209459 John William Webster British Army 18th Btn. Manchester Regiment from:3 Beel-Bank, Stockport Road, Denton My Grandfather John William Webster served in WW1 with the 18th Manchester Regt. My dad died here in Australia in a farming accident when I was a child. I do not have any family history to go by. I dearly dearly want to know where my Grandfather served, in which scene he was involved( List H 738 ??), what his war wounds were.( para 392 XV1 - I do not know what it means)
and if anyone has a photograph as I have no idea what he looked like.
It is so important to me.
Editor's Note:
From his Service Records, John William Webster enlisted in Manchester on the 14th of December 1914, listing his occupation as Sawyer. Stating that he had previously served with the 7th Territorial Battalion, Manchester Regiment. He was 29 years and 11 months old, standing 5'2". He was married with three young children. John underwent training with the 18th battalion, but was transferred to the 25th Battalion on the 9th of November 1915 as he was physically unfit to proceed to France with the 18th Manchesters who sailed that week. John served with the 25th in the UK until he was discharged from the army on the 16th of June 1916 as "no longer physically for service." The records don't specify why he was no longer fit, but as he worked in a sawmill it is reasonable to assume that he may have been suffering breathing problems caused by working in a dusty environment. If you are able to locate his death certificate, his eventual cause of death may confirm if he did suffer from a lung condition.
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