Could my grandad’s blackouts be the result of his war service?
QI am trying to find out about my grandfather, John Thomson Brown, during the First World War – he was in the Ayrshire Yeomanry and was wounded. His 1918 marriage certificate indicates he was a private in the 11th Royal Scots.
He had blackouts after the war, and doctors were unable to explain the cause. A warmer climate was recommended, and in December 1925 he emigrated with his family. His health did not improve, so in July 1927 they returned to Scotland. By this stage he was unfit for manual labour and sold insurance, visiting his customers by bicycle.
In 1942 he had a blackout while on his bike and crashed into a bus, dying later in hospital. It was discovered that the cause of the blackouts was shrapnel in his back that had worked its way into his spinal cord. I’d like to find out what happened during the war. Derek Brown
AYou know that your grandfather served abroad in the
11th Battalion, Royal
Scots, in 1918, had previously served in the Ayrshire
Yeomanry, and had been wounded.
There should be a
Medal Index Card;
I searched The
National Archives
( bit.ly/tna-mic) and found nothing, but he may be recorded as ‘John
T Brown’ or not have declared his second name on enlistment.
Looking for John
Brown, Royal
Scots, gives 89 results, but 24 have a different second name or initials and five are officers, so they can be excluded.
I searched the remaining results in the records of medal rolls at ancestry.co.uk, looking for men from 11th Battalion. Some are noted as transferring to other regiments – the date of transfer is often given and if it’s before John’s wedding, we can exclude them too. I identified seven John Browns in 11th Battalion (numbers 270239, 273075, 16003, 330255, 375510, 15997 and 16437).
Some we can exclude: 15977’s service record survives, showing he enlisted direct into the Royal Scots, not via the Yeomanry – as does the surviving record for 16003, which also shows him as single in 1919; 330255 deserted on 25 November 1918, so I feel he’s unlikely; 270239 transferred to 4th Royal Scots, but has a number issued in 1917, so must have been with them then; and 16437 first went to France in May 1915, which makes me think he too enlisted direct. Forces War Records ( forces-war-records. co.uk) shows he was wounded in August 1916, but he did transfer to 12th Battalion on an unknown date.
273075 went to France later than 1 January 1916, and only served with 11th Battalion. He was treated for a septic toe in October 1918, which might have made him eligible for a pension. 375510 also went to France after 1 January 1916, but transferred to 7th Battalion at some point. He was wounded in November 1917. These men might have transferred from 3/1 Ayrshire Yeomanry in early 1917.
The War Diaries for 11th Royal Scots (WO95) can be downloaded from TNA’s site for a small charge ( bit.ly/ tna-war-diaries). You can also check the Pension Cards being gradually released at fold3.com. These include a card for a John Thomson Brown, Royal Scots, numbers 10268 and 10012, born 1887, of 22 Old Town, Peebles. He served in 2nd and 12th Battalions and was discharged in April 1918 with psoriasis. I doubt he’s your man, but keep an eye on the Pension Cards. So far only 37 per cent are scanned and available, so it’s possible that the correct card for your ancestor will be released this year, which will solve your problem.