About the product

1914 Star Trio Queens Regiment

1914 Star, British War and Victory Medal Trio, 9798 Sergeant William Winchester, 2nd Battalion the Queen’s Regiment, Soldier since 1910 and Former Deserter who rose to Sergeant.

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SKU: J8027 Category:
Origin: United Kingdom
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Description

1914 Star, British War and Victory Medal Trio, 9798 Sergeant William Winchester, 2nd Battalion the Queen’s Regiment, Soldier since 1910 and Former Deserter who rose to Sergeant.

 

Star impressed to the rank of Private in The 2nd Bn Queens Regiment, Pair to the rank of Sergeant “The Queen’s R.”

 

He has a “burned” WW1 service file available online.

 

He saw varied service with a Year in Bermuda and then another in South Africa before the war:

 

Home, 19th November 1910 – 13th December 1912
Bermuda, 14th December 1912 – 20th January 1914
South Africa, 21st January 1914 – 19th September 1914
Home, 20th September 1914 – 3rd October 1914
British Expeditionary Force in France – 4th October 1914 – 26th May 1915
Home, 27th May 1915 to 12th October 1915
BEF France, 13th October 1915 – 11th Feb 1918

 

Promotions: Appointed unpaid Lance Corporal 27th May 1914
Appointed Paid Lance Corporal 20th August 1915
Promoted Sergeant 17th June 1916.

 

On 9th July 1912, he was taken prisoner by the Police “Civil Powers” and handed over to the regiment as a deserter.

 

He was held in the Guardroom for a week before he was tried by District Court Martial and sentenced to 56 days for desertion on 18th July 1912.
He was released back to duty on 3rd September 1912, only have 9 days of his 56 days remitted.

 

Sergeant William Winchester, was born circa 1892 in Horne, Surrey.

 

His father William (1868) was a Farm Labourer who lived in Surrey and his mother Ellen (1871) worked as home.

 

He first attested for service with “The Queens” during on 30th November 1910 aged about 19.

 

He noted that his prior service involved: “Yes served with the Royal Sussex Regiment, but having made a mis-statement as to my age on enlistment.”

 

Some service sheets mixed into his file record him attesting previously on 2nd December 1907 trying to pass as 18 years old when he was only about 15-16.

 

The attached records not he served in Dublin and Belfast with the regiment during 1908 but had to be treated for Appendicitis, which might have been when he was caught as the Doctors might figure out his true age.

 

It appears from his records that he saw a lot of war service, in spite of the fact that he suffered from Epilepsy.

 

Eventually he was transferred as a Sergeant to the Labour Corps on 14th May 1917 to finish out the war in France.

 

Discharged with disability as no longer physically fit on 11th February 1918.