Gunner W REILLY, C/3 Royal Artillery d1879 Khanzana

[derek hunter]

I have recently acquired a Afghanistan Medal no bar medal to W Reilly Gunner in c/3 Royal artillery. I have a copy of his service papers that list him as being killed at Khanzana? 27/7/79 but can not seem to find any more. I am not sure re site of death as to the writing but any comments or help as to what happened welcome. I recently bought a book on Afghan casualties but he was not listed in that either.

Thanks

[crimea1854]

Hi

Since you have his papers, do you have a service number for him?

[Maureene]

Hi

A Google search indicates there is a town called Khanzana about eight kilometers from Peshawar (then India, now Pakistan)
(http://thechina.biz/china-economy/survi ... ing-spree/)

Are the service records you are referring to the WO 97 records from Find My Past? These records are stated to exclude men who died while in the Army, and in 1879 would only include men who were discharged on pension. Is it possible he was discharged on a pension and then subsequently died and his file was updated to reflect this?

Cheers
Maureen

[Mark A. Reid]

Hello all;

Maureene is absolutely right of course about the surviving WO97 records but I would like to mention that there are, sometimes, exceptions. I only discovered this when researching a fellow whose China 1900 Medal I acquired. 64683 Bomdr. F. Coveney RHA died of hepatitis, in service, at Lucknow on 20 April 1903 but his service record survives in the WO 97 series. He left a young widow, Sabuia Howlett, and this may have led to the papers surviving in case of pension disputes, etc.

I have known a couple of other medal collectors who have had the good fortune to find records of other men who died in service so the message for researchers might be to have a look anyway ... just in case.

Cheers,

Mark

[derek hunter]

Dear All,

Thanks for help i have his service number as 6179. His service records did not survive but just trying to understand better what happened to him (apart from being killed). Thanks for help and comments.

Yours,


Derek