210993 L/Cpl William "Tot" Carr MM.British Army 23rd (Tyneside Scottish) Btn. Northunberland Fusiliers from:4 Brewery Square, Stanley, Co. Durham William Carr, my great grandad, born 1880 a miner who enlisted in the 4th Tyneside Scottish on the 30 Nov. or 1st Dec. 1914 at the age of 39.
Survived the first day of the Somme. As a lance corporal he won the Military Medal on the 30th Sept 1916 for his part in a trench raid, this is outlined on P.127 of Stewart/Sheen Tyneside Scottish book. He was gazetted 9th Dec. 1916 while serving with the 28th Reserve Batt.
As a corporal he was transferred to class P of the Reserve, demoted to private. At this time he was entitled to wear 2 blue chevrons and one gold braid. He had a gunshot wound to left leg. On 3/2/19 he was discharged from the army as being surplus to military requirements papr 392 (xvia) KR. He had served 3 years and 307 days with the colours and 124 days with the P reserve.
I do not know a great deal more about his service. In the only surviving photo he is in full pipers uniform. Stories have come down through the family that he got the nick name 'Tot' as he would go out into no man's land and bring in the wounded for a tot of rum. However, this could refer to another member of the family.
|