Can anyone help me find this WWI soldier?

[Adrian Stevenson]

Hi Robbie, sorry I don't have time to research his tree.

In my own tree I have discovered many ancestors with military histories. No one famous.

Cheers, Ade.

[Battery Command Post]

I can add a little. I looked him up in the Army List for December 1917 and got this entry under Royal Berks Regt/4th Battalion (Territorial):

2nd Lieuts: 2 Daniels, M. L. 26 SEPT 16

and in the Dec 1918 issue, under the same heading:

Lieutenants: 2 Daniels, M. L. (Empld. Min. of Munitions) 26 MAR 18

So it looks like as well as serving with 4/Berks, he was employed by the Ministry of Munitions.

Rob

[Styx]

Ade, it's fine, I didn't expect you to - I'm not sure of the layout of the site, I only meant if it showed relatives on the same page. Thanks for all the help! And Rob, same to you, very much appreciated - I'm determined to search out this soldier's life now!
Robbie

[don_kihotis7]

Well done Ade and Rob. That was really nice of you.

[Battery Command Post]

Ade, it's fine, I didn't expect you to - I'm not sure of the layout of the site, I only meant if it showed relatives on the same page. Thanks for all the help! And Rob, same to you, very much appreciated - I'm determined to search out this soldier's life now!
Robbie

Hey Robbie, you're not going to believe this. i was surfing around and found this history of the R Berks Regt in WWI http://www.purley.eu/H142P/P244-Int2.pdf

Here is a quote from the 2/4th Battalion section from July 1916 to March 1917:

The raid worked out reasonably successfully and a lot of useful intelligence was gained. Besides the party with the Bangalore torpedo, there were five parties of from ten to twenty men each (total 5 officers and 60 other ranks) to which tasks, on reaching the German trench, were assigned as follows:

I. Second-Lieutenant Hutchings to turn to the left along the trench and make a block in it.
II. Second-Lieutenant Daniels to act similarly towards the right and to deal with dugouts.
III. Second-Lieutenant Watson to the right and certain named points.
IV. Second-Lieutenant Hinchcliffe to search the trench for identification.
V. Second-Lieutenant Worlock, in command of the whole raid, to remain at the point of entry of the trench.
Everything went smoothly till zero hour - 01:56 The 18-pounder barrage then commenced, and ten minutes later the raiders moved out from the assembly trench under its protection. The enemy wire had been well cut by two Bangalore torpedoes fired as the barrage opened.
No. I party, moving to the left, found the German trench almost completely destroyed by the barrage, and had much difficulty in following it.

No.II found the trench they were ordered to follow, and pushed along it to within a few yards of their objective. Here Second-Lieutenant Daniels shot a German officer and three men with his revolver. Then he looked into a dugout and saw five men. Several bombs were thrown into it, but Daniels and two of his men were wounded by a bomb.

How's that?

Rob

[Adrian Stevenson]

Hi Robbie, I have had a cursory glance at the records for you. The basic building block for doing any family tree in the UK is the census return. He was born in 1888 in Pontypridd, Glamorgan. Living in St Pancras, London in 1911.

Father's Name: Francis Daniels
Mother's Name: Alice M Daniels

Died in Nottingham in 1969 aged 81.

Cheers, Ade.

[ToxicGas]

No.II found the trench they were ordered to follow, and pushed along it to within a few yards of their objective. Here Second-Lieutenant Daniels shot a German officer and three men with his revolver. Then he looked into a dugout and saw five men. Several bombs were thrown into it, but Daniels and two of his men were wounded by a bomb.

How's that?

Rob

Incredible! Nice work to find that! I never would have thought such details would have been documented. Really interesting to read!

Mat

[ToxicGas]

I suppose by 'bombs' they refer to Mills bombs? I would also assume this is how he lost his leg, the text gives the impression it was as a result of one of their own. It's really interesting to find out such specific details.

Mat

[Battery Command Post]

I suppose by 'bombs' they refer to Mills bombs?

Yes, 'bomb' in this context means 'grenade'.

I would also assume this is how he lost his leg

Apparently not! This raid took place on 14th October 1916. If you read on in the account it says he was wounded again on 26th November during a heavy shelling. Daniels was one tough b*stard!

Rob

[Styx]

Oh my god! I leave for an hour and come back to find all of this?! Thank you so much everyone, this is fantastic! Rob, I can't believe you managed to find an actual report of him from the war; and Ade, knowing his parentage and date of birth/death will really help me find out more about him! Thanks everyone!