I would like to thank LGS and Janice for their response to my query. I have additional information as to his unit. According to the recorded information he was in Co. A, 320 MG Bn. I assume "MG Bn." stood for "machine gun battalion". This information was contained on a Form No. 724-9, A.G.O which I obtained from the NY State Archives. I realize that a majority of service records had been destroyed in the fire of 1973. Did that include pension records? Can those be obtained from the National Archives or were those also destroyed in the '73 fire? I was able to obtain pension records in the past for Civil War ancestors. Also, are there any written histories of the 82nd during WWI, e.g. web sites? Bob Liddell

>From October 6 through 31, the 82nd Division was engaged in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive starting froma line running Fleville to La Forge along the eastern bank of the Aire River. The Order of Battle gives more detail as to the activities of its various infantry and artillery brigades and regiments. LGS

Hi Bob/Listers, I'm thinking the 2nd phase of the Meuse-Argonne offensive: http://www.worldwar1.com/dbc/bigshow2.htm Thanks for his military service. Janice USA ----- Original Message ----- From: <Rjkalid@aol.com> To: <GREATWAR@rootsweb.com> Sent: Saturday, December 02, 2006 4:54 PM Subject: [GREATWAR] All American Division > I've been able to establish that one of my ancestors served in the 82nd > (All > American Division) during WW I. According to service record that I > obtained > from NY State Archives, he was wounded (severely) on Oct. 14, 1918. I know > from family history that he suffered from gas exposure (not sure if > mustard or > chlorine). Is there anybody knowledgeable of the 82nd Div. who could > possibly > tell me in what action he may have been engaged in at that time. Where was > the 82nd on that date? > Thanks > Bob Liddell > _spa_bob@yahoo.com_ (mailto:spa_bob@yahoo.com) > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > GREATWAR-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message

I've been able to establish that one of my ancestors served in the 82nd (All American Division) during WW I. According to service record that I obtained from NY State Archives, he was wounded (severely) on Oct. 14, 1918. I know from family history that he suffered from gas exposure (not sure if mustard or chlorine). Is there anybody knowledgeable of the 82nd Div. who could possibly tell me in what action he may have been engaged in at that time. Where was the 82nd on that date? Thanks Bob Liddell _spa_bob@yahoo.com_ (mailto:spa_bob@yahoo.com)

SOURCE: The St.Mihiel Trip Wire - Dec 2006 Issue Maurice Floquet, 111; oldest living French veteran of World War I >From Times Wire Reports November 11, 2006 Maurice Floquet, 111, who had been France's oldest living World War I veteran, died Friday at his home in Montauroux in southern France, an association of veterans said. With Floquet's death, only four French veterans of the Great War are still alive. Born Dec. 25, 1894, Floquet joined the infantry in September 1914. He fought in France and Belgium and was seriously wounded twice. The first time, in the battle of the Somme in northern France, he was injured during hand-to-hand fighting and nearly suffocated on a clot of blood lodged in his throat, according to France's Defense Ministry. The second time, on the Marne front in 1915, he was wounded in the head by a grenade - losing the use of one ear - and suffered bullet wounds in his left arm. After the war, he married and worked as a repairman of cars, tractors and other agricultural machinery. He retired in 1952 and had been a widower since 1990. In 2005, he was honored by France with a Legion of Honor medal. Floquet kept in shape by riding a stationary bicycle in his daughter's home, where he lived, L'Express magazine wrote last year. He often talked to school classes about his wartime experiences. Floquet was moved "to be an old man, a 111-year-old who fought in World War I, meeting 12- and 13-year-old kids who only knew about the war from history books," Daniel Venget, who runs an association of veterans in southern France, told France-Inter radio. Today France will mark the 88th anniversary of the end of World War I in a ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. One of the surviving World War I veterans, 107-year-old Rene Riffaud, was expected to travel from his retirement home in Normandy to take part in the ceremony.

Thanks, LGS for the succinct posting. Had I done my homework, and not relied on my memory, I would have found out that Australian citizenship was only created in Jan. 1949, 2 years after Canada (thanks, Peter Gower). As an aside, according to the Australian War Memorial site Australia and South Africa were the only two participants in WW2 who did not have conscription. LShurtleff@aol.com wrote: > Dave: > > If you were born after World War I, you probably don't remember citizens of > the dominions as being British subjects, period. Indeed, none of the > self-governing dominions (Canada, Newfoundland, Australia, New Zealand or the Union > of South Africa) formally declared war in 1914. They considered themselves at > war by virtue of a decision taken by HMG's government. > > LGS > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to GREATWAR-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > >

To LGS & Robert, Thanks for the posting - it all adds to our knowledge of the past. I am not sure about the quote "In those days there was no concept of Canadian (or Australian,New Zealand, South African) citizenship as distinct from British citizenship." though. One of my old passports describes me as "An Australian Citizen and British Subject" . Regards - from Sydney, Oz Dave LShurtleff@aol.com wrote: > The Wilson administration, following the American declaration of war in > April 1917, permitted the Entente powers (as well as the provisional governments .............. > >

Dave: If you were born after World War I, you probably don't remember citizens of the dominions as being British subjects, period. Indeed, none of the self-governing dominions (Canada, Newfoundland, Australia, New Zealand or the Union of South Africa) formally declared war in 1914. They considered themselves at war by virtue of a decision taken by HMG's government. LGS

Canadian citizenship does not start legally until 1947

Andrea and All, The following does not answer your immediate question but it may lead you or others in a direction that had not previously been considered for research. In an article published in the New York Times dated February 12, 1918, page 5 the headline reads "Makes Britons Here Enter War Service". I quote the article: "Major Mitchell Inness of the British Army, who represented the British Embassy in the negotiations leading up to the framing of a convention which makes possible the drafting of British subjects in the United States by Great Britain, and similar action in Great Britain and Canada by the United States, has arrived in New York to direct the operation of the agreement in so far as it affects British subjects resident in this country.....British subjects of the American draft ages, from 21 to 31 years, inclusive, will have sixty days in which voluntarily to offer their services to their country. Those who do not volunteer will automatically, at the end of the sixty-day period, be subject to draft into the United States Army the same as American citizens.....[Major Inness is quoted as saying]: In framing the convention between our two countries the ages agreed upon are from 20 to 41 years.....it is understood that the United States will enact a law which will make subject! to dra ft British subjects between 20 and 21 years and those from 31 to 41 years. When that law is passed a day will be designated for these men to register. As soon as they register a sixty-day period will begin to run, during which they will have chance to volunteer their services, and in the event they do not respond they will, like the men of American draft age, become subject to draft by the United States.....Major Inness said that conventions similar to the one entered into between Great Britain and the United States shortly would be arranged between the United States and France and Italy....." Andrea wrote: Dear all, I am new to this list and hope that I might tap on your knowledge. I have a gentleman in my tree who was born in Derbyshire, England in 1875. He still lived there with his wife and daughter in 1901. In 1910 the three of them lived in Chicago, Illinois. In March 1918 he travels from England to Canada (via NY) and states that he is a widower. His gives his last place of residence as London, England. Later he lived in Montreal for some years before returning to Derbyshire. As the war was not over at this time of his travel, I am wondering whether he had joined the army (and which one, British or US?) and whether he may have been released early. Was there a general duty to join? If so, were there exceptions for certain professions (he was a civil engineer)? Suppose he did still live in the US when the war broke out, would he have been compelled to return to Britain to join the forces? I apologize if my questions are stupid but I really don't know much about this war and I would love to find out what he did between 1910 and 1918 (and where his wife died). Thanks for any information and kind regards, Andrea Robert Silverstein Aurora, CO USA

Re War Gratuities to British soldiers, there was a £5 gratuity paid to British (including Colonial) soldiers for service in the South African (Boer) War 1899-1902. Officers got £50, £60 or even £100 (and most of one New Zealand veterinary officer's file I saw was his justification for getting the officer's gratuity; he had accompanied the horses on the ship to South Africa but had not been ordered ashore. He was still writing in 1914, and got a reply after the war started saying in effect "we're busy"!). Generally, bulky personnel files result either from the soldier being in trouble, or claiming extra money or (campaign) medals! Yours, John Wilson (New Zealand) Could anyone on the list give me any information about the ?5 War Gratuity that was paid to soldiers or their relatives. Any help would be greatly appreciated Terry Evans

Do play around with the Canadian database a little. Names have not always been put on line correctly, nor were they always recorded correctly at attestation. Try variations of the name: you never know what will appear. Peter

Thanks a lot for your detailed response. I never really looked into US forces as I had naively assumed that as a British citizen he could only have served in the British forces. I already had a look at the Canadian database (thanks also to Michael for providing the link) but could not find him there, now I will explore the US sources. As usual with genealogy, you not learn about your ancestors but about general history as well. Today was definitely such a learning point! Kind regards from Holland, Andrea On 11/24/06, LShurtleff@aol.com <LShurtleff@aol.com> wrote: > The Wilson administration, following the American declaration of war in > April 1917, permitted the Entente powers (as well as the provisional governments > of Poland and Czechoslovakia) to recruit volunteers for military service from > among their nationals living in the United States. British conscription > adopted in 1916 did not/not extend to America and the Wilson administration made > no attempt to enforce British conscription on British subjects resident in > the US. Foreign nationals of belligerent powers, permanent residents who had > not yet become American citizens, were conscripted as were some nationals > (American permanent residents) of neutral states such as the Netherlands and > Norway. Indeed, some 20 to 25% of the AEF was made up on foreign-born Americans. > > Canada adopted conscription in 1917. Could you ancestor have served in > Canadian forces? In those days there was no concept of Canadian (or Australian, > New Zealand, South African) citizenship as distinct from British citizenship. > Therefore, British-born young men in Canada would have been subject to > conscription there as residents of a self-governing dominion of the British > Empire.. > > LGS > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to GREATWAR-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message >

Could anyone on the list give me any information about the £5 War Gratuity that was paid to soldiers or their relatives. Any help would be greatly appreciated Terry Evans

----- Original Message ----- From: "Janice Duke" <mshx@optonline.net> To: "GREAT WAR" <GREATWAR-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Friday, November 24, 2006 2:11 PM Subject: Re: [GREATWAR] WW 1 vet, 111 dies after honor. | Dear Listers, | | In today's N. Y. Post newspaper dated today, Ernest Charles Pusey, one of America's longest living World War I veterans, died a little over a week after he was honored with a medal for his service to the country, family members said. | | His death in Bradenton, Florida left fewer than 25 living U. S. veterans of World War I out of nearly 5 million who served according to the Department of Veterans Affairs. | | He was presented with a WW I Victory Medal on Nov. 10th, the day before our Veterans Day. Pusey did not recall receiving a medal after the war, and nobody could find any evidence that he had. | | In the name of my generation, we thank you for your military service. | | Janice | USA | | ------------------------------- | To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to GREATWAR-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Yes, I think a while back I posted his info as the last living WW1 vet in FL, and now they don't have any - I got the article and tried to send it to the list but it would not go delilah ----- Original Message ----- From: "Janice Duke" <mshx@optonline.net> To: "GREAT WAR" <GREATWAR-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Friday, November 24, 2006 2:11 PM Subject: Re: [GREATWAR] WW 1 vet, 111 dies after honor. | Dear Listers, | | In today's N. Y. Post newspaper dated today, Ernest Charles Pusey, one of America's longest living World War I veterans, died a little over a week after he was honored with a medal for his service to the country, family members said. | | His death in Bradenton, Florida left fewer than 25 living U. S. veterans of World War I out of nearly 5 million who served according to the Department of Veterans Affairs. | | He was presented with a WW I Victory Medal on Nov. 10th, the day before our Veterans Day. Pusey did not recall receiving a medal after the war, and nobody could find any evidence that he had. | | In the name of my generation, we thank you for your military service. | | Janice | USA | | ------------------------------- | To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to GREATWAR-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Dear Listers, In today's N. Y. Post newspaper dated today, Ernest Charles Pusey, one of America's longest living World War I veterans, died a little over a week after he was honored with a medal for his service to the country, family members said. His death in Bradenton, Florida left fewer than 25 living U. S. veterans of World War I out of nearly 5 million who served according to the Department of Veterans Affairs. He was presented with a WW I Victory Medal on Nov. 10th, the day before our Veterans Day. Pusey did not recall receiving a medal after the war, and nobody could find any evidence that he had. In the name of my generation, we thank you for your military service. Janice USA

The Wilson administration, following the American declaration of war in April 1917, permitted the Entente powers (as well as the provisional governments of Poland and Czechoslovakia) to recruit volunteers for military service from among their nationals living in the United States. British conscription adopted in 1916 did not/not extend to America and the Wilson administration made no attempt to enforce British conscription on British subjects resident in the US. Foreign nationals of belligerent powers, permanent residents who had not yet become American citizens, were conscripted as were some nationals (American permanent residents) of neutral states such as the Netherlands and Norway. Indeed, some 20 to 25% of the AEF was made up on foreign-born Americans. Canada adopted conscription in 1917. Could you ancestor have served in Canadian forces? In those days there was no concept of Canadian (or Australian, New Zealand, South African) citizenship as distinct from British citizenship. Therefore, British-born young men in Canada would have been subject to conscription there as residents of a self-governing dominion of the British Empire.. LGS

Dear all, I am new to this list and hope that I might tap on your knowledge. I have a gentleman in my tree who was born in Derbyshire, England in 1875. He still lived there with his wife and daughter in 1901. In 1910 the three of them lived in Chicago, Illinois. In March 1918 he travels from England to Canada (via NY) and states that he is a widower. His gives his last place of residence as London, England. Later he lived in Montreal for some years before returning to Derbyshire. As the war was not over at this time of his travel, I am wondering whether he had joined the army (and which one, British or US?) and whether he may have been released early. Was there a general duty to join? If so, were there exceptions for certain professions (he was a civil engineer)? Suppose he did still live in the US when the war broke out, would he have been compelled to return to Britain to join the forces? I apologize if my questions are stupid but I really don't know much about this war and I would love to find out what he did between 1910 and 1918 (and where his wife died). Thanks for any information and kind regards, Andrea

Andrea: Check the searchable database at the Archives of Canada: http://www.collectionscanada.ca/archivianet/020106_e.html Michael -----Original Message----- From: greatwar-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:greatwar-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of Andrea Dean Sent: Friday, November 24, 2006 6:40 AM To: GREATWAR@rootsweb.com Subject: [GREATWAR] British citizen in US - where would he have fought (ifat all)? Dear all, I am new to this list and hope that I might tap on your knowledge. I have a gentleman in my tree who was born in Derbyshire, England in 1875. He still lived there with his wife and daughter in 1901. In 1910 the three of them lived in Chicago, Illinois. In March 1918 he travels from England to Canada (via NY) and states that he is a widower. His gives his last place of residence as London, England. Later he lived in Montreal for some years before returning to Derbyshire. As the war was not over at this time of his travel, I am wondering whether he had joined the army (and which one, British or US?) and whether he may have been released early. Was there a general duty to join? If so, were there exceptions for certain professions (he was a civil engineer)? Suppose he did still live in the US when the war broke out, would he have been compelled to return to Britain to join the forces? I apologize if my questions are stupid but I really don't know much about this war and I would love to find out what he did between 1910 and 1918 (and where his wife died). Thanks for any information and kind regards, Andrea ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to GREATWAR-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message