WWI

[Spider-Girl]

Anybody know how you would go about finding the service records for a soldier who served in France during the WWI? I believe he was at the Somme.

Not one of my relations, but that of a colleague, so thought I would try TalkingScot. He wasn't killed or sent home due to injuries received. Just need pointed in the right direction!

Many thanks.

[rivergazer]

Hi

A lot, around 60% of army service records were destroyed during WW2 bombing. Those that remain can be searched for at the National Archives in Kew, London. This involves a trip to London, or a researcher to do it for you.

However, the army servicemen's pension records are beginning to come online. TNA are releasing them in conjunction with Ancestry. However, so far only the surnames beginning with A or B are searchable, this is Release 1. Hopefully, in time - a few years, all the surnames will be searchable online.

Hope this is of help to your friend.

[rivergazer]

Hi again

He should also have a medal card which is searchable online now at the TNA.

Follow the link and enter the soldier's name and regiment details to bring up his medal card. They cost £3.50 to download.


http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/docu ... ueryType=1

[Spider-Girl]

Thanks for that - will pass the info on.

[Pandabean]

Another possiblity if you cannot get to Kew in London to view the service records is to order them in to your local LDS Family History Centre. I have done this and been unsuccessful as the records seemed to have been destroyed by the bombings of the second world war.

What information do you have on the soldier?

If his service record does not survive and you have no information such as who he served with or his service number then it will be a long and hard task. I also know this two with a couple of great grandparents.

Also you can look at the WW1 resources at the top of this forum and goto the Great War Forum. If you have more information they will be able to help and are very willing to help.

Have a look at this in particular:
http://www.1914-1918.net/grandad/grandad.htm

Good luck in searching.

Regards,
Andy

[David Lang]

I have been trying to find my grandmothers half brother Robert Brown, I finally today found his service medal with his regiment and No inscribed on the rim.

NAS allows me to order the record card for him and states he was a member of the HLI and then states royal highlanders below it with a different serial number.

I have ordered the record card but does anyone know anything about the Royal Highlanders? and do I have to go to Kew to search for his service record if it exisits?

[Pandabean]

I am guessing this is your man:

Medal card of Brown, Robert
Highland Light Infantry 41575 Private
Royal Highlanders S/22061 Private

The best place to check is over at the Great War Forum under the soldiers.
http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums

I am not sure what the S/ means before the service number. Sometimes when people changed regiments they changed their number. My William Greenlees went from 9027 to 22601 when he moved from the Cyclist Corps to the Manchesters. Sometimes later in war it can be found a soldier changes regiment and has a much longer and high number than the previous number due to the amount of men in the regiment.

I had a quick look for Royal Highlanders and it seems they were part of the Black Watch. Do you know which batallion? It should say on the rim I think.

http://www.1914-1918.net/blackwatch.htm


For the service record as I said above you can use the LDS process or you have to go to Kew. You are probably aware that only a third of all service records exist so the chances are slim. Did he survive? If so he may be entitled to a pension. the records are already online for surnames A-B. I belive they can be found at Ancestry.com. May be worth checking it out.

Does his MIC show when he entered service? If not is he only entitled to the BWM and VM?

Hope that is of help.

I have been trying to find my grandmothers half brother Robert Brown, I finally today found his service medal with his regiment and No inscribed on the rim.

NAS allows me to order the record card for him and states he was a member of the HLI and then states royal highlanders below it with a different serial number.

I have ordered the record card but does anyone know anything about the Royal Highlanders? and do I have to go to Kew to search for his service record if it exisits?

[DavidWW]

I have been trying to find my grandmothers half brother Robert Brown, I finally today found his service medal with his regiment and No inscribed on the rim.

NAS allows me to order the record card for him and states he was a member of the HLI and then states royal highlanders below it with a different serial number.

I have ordered the record card but does anyone know anything about the Royal Highlanders? and do I have to go to Kew to search for his service record if it exists?

The Royal Highlanders are much better known today as The Black Watch, the original 42nd of Foot, "The Gallant Forty Twa", wearing the red hackle, known during their long history as some variation on "The Royal Highland (The Black Watch) Regiment", and, more recently "The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment); from March 2006 the 3rd battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland.

See http://www.regiments.org/regiments/uk/inf/042-751.htm for an intro to the history of the 42nd (originally numbered as the 43rd when raised).

But appreciate that during WWI there was a total of 22nd Black Watch Battalions, and that's not including second and third line battalions, e.g. the 5th Battalion, a territorial unit, had 1/5th, 2nd/5th and 3rd/5th battalions, as did most of the territorial battalions.

During WWI it was nearly always the case that the soldier's number changed when he changed regiments.

The reasons for such a change of regiment could vary greatly; ranging from a wound or illness taking him away from the front, but when he recovered he was posted to another regiment, most often another Scottish regiment, sometimes in the same brigade or division; through to a battalion sustaining such high losses that it effectively ceased to exist, for a time at least, with the survivors being posted to another regiment, again most often, but not guaranteed, to be a Scottish regiment in the same brigade or division, or a sister battalion of the same Scottish regiment.

A trip to Kew could be on the cards, but, in the first instance, I'd advise using the services of a specialist military researcher to establish if his records have survived the Luftwaffe bombing during WWII.

Depending on his age, it could be possible that he was a "regular" prior to WWI, and those records have a much better survival rate.

David

[David Lang]

Thanks Andy and David

Andy that is the very Man , i just ordered the card this morning before work so hope to get it within a week.

David , the 42nd would be rigth as I have a christmas card from him in 1918 to my grandmother with the 42nd Badge on the front.

He born 1898 so was probably not a regular before the war , he emigrated to Australia after the war and the family last heard from him then.

If he had a pension then great , at least we would know when he died and can start tracing from there.

Any idea of the cost or where i canget a hold of researcher ??

[DavidWW]

......snipped.........Any idea of the cost or where i canget a hold of researcher ??

See my PM..........

Orraverybest

David