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-- New user message (talk) 17:42, 24 July 2017 (UTC)
It appears to be hand written entries in a war diary from late 1917 until the day the unit was disbanded. There are entries of officer's funerals as well as a chaplains as well as road marches and camp locations as well.
2nd Lt. M. Smyth
I'm in America but I have come into possession of what appears to be a handwritten war diary that is supposed to belong to Lt. M. Smyth 11th border regiment the dates are from 1917 to 1918 when the unit was disbanded I was hoping to find out any information I could regarding Lt.Smyth so far I find no record of him in the units rolls. Mel427 (talk) 17:48, 24 July 2017 (UTC)
- Hi Mel, welcome to the site. I haven't worked on any of the officer rolls of the 11th Border Regiment (Lonsdales) but I did a quick search on our forum and found two entries: Unique 1919 documents - Lt. M. Smyth (ex- Lonsdale officer) which sounds like it could be the same chap, and a mention of him here: The Border Magazine-regimental publication 1947-59 What kind of information are you interested in? What information does this hand-written diary provide? It might give some clues for further searches. I could ask a couple of people and see if they can shed any light, otherwise you might need to contact the Regimental Museum in Carlisle. If this is the same chap, and he rose to become quite an influential person, the chances are the museum will have something about him, especially as he was curator of the very same museum in 1947. I'm very interested to find out more about the diary, how did you come into possession of it? It certainly looks unique and rare if it's the same as seen in the forum posts. My great grandfather was a Lonsdale and although he was killed before the diary was written, I have a particular interest in anything 11th Border Regiment. Borderman talk | contribs | email 21:34, 24 July 2017 (UTC)
- I have found out from the friend that obtained the papers for me that after the war Smyth continued at least for a short time in the army and served as a captain in India. Mel427 (talk) 22:25, 24 July 2017 (UTC)
- Well that would certainly fit with Paul's posting on the forum: "he appears in the 1918 Army list under “Service Bns” with a commission date of 24th April 1917. He was a Lieutenant with the Lonsdale Battalion in WW1, and then served with the Trans Jordan Frontier Force, later with the 2nd Border Regiment as a Captain in Rawalpindi India (1931). He received GSM with Palestine clasp (1939) then went on to serve in WW2 as a Lt-Col." So, we are talking about the same person. Borderman talk | contribs | email 23:29, 24 July 2017 (UTC)
- I think we can safely presume that we have our man so to speak. As to how I came by the papers, a friend of mine in England found them in a shop along with some more personal items belonging to the late Lt. Col. and purchased the papers because she know I'm a bit of a military history buff. The papers are loose and in a somewhat fragile state but I can try to scan or take images of them for you.
- Next question would be since this appears to be regular reporting which the museum I'm sure has do you think they would be interested in having them on loan for display or research purposes? Mel427 (talk) 06:33, 25 July 2017 (UTC)
- It's great to know there is Border Regiment interest in the States and I'm glad they have found a home where someone is genuinely keen about it's contents. Obviously, if I had seen them in a shop I, too, would have snapped then up in a heartbeat. Your offer to scan/photograph the pages is very generous and I would very much like to take you up on that offer. With your permission could I use them on this wiki? Regarding the museum, yes they are always interested in Border Regiment items. I would contact them using this form and see what they say. They literally have thousands of items on display and more in drawers they don't have space to display. Borderman talk | contribs | email 08:10, 25 July 2017 (UTC)
- Well that would certainly fit with Paul's posting on the forum: "he appears in the 1918 Army list under “Service Bns” with a commission date of 24th April 1917. He was a Lieutenant with the Lonsdale Battalion in WW1, and then served with the Trans Jordan Frontier Force, later with the 2nd Border Regiment as a Captain in Rawalpindi India (1931). He received GSM with Palestine clasp (1939) then went on to serve in WW2 as a Lt-Col." So, we are talking about the same person. Borderman talk | contribs | email 23:29, 24 July 2017 (UTC)
- I have found out from the friend that obtained the papers for me that after the war Smyth continued at least for a short time in the army and served as a captain in India. Mel427 (talk) 22:25, 24 July 2017 (UTC)
Reset indent: I found and impression or seal on one page I wanted to see if you recognized it but I can't figure how to upload the images Mel427 (talk) 15:25, 25 July 2017 (UTC)
- The 'Upload file' page is located in 'Tools' menu on the left hand menu. You can also have a look at the How to donate digital images page with a step by step guide. If you have any other questions, just ask. Some people not familiar with wikis sometimes find uploading files a bit complicated but it's easy when you've uploaded a couple of files. Don't bother with the category section, I can add a category afterwards. Borderman talk | contribs | email 16:10, 25 July 2017 (UTC)
- A friend of mine found a couple of documents on Ancestry with the following details:
- Roll of Individuals entitled to the Victory and/or British War Medal granted under Army Orders
- Capt. Smyth, M. NW/8/20005 BW.VM. IV.X.9330. 14.6.22
- Roll of Individuals entitled to the (Palestine) General Service Medal and Clasps (or clasps only) under Army Order 247 of 1939
- Capt, Smyth, M. 1st Battalion The Border Regiment IVB 379 dl-17.7.47 ?? IVB 589-27.11.46 BM[?] 1656/46 II RVB 250-5.12.46
- Sorry, I don't know what all the above means but is basically stating which medals were awarded. Borderman talk | contribs | email 22:38, 31 July 2017 (UTC)
- A friend of mine found a couple of documents on Ancestry with the following details: