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  #1  
Old 07-08-17, 01:50 PM
sailorbear sailorbear is offline
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Default How do I find my Grandfathers Army Service Records?

Hi there.

I'm quite aware there is quite a lot about researching family records online these days, but over the years I have been a member of this forum I've never failed to be impressed by the sheer volume of informed, sensible knowledge and advice out there amongst the members, so thought I would start here first!

I want to find out about my (Paternal) Grandfathers service in the Army in WW1 and later service in the Home Guard in WW2. However as I don't have a service number or any inkling as to which regiment he served with or in which geographical location in WW1 I have no clue as to where to start?

As for the Home Guard the only information I have is that he lived in Portsmouth and worked for the Admiralty at an outstation of HMS Vernon at West Leigh near Havant.

There are no members of his family alive (apart from me) and he died before I was born, so I'm only left with his full name, date and place of birth and death.

Any suggestions?

Regards

Tony
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  #2  
Old 07-08-17, 01:56 PM
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RBJ MIlitaria RBJ MIlitaria is offline
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gov.uk website as next of kin best bet, apply for service records will cost £30 after you have proved your ID
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  #3  
Old 07-08-17, 02:04 PM
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manchesters manchesters is offline
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Soldier other ranks service records & pension records from WW1 are on line and anyone with a subscription to Ancestry or FMP can check for you. Not all are on there as many were destroyed in the blitz, its pot luck

Put his details an here and I will do just that - its Free.

The more unusual the name the better the chance.

Also let me know where he was born or/and where he lived.

regards
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  #4  
Old 07-08-17, 03:50 PM
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David Tremain David Tremain is offline
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Like Bill said. As I pointed out yesterday, you may have to wait up to a year to get them from the MoD.
David
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  #5  
Old 08-08-17, 06:37 AM
altcar73 altcar73 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sailorbear View Post
Hi there.

I'm quite aware there is quite a lot about researching family records online these days, but over the years I have been a member of this forum I've never failed to be impressed by the sheer volume of informed, sensible knowledge and advice out there amongst the members, so thought I would start here first!

I want to find out about my (Paternal) Grandfathers service in the Army in WW1 and later service in the Home Guard in WW2. However as I don't have a service number or any inkling as to which regiment he served with or in which geographical location in WW1 I have no clue as to where to start?

As for the Home Guard the only information I have is that he lived in Portsmouth and worked for the Admiralty at an outstation of HMS Vernon at West Leigh near Havant.

There are no members of his family alive (apart from me) and he died before I was born, so I'm only left with his full name, date and place of birth and death.

Any suggestions?

Regards

Tony
Tony,

I've had a similar desire to you which I've never been able to achieve. Like you I only have the very basic details of my paternal Grandfathers WW1 war service. No regimental number only the fact that he was in the ASC and that he was gassed. I spent weeks on Ancestry trying to pin him down with no success. There are no family documents or medals relating to his service and although he survived the war to father eight children, and died in 1954, he would never speak about it to his kids saying it was a time best forgotten about. My Dad and my uncle are his only surviving children and they can tell me nothing at all. Very frustrating! I hope you have more success than I have had.

Dave.
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  #6  
Old 08-08-17, 09:21 AM
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Peter Brydon Peter Brydon is offline
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I have shown the attached before, I was very lucky when I started to research my Grandfathers WW1 war service in the 1980`s.

There was no charge in connection with inquiries in those days and the responses only took a couple of weeks to arrive but it was in the days before cuts in the Civil Service and when the UK still had some money in its coffers.

P.B.
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  #7  
Old 08-08-17, 09:48 AM
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Eddie Parks Eddie Parks is offline
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The first port of call is to try to find his medal index card for WW1. You can look on Ancestry and your local library will have access. Whether you can find him or not depends really on how common his name is! John Smith is untraceable, Algernon Finknottle is easily found. The MIC will give you his number. As someone has said Ancestry may have his records as well.

With that in hand you apply for his post WW1 service record. You need his full name and either his date of birth OR his number. Searchs are taking much less than a year at present.
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  #8  
Old 09-08-17, 12:03 PM
sailorbear sailorbear is offline
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Default How do I find my Granfathers Army Service Records?

Hi all.

Thanks for the many helpful replies, plenty of avenues to investigate, and hopefully will be more successful than some of you have been?

Will keep you all informed with any progress I make.

Regards

Tony
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