Clifford Bullen RFA mystery

**Jerry B** · 01-08-2015, 06:51 PM

Arrived today, nice clearly named medal though the docs were all a bit blurred after speaking to the seller I was able to use his account to search for his records and download better quality copies of them, so a big thanks to him.

Whilst reading through them I noticed on one doc he seems to have lied about his age, probably more than once as he claims to be 19, then this is crossed out on some versions and he is then aged 18 and 2 months, but his census records make him 17 years and 2 months. Also then after another look I notice that he also had joined up a year before that and was discharged unfit for duty and for this there is another MIC. This latter entry on his records has a ? after it so perhaps it was not him, though he does seem to have been very happy to lie about his age and his later records show he was not the best of soldiers as he has a number of transgressions listed -going awol, hesitating to obey orders, and others for which he was given FP #2, docked pay and other punishments. All in all an interesting service record for such a young man from Newport, though if you know Newport then perhaps it is not a surprise LOL.

More docs to follow.

**Jerry B** · 01-08-2015, 07:00 PM

More docs including his hospital record and military service records.

**harryamb2** · 01-08-2015, 07:37 PM

there use to be a Mr C.Bullen lived 2 doors away from me,a nasty old sod.I wonder.

**ynot** · 01-09-2015, 01:04 PM

That's a nice lot with all that paperwork.

Tony

**Jerry B** · 01-09-2015, 01:32 PM

by ynot

That's a nice lot with all that paperwork.

Tony

Thanks Tony, there is more paper work that I downloaded, his medal claim slips, more attestation paperwork, some other odds and ends. All in all a wonderful addition which turns a fairly commonplace BWM to the RA to something rather more interesting especially for me with the Welsh connections. It appears on the one doc that he was initially signed up for the 9th Bn South Wales Borderers.

If the double enrolling is correct, then very interesting, as his is poor discipline record and his hospital treatment for VD, it is so good the potential research that can be undertaken these days if one is lucky in what has survived, though in most cases this level of documentation does not exist.