Document Transcription. Help needed.

Hi All,

I have just received this document (see attached) and need confirmation of the written details.

On the lines for the witness, I'm reading the address as:

13 Manor Drive
Marston ?
Northwich, Cheshire.

Would the forum members basically agree?

Any help with the other detail such as the name on the witness line and the last two lines, would be much appreciated.

Thanks

Steve

 

Yes 13 Manor Drive, Marston, Northwich, Cheshire

Witness name got me stumped :wink:. Bounger?

 

Steve,
I also go along with 13 Manor Drive, Marston, Northwich,Cheshire.

The witness Looks to be named.G. Bouyer

The second witness could be Jim Enfield, but the address is too unclear even for me to quess

Regards
Tom

 

Steve,

The resident expert, who has spent many hours transcribing merchant seamen's lists from 1915 for the National Maritime Museum, says the witness's name is J. Bowyer.

John

 

Thanks to all. As you can see this is part of an Army Will for Pte. Daniel Burns, who was a Chindit 1 casualty in 1943. The interest for me is whether the man who witnessed this document was a pal or comrade from the 13th King's. Sadly there are no Bowyers found in my personnel Excel sheet for Longcloth.

But, in a way this makes it all the more intriguing, as he could well have been one of the survivors of the expedition and therefore, for me at least, one that got away.

Then again, he could have been the registrar or Army Clerk.

Best wishes

Steve

 

The second witness could have the surname Ersfield, but that's my guess, and I haven't been doing handwriting transcription recently. Could he live in a street called Belvoir or Belview, town beginning with a D ? Frustrating, ain't it ?

 

John,

Thanks again for your help with this. I am very fortunate that I do have a family contact for Pte. Burns. I have sent them this document with the hope that they might be able to shed some light on the identity of the witnesses. My assumption is that a soldier would choose one of his mates to witness such a document, and as this was processed in the summer of 1941 when the battalion were still at home, this view seems more likely to be the case.

I have been able to find 40+ Wills for the 13th King's, I have only viewed two so far, so early days.

Steve

 

Hi Steve, can't help with the original request but was wondering what you are researching, the 13th King's.....? While searching for other things at the Scottish National Archive website I keep coming across soldiers wills. If it's the '13th Kings Royal Rifle Corps' there are 3 Wills that can be ordered to view.

Out of interest, do you know if it was mandatory to make a Will when enlisting? Maria

 

Hi Maria,

I've been researching the 13th King's Liverpool Regiment in WW2. They became the first Chindits under Orde Wingate and harassed the Japanese in Burma in 1943.

If you click on the blue hyperlink under any of my posts, it will take you to my website in honour of the 13th King's which includes my grandfather.

To answer your question, I doubt it was mandatory for men to make a Will. I say that because I have found that only about 10% of the King's have one from 1943.

 

Just a quick update on this thread. Having seen a few more examples of 13th King's Army Wills, it does seem more and more that the witnesses chosen by the soldier in question, tend to be a man from his former regiment and probably a friend or pal. Makes sense really I suppose and gives me a good additional resource when trying to make connections or trace relatives.

 

Pity it wasn't Liverpool Scottish wills as well. There are a few for Burma 1943-44 at the Scottish National Archives.

 

Hi Maria,

That is an interesting database. Can you post the link to the Wills pages by any chance.

Thanks

Steve

 

Hi Steve,

Try the link below and use the Search function. In the Reference Field type SC. This will refine it to all legal documents. I usually untick 'include all undate records' just to narrow it down a bit. Cheers - Maria

http://www.nas.gov.uk/onlineCatalogue/

 

Thanks Maria.

 

Hi All,

I have another two of those difficult to decipher signatures on a soldier's Army Will.

I can work out the second and fourth lines which are an address and a unit, but the two names……well I am open and looking forward to your opinions and offers.

Thanks in advance.

Steve

 

Hi Bamboo

The top one to me reads

H Sherand Pte - but then why have his postal address??

the second one I have no real clue except that the surname is something like Cel??? but if he is conneted to the bottom line then he was in 5th Batt The Kings Regt - is that likely??

Sorry cant be more help

TD

 

Could the name of the second signatory be foreign, such as Polish or Czech? That small 'v' shape on the first letter may be an accent of some sort. Also, the fact that he gives his regiment as his address might indicate he had no home in Britain. Just a wild guess - it really is a puzzler.

 

H. STEWARD.Pte.Regards, Veronica.

 

Could it read H Steward Pte.

 

Third line could read J Lister corporal