219589 Pte Samuel Joseph Hall British Army 3rd Btn Monmouthshire Regiment. from:Six Bells, Gwent I knew very little of my father, Joe Hall's war record until after his death in 1969. I started my research in 2005 using the internet and the National Archive. His army record was destroyed during WW2 but I managed to obtain his Medal Card . This told me that he was in the Monmouthshire Regt.at the start of WW1. His service number was 61055 but the medal record indicated a second number 94439 Royal Welch Fusiliers. The sorry plight of the Monmouthshire Regt. is well documented and the book With Rifle and Pick indicates that 200 or so of the 3rd battalion were transferred to the RWF in August 1916 when the battalion was disbanded.Hence the second service number.
My research led me to discover that he was born in Gloucester in 1891 but had moved to Six Bells in Gwent and was a coal hewer at the Six Bells Colliery until The start of WW1. He survived the War and although he spoke about being in Ireland for a while I can find no record of his service there. He was in the 9th battalion Royal Welch Fusiliers until demobilised.
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