World War 1 records

[AileenA]

Hi, hope someone can give me some advice on searching my Granddad's war records.
He was in the Scots guards from Nov 1906 - 1st July 1911, (I found his pension records on the Ancestry website), the records also state that he was in the Cameronians TA in 1922 but there is no mention of him during the ww1 years. Would those years not have been on his pension records??? He called himself Robert Tyrie Hutchison in the records I have found even although he is plain Robert Hutchison on his birth cert and all other records (Tyrie was his Mum's maiden name), thought I'd try searching to see if there are anymore pension records under Robert Hutchison but can't find any. I'm wondering if maybe he wasn't in the war as he became a miner when he left the Scots Guards, were miners exempt from call up, does anyone know?

He didn't marry my Gran until 1917 and in researching my family I've discovered a long lost cousin who has photos of my Grandad with a woman and young girl. We believe he may have been married before and had a daughter but have no clue as to who he was married to and what happened to her. No-one in the family has any info for me. He was 42 when he married my Gran and they went on to have a family of 6. he died in the early 60's. it's all a mystery!
Hope someone can give me some advice on where to start searching.
Aileen

[WilmaM]

I'll answer your questions by asking you some...

Have you looked for him on the 1901 census? see who he was with then.

Have you seen his 1917 marriage cert? it should say widower if he was married before [or something else if he was divorced?]

Miners were reserved occupations [along with farmers, Dockers and other essential workers] but many did join up anyway.

I hope you find some clues.

[AileenA]

Hi, thanks for getting back to me.

In 1901 he was working in the mines in Blantyre, he had just left the Lancashire Police (got his police records).

He was a bit of a porky pie teller!! He said he was 35 on his marriage cert (he was 42!), the marriage cert does say that he is a bachelor but do we believe that or not!!?? His age on joining the Scots guards is also wrong, said he was way younger than he was, am certain I've got the correct records cos his next of kin and address are all correct. (he even tried to join up in WW2 by lying about his age and it was only when he got to training camp that the powers that be discovered his real age and packed him off back home! ).

My Gran was widowed in 1915 and the story in the family goes that my Grandad knew my Grans first husband because he served with him in the war, have found her first husband's records so that tallies, but no sign of Grandad's records. Very mysterious

[WilmaM]

Hi, thanks for getting back to me.

In 1901 he was working in the mines in Blantyre, he had just left the Lancashire Police (got his police records).

Is that the Lancashire [England] police or the Lanarkshire [Scotland] ones?

If he was in England he could easily have 'lost' a wife and wain down there.
As he seems to 'forget' his age so frequently!

They didn't make life easy for us did they?

[AileenA]

No he certainly didn't make things easy neither did his Mum she spent her life telling porkies aswell! the only cert and census return that was correct with her was her birth cert even her death cert was wrong!!
Took me two years to put her story together as she remarried aswell.

Yes he was in the Lancashire police, and he had family in Pendleton his Grandad had remarried a girl from that area and went on to have a new family in the area, thats where the long lost cousin popped up from, she had photos of my Grandad in his police uniform and was able to give me details of his police records. he was unmarried when he joined the police but could have got married later. Unfortunately for me he was in Scotland for all the censuses and living with his Mum. Any ideas of any other records I could try to find in Lancashire? I've tried looking on ancestry for a marriage cert but really difficult when I don't have the woman's name.
My cousin has several photos of the woman and the wee girl so we think it's too much of a coincidence not to be rellies. One photo of the woman was taken in Hamilton, maybe taken on a visit home to his family

Looks like I'm hitting my head against a brick wall, I'm a bit like a dog with a bone though, I won't let go til I've got some info

[SarahND]

Hi Aileen,
If nothing comes up before then, I'm guessing that the 1911 census will be an important one to answer your questions! Only a couple of years to wait
All the best,
Sarah

[WilmaM]

This one looks as if it needs a magic wand to get any more bits for the jigsaw.

You mentioned his grandfather lived in England, have you [or the cousin]traced them through censuses etc to see if a stray granddaughter pops up.

I'm afraid we haven't managed to answer your initial ? either - 'how to trace his war records'

I'm a complete novice there so I do hope someone more knowledgeable can help in that field.

[djcrtoye]

If your grandad served before ww1 there is a chance he would've been recalled to the colours. They serve for a specific time then they go into the reserves which once a year they practice. Also the time period for service is 12 years. Did you notice his serial number iin your paper work ? I have found two matches at The National Archives both Scots Guards.

Medal card of Hutchison, Robert
Corps: Scots Guards
Regiment No: 18786
Rank: Private
1914-1920 WO 372/10
See details
Medal card of Hutchison, Robert
Corps: Scots Guards
Regiment No: 14095
Rank: Private
1914-1920 WO 372/10

To look at them it costs £3.50 to downlaod them.

Hope this helps.

[AileenA]

Hi there, thanks so much for looking for me, didn't know there was somewhere else I could look. On the paperwork on ancestry his number is was 6646 but that's been scored out and the number 32490 rga has been written in its place, can I search for him on the National Archives site with just the number??

[AileenA]

Hello again
Just been to the National Archives website, it's a maze
Can you guide me to where I can search
Cheers
Aileen