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Researching a soldier
omega 24 v6 - 21/5/13 at 09:38 PM

Do any of you use any of the ancestry/my heritage/trace my past type sites?? If so which are the best.
I am trying to research my Stepgrandfathers war history WW2. He also had a brother killed in action that I would like to research.
I have all I need to get an MOD request for my stepgrandas details BUT only a name and rank for his brother. I'm pretty certain that IF he was killed in action then I have found him and his service no etc through the commonwealth war graves commission.
I have been looking for a week now but am going round in circles it sems. I have learned a fair bit though and its fuelled the hunge for more info.

The regiments in question are the worcestershire regiment and the south staffs royal artillery for my Grandad and I THINK the ox and bucks for his brother. I've had a look at the regimental sites and links etc but at the end of the day they all want cash for the detailed info I want. Thats fair enough but I want to be sure I have the right guys.

It's a sort of 75% sure I've found him I'd say, but at £30 a pop from the MOD, it'd be easy to rack up a fair bill with wrong guesses. However some of the other above sites will let you search for a month at a time at a third of the cost. BUT are they any good.

slingshot2000 - 21/5/13 at 11:21 PM

I would also be very interested in any help in this !
I have a Great, Great Uncle buried in a local cemetery, with a; MM (Military Medal) on his head-stone. He served in France but came home safe and well, only to die in a rock fall down the pit (Tudhoe Colliery).

I have searched everywhere with out success, and My old man would love to know why his ancestor was awarded a MM.

Good luck with your search
Kind regards

Jon

dave r - 22/5/13 at 05:40 AM

quote:
Originally posted by slingshot2000
I would also be very interested in any help in this !
I have a Great, Great Uncle buried in a local cemetery, with a; MM (Military Medal) on his head-stone. He served in France but came home safe and well, only to die in a rock fall down the pit (Tudhoe Colliery).

I have searched everywhere with out success, and My old man would love to know why his ancestor was awarded a MM.

Good luck with your search
Kind regards

Jon


a few years ago, i wanted to find out the citation details for my grandad... (who also had the MM)
imperial war museum looked into it for me, and it only cost me the photocopies...(may have changed now)
they managed to sort the regimental records for the month around when the MM was awarded, but no specific details as some of the citation records for WW1 were destroyed in the blitz

Phil.J - 22/5/13 at 11:32 AM

Apparently the WW2 records are not available on line yet through these sites. Me and my brother-in-law have attemted to find our father's records, but only one of the sites gave this information about the lack of availability.

jeffw - 22/5/13 at 11:33 AM

have a look here

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/our-online-records.htm

omega 24 v6 - 22/5/13 at 12:00 PM

National archives only covers up to 1920 i think. After that everything is still held by the MOD

jeffw - 22/5/13 at 12:58 PM

1935-1990 medals

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/recommendations-honours-awards.htm

omega 24 v6 - 22/5/13 at 04:23 PM

Mmm nice find thanks.

morcus - 22/5/13 at 04:28 PM

Have you tried writing letters to the regiments you think he was in? If it ends up in the right hands you'd be amazed what a good, friendly letter can get you for just the cost of a stamp and if they can't find out they might no someone who can.