Help with grandfather's WW1 military service search

[chrissy28]

I wonder if any of you could give me advice on how to find out about my grandfathers military history please, my father who is 88 knows very little of his fathers service and Im trying to find out for him.
I have found out he served in the 9th bn East Surrey Regiment,6th bt Welsh reg and served in France in WW1.
Like many men who fought my grandfather didn't talk much about his service although they were very close, but my father does remember him telling him once about trench life, hill 60 and how when the army found out he was a miner he was sent to tunnel, and vividly remembers him telling him how he carried explosives in his stockened feet. He also remembers him saying about blowing up a bridge there, which my late uncle (his son) saw the remnants of during his service in France in WW2, but my father cannot remember where.
I have also found out his army number but can find out no more.
I would love to be able to give my father some more information on his fathers time served.
Any help and advise of where or who to contact will be very welcome by both myself and my father.

Many Thanks Chrissy

Originally Posted by chrissy28

I wonder if any of you could give me advice on how to find out about my grandfathers military history please, my father who is 88 knows very little of his fathers service and Im trying to find out for him.
I have found out he served in the 9th bn East Surrey Regiment,6th bt Welsh reg and served in France in WW1.
Like many men who fought my grandfather didn't talk much about his service although they were very close, but my father does remember him telling him once about trench life, hill 60 and how when the army found out he was a miner he was sent to tunnel, and vividly remembers him telling him how he carried explosives in his stockened feet. He also remembers him saying about blowing up a bridge there, which my late uncle (his son) saw the remnants of during his service in France in WW2, but my father cannot remember where.
I have also found out his army number but can find out no more.
I would love to be able to give my father some more information on his fathers time served.
Any help and advise of where or who to contact will be very welcome by both myself and my father.

Many Thanks Chrissy

Hello Chrissy,

PM sent.

Regards,

Peter.

[DougSA]

You can check for his medal index card and any surviving service/pension records on www.ancestry.co.uk . There is a 'special' on that website during 11-13 Nov that you can access these records for free! So I would recommend to check now, if you do not already have paid-up access.

There are other records available, including medal rolls and silver war badge rolls (for those discharged wounded), which you can also search online, but would have to have paid-up access, unless make use of free 14 day trial offer.

In addition, you can contact the regimental museums, who sometimes have limited information available from nominal rolls/regimental registers, as well as war diaries. These sometimes help for free, but sometimes request a donation (which is fair enough, as it is a good cause and this work is often done by volunteers).

All the best!

[grumpy]

Join the Great War Forum [free] and put all your cards on the table. We have experts in just about every field of study, and the forum is extremely helpful and fun. Just say "Grumpy sent me" when you join. I would be surprised if you do not get a huge amount of info. at what is THE centre of Great War excellence.

[chrissy28]

Thank you Peter for your pm and help, much appreciated.
Doug, thank you, I've already done the ancestry site search , contacting the museums is a real good idea, I have three regiments for him The East Surreys, the Welsh reg, and the Royal Eng , just over the WW1 period. Which museum do you suggest I contact please?
Grumpy thanks mate, joining The Great War Forum next sounds good
Thank you gentlemen for all your help, I'll let you know what I find out about him,
Many Thanks Chrissy