William Alfred Turner (Gallipoli)

I am looking for help researching my great grandfather William Alfred Turner of Droylsden Lancashire, DOB: 02 August 1892. I know that he spent time training in Cairo, Egypt before fighting in the Dardinelles campaign which he survived. I have searched the military records on Ancestry.co.uk but unfortuantely the popularity of the name 'Turner' has left me unable to find his records. I have included a photo of him in full uniform including drum, which I hope will give some clue as to his role in the military.
Many thanks, Lee.

 

Hi Austringer,
Welcome to the forum. I'm not sure but i think that he is in one of the Lancashire Regiments. If he is a bandsman he would of been a stretcher bearer for the battalion he was part of. I believe that there were a couple of Lancashire Regiments in Gallipoli including the South Lancs and the East Lancs.

Mike

 

Thanks Mike. I had no idea he would have been a stretcher bearer. Any idea what the purpose of the drum was? Do you think it would be a safe bet that he was in the East Lancs regiment as Droylsden (now part of gtr Manchester) was formally part of East Lancs?
Many thanks, Lee.

 

Hi Lee,
I think the drum is just a prop for the photo but if indeed he was a bandsman then he was a drummer and would of been used as a stretcher bearer. Unless you can get hold of his military record there would be no way of knowing for sure. Its a good bet that he would of been part of the East Lancs if he was from that area. If i could get a good look at the badge i maybe able to tell you for sure. You will have to scan the photo in very high res and email it to me so i can try and zoom in on the badge. I will also check to see if any of the East Lancs battalions served in Gallipoli.
No Probs
Mike

 

Thanks a lot Mike. I have actually managed to track down much of William's service records over the past few days and it turns out he was actually in the Manchester reg. 7th Battalion. I had never thought of the drum as being a prop, but seems likely now that you mention it.

 

They used to use quite a few things for props in photos of soldiers back then, one of the most used is the cane like those used by officers. Glad you have found the records, did you find them online?

Mike