished reading a fantastic novel about the war...Covenant with Death, by John Harris. It was first published in 1961 and reissued this year. he wrote The Sea Shall Not Have Them. It is based on the Sheffield Pals who were more or less wiped out at the start of the Big Push on the Somme, trying to take the village of Serre.
He based it on the stories of old soldiers, still alive at the time he wrote, of course.

[Coquet]

Loughridge did turn up in the WW1 Officer PoW lists, but misspelled.

You will probably have to log in to Ancestry to see it here

Or search for "Loughbridge" instead of Loughridge. The data entry does not give us anything more that his repatriation date, which is 13th December 1918.


Regarding my effort to find Loughridge in the War Diaries; that came to nowt. That Naval and Military Press website only has the Western Front diaries copied. We need the Salonica theatre ones to narrow it down. The Army Medical Services Museum didn't bother replying to my email, so no help there. I'm sure that the Salonica diaries will appear online at some time hopefully, or it's another trip to the National Archives.

[Heritage Medals]

Regarding Dr. Loughridge, please see my first post in New Member concerning him!

[Coquet]

Hi Heritage Medals, have read your other post. Please add a picture of the war badge if you can. I am the custodian of his campaign medals.


[I've done another merge of the forum 'Loughridge' threads to bring everything together here. 5 pages now, wow, although we have strayed off topic a few times ]

[Heritage Medals]

Thanks Coquet... will explore the photo-upload process and have it here soon I hope.

[Heritage Medals]

Here, I HOPE are the 2 photos.

[Heritage Medals]

Here, I HOPE are the 2 photos. The 'B' prefix (#51538) indicates post-1918 award. This number for SWB accorded to only men named James Loughridge...

[Heritage Medals]

Sorry, I'm learning... 'accorded to ONLY TWO MEN named Loughrodge.'

[Coquet]

Hi Heritage Medals, the rolls allocate that number to 3109 Private James Loughridge, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, so a different man, but he might turn out to be related.

[Heritage Medals]

Thanks Coquet for the clarification. Did you find that on the SWB records, or the Medal Index Cards? I'm curious as to how definitive the assignation is.

[Coquet]

You can search on the ancestry site by badge number, a number being unique to one individual. This is the search page on the .uk ancestry site. [you might have to access the same page via the .com site?]

The page of the silver war badge roll is also quoted on the medal index card.

Before the war badge rolls went online a chap called Alan Stuart was copying out the rolls and publishing the work in volumes, massive works they are. I have a few volumes, including the 'officers' one. I've had a look through this paper version for Captain Loughridge just in case he's missed in the digital online version but he's not there.

[Heritage Medals]

Thank you Coquet. I've been to the ancestry site via the SWB rolls, but I'm afraid I didn't want to PAY a fee; so I went thru the Medal Card Index (where I wasn't required to pay) wherein I got the info on the 2 James Loughridges... don't know if it's different for you in the UK as to 'payment for info.' So I suppose back to my initial specific question: have you found this PARTICULAR badge number ascribed to the Private Loughridge? That is the specific info I couldn't access without a fee. Most thankful for any help to find rightful owner. And I will go to your site sent me, thanks.

[janwhin]

Here it is

[Heritage Medals]

Thank you , that is the proverbial smoking gun I couldn't access. Very glad to know definitively to whom this beautiful military item belongs, I hope you'll forgive my excitation. Can you tell me what the various items/designations mean in the "Cause of Discharge" column? If not, it's OK. Also, any thoughts from you (as Brits, to whom these are familiar) as to why this is not the traditional sterling SWB? Gracious thanks again.

[Coquet]

The roll gives his enlistment and discharge date, 9th October 1913 and 6th December 1918. Then the King's Regulation that applies to the nature of his discharge: '392 xvi', which is 'no longer physically fit', then the end columns show 'W' for wounds for your chap as the cause (S=Sickness), not sure what the "B" means, then his age at discharge: 23.
The 'Yes' at the end for your man is in answer to "served overseas?"

[Heritage Medals]

Fantastic. Thank you. Keep up the good work on your site! A pleasure to visit.

[Coquet]

Playing around with the red cross ww1 PoW database and have found Loughridge.

don't know if these links will work:


http://grandeguerre.icrc.org/en/File...ls/115165/3/2/

http://grandeguerre.icrc.org/en/List/115165/1872/38688/

Looks like I have my breakthrough. 108 Field Ambulance, he was. (although it looks like 109 in one document)

[janwhin]

Nice one Coquet.
It mentions the front at Limburg.....is this the Netherlands or Germany?