Lives of the First World War

1) I am sure that no other Shanks served with the 1/1st Bucks Battalion during the war. This is from a list of all men who served in the Battalion. This point was confirmed by the medal rolls in PRO. 2) The similarity between the entry of death and the CWGC records lead me to the same conclusion; James Shanks is, in fact, Henry John Shanks. 3) I have checked all the names and service numbers of men in Ox and Bucks L.I. who died during the war and could find no other Shanks, or a service number which matched 267515. I have always assumed that the CWGC records were correct as they matched the medal rolls (and later, I discovered, they matched his casualty record). I have assumed that this is due to ‘dog-tags’. One was left with the body. The other was sent to the records office. I believed it to be human error, but I wasn’t convinced it was as simple as that. Another question concerns the possibility that Jack lied about his age (the death certificate records Jack’s death at 22, when he was actually only 21 years old). The recruiting posters of the time called for men between 19 and 35. Jack was still seventeen on 4th August 1914. He turned eighteen on the 11th (the same day that the Bucks Battalion temporarily stopped recruiting -- they were, for a time, “full”). Is it possible that he lied about his age? Said that he was nineteen instead of eighteen? The pressure on a young man in those days of patriotism must have been immense. “Any young man in Windsor and district who is able bodied should not hesitate to join the new Regular Army of 100,000 men...Any able bodied man between 19 and 30 is eligible and the country needs every one available.” However, I don’t know the age limits for the Territorial, but I assume that it was the same. In general, those under 19 were not allowed to serve overseas (it was changed to 18 and 1/2 in March 1918, after 3 months training). 13 June 1995 I’ve checked all the serial numbers of “Soldiers Who Died in the Great War” for 1/1st Bucks Battalion. None have the number 267515 which is the number attached to Private James Shanks, reported dead. There is only one Shanks in the book, Private Henry John Shanks (Jack). The list of men who served with the battalion also confirms this. However, I did notice that there were many deaths between 16th and 23rd August (due to 3rd Ypres). Also, several similar numbers for men who died during this time are present. E.g., 267551 (Smith, Arthur James) and 267565 (Wadlow, Frank Henry) 16/8 and 15/8 respectively. This is only one example. It is quite possible that with so many deaths during this period, mistakes were made. Personally, I have more faith in the CWGC’s records as I assume they are based on the burial records, which are based on the tag taken from the body. It has to be remembered that it’s possible that the number 267515 belongs to somebody who wasn’t killed or perhaps the numbers may have been repeated. There is also the possibility that this number belonged to somebody in an entirely different regiment. From what I can gather there is no obvious pattern based on battalion or place of enlistment. For example, 265854 (which is one number below Jack’s service number 265855;) is the number for Frederick Lance e. Aylesbury (High Wycombe) L/Sgt. 2/1st Bucks Battalion (Jack was in a different battalion and enlisted in Slough in 1/1st). 1/1st Bucks Battalion was part of the 145th Infantry Brigade. This consisted of four battalions : - • 1/5th Battalion Gloucestershire • 1/4th Ox and Bucks Light Infantry • 1/1st Bucks Battalion • 1/4th Battalion Royal Berkshire Regiment The 145th Infantry Brigade formed part of the 48th Division, also known as 1/1st South Midland Division. The heat of the summer and obligations at work limited my time available. I read a few poetry works and some prose written during the war. Some was touching, most was horrifying. I read a book called “Birdsong” by Sebastian Faulks. The book’s central theme (a novel) was the link between a woman today and the events of the Great War. I really identified with the main character. She was a bit luckier than me, but the reason for her interest (which she discovered after much research) was the fulfilment of a promise made between two men on the battlefield. During the summer, I felt the confidence to explain my quest to a number of my friends. They were impressed but most importantly, they encouraged me.

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