215646 Pte. Henry Rousell British Army 1st Battalion Somerset Light Infantry from:Hemyock, Devon (d.20th Oct 1916) We are researching the names from our roll of honour in Hemyock and producing a book of all names with service and family history this year. We are also staging drama events in the village. We have a problem with the name H Rousell. The name on the Roll of Honour here is H Rowsell. We have found an C H Rowsell who moved to South Wales between 1901 and 1911 and on the 1911 census lists his name as Rousell. Could this be our man?
Or we have found a Harry was born at Hemyock in 1879 and the son of Samuel and Hannah Rowsell. Samuel was born at Dunkeswell and Hannah at Hemyock around 1846. Samuel was an agricultural labourer and the family lived at Ridgeway in High Street Hemyock in 1891. This makes him 37 when he was killed. Harry would have been quite old when war began in 1914 - aged 35 and he was a pre-war territorial in the Somerset Light Infantry. He had two regimental numbers 1717 and 240326. I suspect the first was his peacetime TA number and the second was issued when a wartime Territorial unit was raised which he then joined in August 1914.
He was awarded the British Medal which means he served during the war whether at home or not. More significantly we know he was a territorial who went overseas as he was awarded the Territorial Force Medal which means he was a Territorial and served overseas between 1914 and 1918. I would think he was sent to either the 1st/5th or 3rd/5th Battalion SLI - both of these were raised at Taunton and went to India and then to either Mesopotamia or Burma.
We have a difference of opinion. Can anyone please help? Thank you.
|