Captain Roger Francis Draper

Recently, Ancestry has begun to upload WWI War Diaries from The National Archives. 

I was very pleased to discover that the Ancestry collection includes the war diaries of my great grandfather's battalion of the York and Lancaster Regiment, which landed at Suvla Bay, Gallipoli on the 6th August 1915. 

At the moment, the available diaries are not indexed by name, just by date, location, regiment and unit. So whilst reading through both versions of the diary (handwritten and typed) for the months of August and September, looking for references to my great grandfather, I kept an eye out for Captain Roger Francis Draper, of whom I wrote last year. 

All my previous research had led me to believe that Captain Draper was killed in action on the 22nd August 1915. However, according to the 6th Battalion's war diary, he died or was mortally wounded on the 21st August.

As I read over the entries, I realised that the confusion over dates might have occurred because the man responsible for compiling the diary, Captain and Adjutant VTR Ford was also wounded on the 21st August! As a result, Captain Ford had to write up his usual review of the day's events at a much later date than was usual.  

The handwritten copy was originally dated for the 22nd August but amended to read the 21st. It doesn't mention Captain Draper at all.  

It is the typed 'good' copy that references Captain Draper on the 21st August 1915. Probably because his name was added to the details given in the handwritten version, the diary is ambiguous as to whether he was killed outright or was severely wounded.

Perhaps this small discrepancy is only a minor point but it highlights the fact that official war diaries were written by men who were not just observing from the sidelines. Like many a useful genealogical resource, we need to bear in mind that these surviving original documents may be a second or even third 'good' copy, cobbled together from hastily scribbled notes, sometime after the event. 

© Emmy Eustace

Roger and Anna Draper

In 1915, as the Colonel's wife, my Great Grandmother Monica Eustace had the sad duty of visiting the newly widowed Anna Lowell Draper. A year later, Anna sent Monica the following two photographs:

Captain Roger Francis Draper 1915

The first is a picture of Anna's late husband, Captain Roger Francis Draper (1890-1915) of the 6th Battalion York and Lancaster Regiment. Written on the back (in Anna's handwriting) is: 

RFD at Godalming June 1915

Anna Lowell Gardiner married Roger Francis Draper on 16th December 1914, in the Private Chapel of London House, Westminster St James in London, just before he left for the front. 

He was killed in action at Suvla Bay, Gallipoli on 22nd August 1915 and his death announced in the Boston Evening Transcript on 13th September 1915.

Captain Draper is remembered on the Helles Memorial, Gallipoli, the War Memorial in Adel in Leeds and the Christchurch Cathedral Roll of Honour in Oxford. 

Anna Lowell Draper 1916

The second photograph was taken by Frizell of Boston, 
probably Fred A Frizell of Boston and Dorchester (as per the 1909 edition of the Boston Blue Book).

It is dated January 1916 and shows Anna holding her baby, Roger Francis Draper, who was born at 322 Beacon St, Boston, Massachusetts, USA on 7th November 1915. 

Anna Lowell Gardiner was an American, the daughter of Robert H Gardiner, a Lawyer and Alice (nee Bange). She was born in Newton, Massachusetts, USA on 9th September 1890.  

It appears that Anna married Henry Richardson Shepley in 1919 but sadly, if online sources are to be believed (an Ancestry tree) little Roger didn't live long, dying aged only 13 in 1928.

****Additional Information****
I have just found two more photographs of Roger Francis Draper, which can be seen on 
descentfromadam.wordpress.com 




Sources:

FamilySearch: 

"Massachusetts, Births, 1841-1915," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/FXC6-VYK : accessed 04 Jun 2014), Roger Francis Draper, 07 Nov 1915; citing Boston, Massachusetts, p 328, Massachusetts Archives, Boston; FHL microfilm 2409903 

"Massachusetts, Births, 1841-1915," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/FX4M-32X : accessed 04 Jun 2014), Anna Lowell Gardner, 09 Sep 1890; citing Newton, Massachusetts, P 260, Massachusetts Archives, Boston; FHL microfilm 1428244  

US genealogical information courtesy of fellow genealogist Liz Loveland of Metro Boston, Massachusetts via Twitter on @lizl_genealogy 
Further contact details on http://adventuresingenealogy.wordpress.com/