John Hingerty (1885-1940)- Military Service

 

John Hingerty (1885-1940)

North Staffordshire Regiment
45573

Labour Corps 
654333

John Hingerty served his country in WW1. 

He served in the North Staffordshire Regiment and the Labour Corps and was awarded the Victory and British War medals.

He later received a military Pension.

Unfortunately that is all that we know of his service from direct evidence.

A search of available online military records for the period and research undertaken on behalf of a descendant of John Hingerty (MH) by a researcher at British Army Ancestors, has resulted in very few records.

A short summary of the research undertaken by British Army Ancestors was reported on Facebook June 26 2022 at 2pm:

The Derby Scheme

What was the Derby Scheme?- it was a process of recruitment instituted by the UK government in 1915 using locals to pressure able bodied men (married and single) in their neighbourhood into enlisting. The scheme was needed due to the enormous losses being suffered in the early stages of the war. It was later replaced with Conscription in 1916.

For further information see The Derby Scheme

The British Army Ancestors researcher postulates that John probably originally attested (was voluntarily added to a list of those willing to serve) under the Derby Scheme in December 1915, but was not called to active service until mid 1917.

Regimental Serial Numbers

There are no documents relating directly to John Hingerty found to date to provide direct evidence for the likely scenario outlined in the Facebook post.

However, the British Army Ancestors researcher outlines in his full report that he compared John's number of 45773 with the records for other men with numbers before and after in the sequence. 

As numbers were issued sequentially this comparison is an excellent way to use indirect evidence to draw a very likely conclusion.

The researcher found that men with the serial numbers 45545, 45561, 45563, 45569 and 45587 all mobilised with the North Staffordshire Regiment on June 4, 1917. Serial number 45570 mobilised with the North Stafford regiment on 2nd June 1917. 

Three of these men had attested in December 1915. 

So it would seem likely that John mobilised on or around 4 June 1917 and may well have attested as part of the Derby Scheme in December 1915.

Cap Badge

The cap badge worn by John in his picture, probably taken at the beginning of his military service, seems to be that of the North Staffordshire Regiment rather than the Labour Corps, adding further indirect evidence that he began his military service with that regiment.

Cap Badge North Staffordshire Regiment

Cap Badge British Labour Corps

Medals

The medals awarded to John Hingerty at the conclusion of the war suggest that he saw active service in a theatre of war during WW1. However, the medal list does not detail dates or locations.

Victory Medal 

 

To qualify for the Victory Medal, one must have served in the armed forces of the UK or the British Empire and have entered a theatre of war between 5 August 1914 and 11 November 1918.

For further information see Victory Medal Wikipedia

British War Medal

Qualifications: Officers and men of the British Army, including Dominion and Colonial forces, were required to have either entered an active theatre of war or to have left the United Kingdom for service overseas between 5 August 1914 and 11 November 1918, and to have completed 28 days mobilised service.

For further information see British War Medal- Wikipedia

Having qualified and been awarded these two medals we know that John saw active duty in a theatre of war during WW1.

Regiments

John Hingerty served in both the North Staffordshire Regiment and the Labour Corps. 

History of North Staffordshire Regiment

History of Labour Corps 

A Pension Card of 1919 clearly indicates that John was in the LC i.e Labour Corps, and the 3rd Battalion of the North Staffordshire Regiment.

Wikipedia tells us:

So it would seem that John originally entered the 3rd in June 1917 and then moved to the 4th.

The 4th Battalion shipped to France on 6th October 1917. It is very likely that John was part of this embarkation.

The researcher from British Army Ancestors notes the following:

As a member of the 4th Battalion, John would have been involved in a number of difficult, hard fought battles.

From his Labour Corps service number of 645333, the British Army Ancestors researcher postulates that John would have transferred to the Labour Corps on 25th October 1918 and would have served with the 334 PoW Company in France supervising PoW working parties. (Unfortunately the war diaries for the 334 PoW Company do not exist.)

 Numbers 654334, 654337, 654339 and 654347 were all 'Compulsorily and permanently transferred' to 334 PoW Company on that date.

John could have been transferred to the Labour Corps after medical treatment as this was often the practice at the time. 

There are no medical records confirming either his injuries (heart fatigue or wounds from shrapnel?) or treatment (in France or back in the UK?)

WW1 officially ended on 11th November 1918, so John's service with the Labour Corps would have only been for a short time before he was demobilised.

Pension

On the form below, John Hingerty is listed as receiving a Conditional Pension for a disability directly attributable to his military service and which was classed as 30% Degree of Disability in 1920 and 1923.

The acronym "DaH" listed for type of disability stands for "Disease of Action of the Heart"- a disorderly action of the heart, sometimes called "effort syndrome" or "soldier's heart", often the result of effort or fatigue. 

For a further explanation of this condition especially in relation to soldiers in WW1 see the following:

The Long Long Trail

Family oral history has it that John was 'blown up' and carried back over the line to medical assistance by a fellow soldier. This fellow soldier returned to the line and was killed the following day. It is also said that when John returned home he was much frailer and older than when he left for war.

A Pension card of 1919 indicates that John received 9 shillings and 6 pence from 20/3/1919 until 23/9/1919. 

The reference to Chelsea is consistent with the Chelsea Hospital being the administrative centre of the military pension bureaucracy.

I am uncertain what the designation Z Lab or the number 22474 relates to. Is "Lab" Labour Corps? Why is the pension only for those dates?

The only other document found to date relating to John Hingerty's military career, lists a  grant of 60 pounds for 'Tobacco.Confectionery". This seems a great deal of funding for the purpose?

The grant appears to have been made on 15th March 1923, however the date stamp indicates 22 April 1932???? Was the grant issued on two separate occasions?

Other Family Members

John was not the first member of his immediate family to join the North Staffordshire Regiment. 

His two older brothers had also signed on with this Regiment. 

James enlisted as a 19 year old in 1894. 

Daniel enlisted as a 23 year old in 1897 the same year as James was discharged. Daniel served in South Africa during the Boer War.

In June 1917 when John left to join the North Staffordshire regiment, he left behind a wife, Mary and five young children: Lillian 9, William 8, John James 5, Alec 4 and Sydney 2.

Post cards he sent home to his youngest son Sydney survive to this day, attesting to John's love for his young family. (Family oral history has it that young Sid loved drums!)

Thank you to MH for the post cards

John died on 22nd June 1940 at the age of 55.

This photo was taken not long before his death. It contrasts strongly with the second photo which was taken in his youth (probably his twenties). 

Thank you to MH for the photos

Summary 

John Hingerty served his country in WW1 in the North Staffordshire Regiment and the Labour Corps. 

Evidence, direct and indirect, suggests that he Attested in December 2015, served with the 3rd Battalion of the North Staffordshire Regiment from June 1917, which later became the 4th Battalion, serving on the Western Front from October 1917 and the PoW Company of the Labour Corps from October 1918. 

His pension record shows that he suffered heart trouble as a direct result of his wartime labours. Family oral history says that he was 'blown up' and carried by a fellow soldier to medical assistance.

It would be very helpful if his Attestation record could be found as this would list details of his date of enlistment, service and medical history and physical description. This record may lie within the records of the National Archives or the record may no longer exist. It is however worth pursuing due to the significance of the information it may contain.

How to apply for military records

Thank you to John descendant MH who requested a closer look at John's military service and supplied the photos, postcards and oral family history.

Thank you to the researcher at British Army Ancestors (commissioned by MH) for his excellent research.

If you have any further information about John's military career, please make contact

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hingerty@one-name.org