Lives of the First World War

This is the cap badge of the 19th (County of London) Battalion St Pancras

This is a water colour of Newton Street Holborn, London, painted in 1895 by J.P. Emslie, a well known water colourist. I found this in Camden Library. The printers seen here are where grandfathers, father, my great grandfather, Charles Wheatley worked as a printer. On the right can be seen Holland and Thurston Buildings where grandfather was born and lived until he married in around 1929. So this is where he was born, brought up, left to go to war and returned from a PoW camp at the wars end and eventually embarked on married life, having been among other things, a well know boxer in London during the 1920's. His actual date of repatriation is not known. He is on the Absentee Voters List (held by Holborn Library) for the General Election of 14th December 1918, suggesting he was still yet to get back to London.

Drummer Jack Wheatley, 3/19th London Regiment (St Pancras). B Coy Regimental No. 4461. Picture dated c1915.

This is a Christmas card sent by grandfather, Drummer Jack Wheatley No. 4461 B Coy 3/19th Londons, at Christmas 1916, while at Mornehill Camp Winchester. See second image which shows the inside of this card.

This is the inside of the Christmas card sent by my grandfather Drummer Jack Wheatley, Christmas 1916. Inside he has sent his number, rank, regiment, company and location; Mornehill Camp

Picture of British War Medal and Victory Medal Obverse and Reverse. Grandfather, Drummer Jack Wheatley, would have had these medals, unfortunately his are missing.

This is the 1st PoW record from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) of Jack Wheatley. Its dated 20th June 1918 and states Merseburg Camp in red at the top of the page. He is entered as a soldier of 'B' coy 2/2 London regiment captured at La Fere 21st march 1918. His date of birth entered but is incorrect. It says 5th November 1899. It was 6th November 1898. It looks like he is being transferred from or to Langensalza PoW Camp. He is listed with 2 other men from 2/2 Londons B coy.

This is the second PoW record of Jack Wheatley. Dated 5th September 1918 at Langensalza PoW Camp. His date of birth, regiment, home address and Army number are all correctly listed, as are his date and place of capture. His company is listed as 'D' here as opposed to 'B' on the Merseburg record. Possible miss translation? Interestingly, higher up the page a Lance Sergeant Askew of 'D' Coy 2/2 London's is listed as being captured at St Firmin on the 21/3/18 not La Fere. Maybe 'D' coy were at St Firmin and 'B' at La Fere. St Firmin incidently was a suburb of La Fere.

This is the front of one of 2 post cards from Jack Wheatley. Place: Merseburg Camp Date:15th May 1918. Jack's name and rank are on this. Note: All his correspondence have his rank as Drummer, yet his Medal Index Card, Medal Roll and entry on the Absentee Voters List for Holborn, for the 1918 General Election, have his rank as Private. As he would not have got his rank wrong I am assuming a clerical error in Army records - due to transfers and his capture - has flowed through to these official documents. When captured he was serving with the 2/2nd London Regiment Royal Fusiliers (RF) having first been transferred to the 2/1st London's (RF) on the 8th January 1918 from the 3/19th London's. He then transferred to the 2/2 London's (RF) on 29th January 1918 when the 2/1 London's (RF) were disbanded as part of the larger Army reorganisation.

This is the rear view of PoW card 1, Merseburg camp, 15th May 1918. Sent by my grandfather Drummer Jack Wheatley. Detail is very faded but he does say ... 'this is my new address', and his regiment 2/2 London's is mentioned as well.

This is the front view of the second PoW card sent by my grandfather Drummer Jack Wheatley from Merseburg Camp. The date is now unreadable but it would have be sometime in 1918 as he was captured on the 21st March 1818. His name, rank and PoW number can be seen however.

This is the rear view of the second post card sent by my grandfather Drummer Jack Wheatley from Merseburg PoW Camp in 1918. The date is unreadable.

Grandfather, Drummer Jack Wheatley, standing at rear on the left. Photo taken on 15th July 1918, dated and signed on the back. It was sent to two of his sisters Julie and Sophia at his and their home address, 32 Thurston Buildings Holborn London.

