Reeves, Oliver John

Summary

Father:
Mother:

Birth: c1888, Huntingdonshire
Birth Source: Census

Death: May 1915, France
Death Source: CWGC

Spouse1: Margaret Jemima MNU

Narrative

Nothing is presently known of Oliver's early life.

At the time of the 1901 census Oliver REEVES is an inmate at the Holme Court Certified Industrial Truant School in Isleworth, Middlesex. He gave his age as 13 (so born about 1888) and his place of birth as St Ives, Huntingdonshire. (See Research Note 1 below).

It is likely Oliver enlisted in the Royal Sussex Regiment in early 1904 where his Regimental Number was L/7756. (See Research Note 2 below). If the 1901 census is correct about his age, then he was only sixteen years old when he enlisted.

Oliver has yet to be identified on the 1911 census, but in all probability he was serving with the Royal Sussex Regiment.

It is likely that Oliver had remained in the Army (or the Army Reserve and he was immediately recalled to rejoin his regiment), since his medal card indicates he was serving in 2nd Battalion, Royal Sussex Regiment and was overseas on 27 August 1914.

Oliver's death is recorded by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission's website as Oliver John Reeves.   He was serving as Serjeant L/7756 in the 2nd Battalion, Royal Sussex Regiment and died in May 1915. He has no known grave and he is commemorated on the Le Touret Memorial in the Pas de Calais département of France (FR-62).   The CWGC website has no
additional notes for this individual.

The death of Sergeant L/7756 of the Royal Sussex Regiment is included in the GRO Index to War Deaths 1914-1921. Army (Other Ranks) page 3013 as Oliver J Reeves, year 1915, vol I.73, page 49.

The "UK, Army Registers of Soldiers' Effects, 1901-1929" entry for Temporary Sergeant 7756 Oliver John Reeves shows him serving with the 2nd Battalion, Royal Sussex Regiment. It shows his death was on 9 May 1915. The distribution of his effects were made to his widow Margaret Jemima, with the first of two entries being annotated "self and child". See Research Note 3 below.

Research Notes

(1) There is very little evidence of the existence of Oliver John REEVES and given the initial source some significant doubt must exist over his true identity. The 1901 census provides the first evidence of Oliver. BUT it should be noted that he is not in a traditional family grouping but rather in an institution. No effort has been made to look for surviving records of the Holme Court School.

Oliver's age and place of birth as noted on the 1901 census provides a starting point for a search of FreeBMD for his birth registration. FreeBMD shows no birth registrations for Oliver John Reeves (1885-1890). It is more probable he would have been 18 or even 21 on enlistment, so perhaps born 1883-1886, suggesting the search range should be increased to perhaps 1878-1890.



It is also possible his birth was registered under a different surname or elsewhere. Oliver John with no surname specified produces 252 results (1878-1890) on FreeBMD. The persuit of alternate avenues to identify the birth and parentage of this Oliver is left for others.

(2) The likely date of Oliver's enlistment in the Royal Sussex Regiment is based on information found at http://armyservicenumbers.blogspot.co.uk/2009/05/royal-sussex-regiment-1st-2nd.html. It shows that soldier 7739 joined on 22 January 1904 and 8153 on 18 January 1905.

(3) An entry for the marriage of Oliver J Reeves to a Margaret J(emima) between 1900 and 1915 has not be found at FreeBMD. A more careful tracking of where the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Sussex Regiment were posted between 1904 and 1914 may be helpful; it is likely to have included time in Ireland, beyond the scope of FreeBMD.

Sources

Birth:       
Baptism:  
Marriage:
Death:      GRO Index to War Deaths 1914-1921. Army (Other Ranks) page 3013 as Oliver J Reeves
                 CWGC http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1561033/REEVES, OLIVER JOHN

1891 Census:
1901 Census: RG13, Piece 1186, Folio 79 face, Page 3, Row10
1911 Census:

From Soldiers Died in the Great War, 1914-1918 at FindMyPast

First name(s) 		OLIVER JOHN
Last name 		REEVES
Service number 		L/7756
Rank 			SERGT.
Regiment 		Royal Sussex Regiment
Battalion 		2nd Battalion.
Birth place 		ST. IVES, HUNTS
Residence 		-
Enlistment place 	LONDON
Death year 		1915
Death day 		9
Death month 		5
Cause of death 		Killed in action
Death place 		British Expeditionary Force
Theatre of war 		Western European Theatre
Supplementary Notes 	-