I recently came across an article in a London Gazette from 1967 that announced the awarding of an Efficient Service medal to my father. I know my father stayed in the British Army until 1946 or ‘47 before returning to England and marrying my mum so this announcement is intriguing the hell out of me. I have his service number, I know is rank and I know he served in the Royal Armoured Corp. It seems that everyone advertising military records through the internet want a non returnable arm and a leg with a complicated route to cancel the enforced subscription. Is there an easier way or something a little less costly ? Andy
I bet the Royal British Legion would be able to point you in the right direction. You'll probably end up submitting some kind of request to Army HQ. From what I can remember about military admin (Royal Marines) a night with Diane Abbot sat on your face would still be less excruciating.
Run the info you have through The National Archives. Use the search field (search our records)to run his Army Number. https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ All downloads are free providing you register.
Andy, As per ChrisW's note above. The remote research at Kew works and when LockDown is over, go to Kew and look for yourself. Incredibly helpful researchers who will point you in the right direction. Fascinating day out reading about your relative's Regiments, their activities etc. Its all free. My Grandfather was 'Mentioned in Dispatches' whilst serving with the SBS in Burma. He died in 1955, aged 37, before I was born and whilst my Dad was only 15. And, like most of those brave men, he kept quiet about what he did in the war. My grandmother was grief stricken after his death and burned everything that reminded her of him. We had nothing much to start with and we all wanted to know more about his war record. I went to Kew with his service number and a photocopy of the commendation certificate and a copy of a portrait painted of him whilst he was in Ceylon, now Sri Lanka, on-route to Burma. At Kew, with help, I found aerial photos and detailed reports marked in 1945 as 'Secret - not to be opened for 30 years' of the missions he joined upon the Irrawaddy river behind enemy lines, the write up from his Officer about his bravery that night attacking and seeing off a Japanese gun boat with 'just' a Bren gun strapped to a canoe with two companions in another canoe. I found photographs of him and his colleagues on the Internet from leads I found in Kew. I also discovered that after basic training in Scotland in 1943 with the Scots Guards he'd then volunteered and completed 9 months with the Commandos in Braemar, he was listed as attacking enemy Radar installations in France, linking up with the local French Resistance and his group capturing a German soldier and taking him back out to the submarine by canoe from which they had arrived. From the Commandos he was 'invited' to try out with the SBS after being told by the SAS that at 13 stone (172 lbs) he was just too heavy for their parachutes. I discovered that he was billeted for training with the SBS in Hillhead on the south coast opposite the Isle of White. My best friend's family owned one of the beach-houses that he had been billeted to and I'd spent many a happy hour there not knowing my paternal Grandfather had been stationed there, launching mock attacks across the Solent on the Isle of White. I also was able to read about the Captain under whom he served in Burma, talk about blow-your-socks-off brave fella, 28 years old and was awarded the MC with a bar = he had previously been awarded the Military Cross, twice! My Dad and my Uncle knew very little of this detail about their father and I was delighted and very proud to detail the information to them. A great day out for me and I continue to write up his war record for my family.
Last year I used the archive to research my Great Grandfather who was killed in action in France in 1918 on the last day of the 100 day offensive. I grew up knowing nothing about him as his son (my Grandfather) had left my Grandmother during WW2 with two babes in arms. So he and his family were never mentioned. Turns out my GGF was awarded the Military Medal twice, was wounded four times and was also awarded the Croix de Guerre. If you find any errors during your research make sure you inform the Archive, they will update the record. I found two on my GGF’s records that caused the info searched not to be found. As said above, get yourself a Readers Ticket, identify documents to see and book a visit. Cheap ticket to Kings Cross and on the tube to Kew. There is a great butchers by the Tube station that does good food. Kew is just a short walk away.
@chrisw, @stevetwood, thank you guys. I have spent a little time trying to navigate the various catalogues and search function but found nothing so far. I have had a very kind offer to search one of the ancestry web sites so will wait and see what comes back. I know I have a box in the loft with some family papers so I think that is certainly my next stop. Andy
It may be worth your while talking to your local family history group. SWMBO is membership secretary of our local one (only because no one else would do it) but she reckons the members of the management team always know the best routes to finding information and give the best advice on how to go about it.