Grandfather Drummer Jack Wheatley PoW photo rear, showing his home address and the initials of two of his sisters (Julia and Sophia) to which it was addressed, signed by him and dated 15th July 1918

This picture is of my grandfather, Drummer Jack Wheatley, B coy 3/19th London regiment (St Pancras). Date unknown but sometime between May 1915 and January 1918

This is the Medal Index Card (MIC) for Pte Jack Wheatley 225820, 2/2 London Regiment, Royal Fusiliers. I believe the rank of Private is probably an admin error as grandfather used the rank of Drummer on all his correspondence that I have between 1915 and 1918.

1901 Census with my grandfather, Jack Wheatley aged 2. Also on this census is great uncle Tom, his older brother aged 4 who is also on this site.

1911 Census with my grandfather Jack Wheatley aged 12. His older brother great uncle Tom is on this census, aged 13. He is also on this site.

This is the Royal Fusiliers cap badge, also used by the 1st,2nd,3rd &4th London Regiments, as they were Territorial Battalions of that Regiment.

Medal Roll for my grandfather, 225820 Pte (Drummer) Jack Wheatley, confirming issue of British War Medal and Victory Medal, service in France, entry date and regiments. The 21/3/18 date is not the date he left France, it's the date he was captured at La Fere, on the Somme. On all correspondence Jack has his rank as Drummer (see PoW post cards when he was in the 2/2 London's and 1916 Christmas card when he was in the 19th London's). I have used that rank for him in those two regiments. I believe his rank in the 2/1 London's was probably Pte and he reverted to Drummer when posted to the 2/2 London's. Subsequently in the confusion of battalion mergers, the battles of March 1918 and his subsequent capture, admin errors occurred or his records were lost with his reinstated rank of Drummer. Or maybe there was an admin error and he was a Drummer in the 2/1 London's as well. In any event, Jack would have known his own rank and would not have used any other, so I have gone with what he stated.

Official BMD records for South East Surrey. October, November, December Quarter 1970.

Marriage Registration of Jack Wheatley and Hilda Ansell, 3rd December 1927, St Giles, Holborn, London.

Hilda Wheatley (nee Ansell) wife of Jack Wheatley in 1953

Caricature of Jack Wheatley having won the Port of London Authority (PLA) Police Boxing competition, 15th February 1921

Jack Wheatley Boxing photo c 1921

19th London Reg Drill Hall, 76 High Street, Camden Town. TF Depot 59.

Inner gate of Langensalza PoW Camp, (Germany WW1) being guarded by a Russian. This Camp was graded as 'Bad' and 'close to hell' by by the red cross. 16 men were shot by guards in the camp on 22nd November 1918, 11 days after the war finished. Jack Wheatley is known from PoW records to have been in the camp on the 28th September, so it is possible he was there at the time of the shootings.

Langensalza PoW Camp Compound 1918. This camp was graded as 'bad' and 'close to hell' by red cross officials. 16 men were shot by guards on 22nd November 1918, 11 days after the end of the war. Jack Wheatley, according to PoW records was in the camp on 28th September, so might have been there at the time of the shootings.

Langensalza PoW Camp Front gate. This camp was graded as 'bad' and 'close to hell' by red cross officials. 16 men were shot by guards on 22nd November 1918, 11 days after the end of the war. Jack Wheatley, according to PoW records was in the camp on 28th September, so might have been there at the time of the shootings.

Jack Wheatley was at Mornhill Camp Winchester with the 3/19th London Regiment, during Christmas 1916. The regiment left Mornhill in 1917 and moved to Chiselden Camp near Swindon

Chiseldon Camp near Swindon, November 1917. Jack Wheatley moved to this camp in 1917 with the 3/19th London reg.

This picture is of me having laid a wreath at the 58th (2/1) London Div memorial, Chipilly, next to the Somme River on the morning of 8th August 2018, 100 years to the day of the start of the battle of Amien of which they were and integral part.