War Records

Morecambe Ex Pat · 31-01-2016, 15:55

I have the service number of a relative, from WW1.
Where is the best place to start researching his service record

DaveinGermany · 31-01-2016, 16:23

I'd suggest you chat with Retlaw, as WWI is his speciality & if he doesn't know, I'm sure he'll have access to someone or somewhere that does.

Morecambe Ex Pat · 31-01-2016, 19:13

Thanks
We have found him in the absent voters list but now wonder what the final column (Nr.) signifies.

Morecambe Ex Pat · 31-01-2016, 19:44

Nr. is the reference number in the absent voters list.
How do we find out a regiment from a service number.
We know our subject was in the Royal Field Artillery in 1918.

Retlaw · 31-01-2016, 20:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by Morecambe Ex Pat

I have the service number of a relative, from WW1.
Where is the best place to start researching his service record

Did you find the AVL in the library or from a web site.
For a start of I indexed all Greater Accringtons Absent Voters lists some 20 odd years ago, and came across numerous errors, now that I've finished my search for Accy's WW1 soldiers I decided to check te AVL against the medal rolls at the National Archives, you would think that a soldier would know his details, Kew would have us believe that soldiers were given a card to fill in, to me thats barn yard confetti, battles were going on advances and retreats, what about P-O-W's, as well as that there are 2 men inb Acc's AVL that were killed in 1916.
If you don't want the expence of a search at Kew, your best bet is a library, you can log on and seach the surviving records on Ancestry for free. Just one thing to remember, their index was created in india, so you might have to be creative in your search.
If he's from Greater Accrington it might have been better if you had posted his name. rank, No, Regt and addess. Just remembered that last number is his polling number, just like the one you have today.

Morecambe Ex Pat · 01-02-2016, 10:15

Hi Retlaw
Thanks for that.
This quest started with information on the back of a photograph which we sent to various sources in order to discover more details. We were pointed towards the record by someone on a Facebook site.
On the back of the photo is hand written:-
No. 214474
Gunner Clark
Father Dead

His full details from the AVR are

John William Clark
214474
Pte
Royal Field Artillery
51 Bold Street
D1
1865

Retlaw · 01-02-2016, 13:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by Morecambe Ex Pat

Hi Retlaw
Thanks for that.
This quest started with information on the back of a photograph which we sent to various sources in order to discover more details. We were pointed towards the record by someone on a Facebook site.
On the back of the photo is hand written:-
No. 214474
Gunner Clark
Father Dead

His full details from the AVR are

John William Clark
214474
Pte
Royal Field Artillery
51 Bold Street
D1
1865

I think this is the man your after. I hope you keep this for personal use only, and don't send it to gobsh1tes with websites. Just remembered his service records hgave not survived the 2nd WW bombing.

Morecambe Ex Pat · 02-02-2016, 10:16

That is the man and thank you very much for that.
The man is my wife's Granddad and we don't know much about his war experiences because, like many returning from the horror, he never talked about it.
That article has solved more mysteries than you probably realise, we also have a photograph of him in his L&YR railway uniform and we have been trying to work out what his cap badge says but it is not very clear. The word we couldn't make out was VANMAN but your article has confirmed this.
Where were the service records when they were destroyed?
We have a website, see my signature but I am only listing information regarding family. Is it OK to put that article on our website?
Once again, thanks for adding to our family knowledge.

Morecambe Ex Pat · 02-02-2016, 11:05

Gunner Clark is top right

Retlaw · 02-02-2016, 13:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by Morecambe Ex Pat

That is the man and thank you very much for that.
The man is my wife's Granddad and we don't know much about his war experiences because, like many returning from the horror, he never talked about it.
That article has solved more mysteries than you probably realise, we also have a photograph of him in his L&YR railway uniform and we have been trying to work out what his cap badge says but it is not very clear. The word we couldn't make out was VANMAN but your article has confirmed this.
Where were the service records when they were destroyed?
We have a website, see my signature but I am only listing information regarding family. Is it OK to put that article on our website?
Once again, thanks for adding to our family knowledge.

Hi Morecambe, yep if its your family web site by all means, the web site I was refering to is the one where I think you found the AVL-18.

The WW1 service records were being stored in a Warehouse awaiting a decsision, some one ordered that 1 in every 50 be removed for evaluation purposes, they became known as the unburnt records, Acncestry calls them Pension records which is a load of bull.
Every man had two sets of records, one set remained in England, whilst the other set traveled the world with his division, and was kept upto date by the clerks, every so often amendments would be sent to, England and the home records updated.
The remaining records had been in storage when jerry dropped some incendiaries, thousands of records were destroyed not just by fire, but think what it would be like when the fire hoses were turned on rack after rack of paper files, it would be like a snow storm, other WW1 stuff was in that warehouse and over 20 tons of stuff was lost.
Then we have 1000's of records still in use at pension offices up and down the country, what became of them, especially as pension offices were closed and amalgamated, binned more thn likely, they've never been seen since.

Morecambe Ex Pat · 02-02-2016, 13:37

I suppose it is typical beaurocratic lunacy that they didn't store them away from London in a nice deep bunker somewhere but they are the more intelligent amongst us so obviously thought they knew best.

Without that information, future generations will be subject to much frustration with all the inaccurate data around.

This ancestry business is interesting but a lack of information is very frustrating at times. We have connections with the original Broad Oak Farm and later Higher Withams and Height's Farm.

Morecambe Ex Pat · 02-02-2016, 14:40

Would you mind if I picked your brains and records about another 3 or 4 military connections to family members?

Retlaw · 02-02-2016, 15:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by Morecambe Ex Pat

I suppose it is typical beaurocratic lunacy that they didn't store them away from London in a nice deep bunker somewhere but they are the more intelligent amongst us so obviously thought they knew best.

Without that information, future generations will be subject to much frustration with all the inaccurate data around.

This ancestry business is interesting but a lack of information is very frustrating at times. We have connections with the original Broad Oak Farm and later Higher Withams and Height's Farm.

I knew those farms well in my youth, and more so when I was in the fir brig adee, one of my jobs was keepung the farm recordss upto date, but I don't recognise the farm in the picture. its nowt like Broad Oak & Higher Withams, Higher Witham had a row of cottages along side known as Heights Cottages. The surviving military records are now safely stored away, they were however copied and Ancestry pays a fee to the national Archives, and then over charges people to view them. The people that created Ancestry's indexing system were either Klingon's or Romulens, its full of errors, I've had over 150 thanks messages from Ancestry for notifictions, but they never gave me a rebate.
Any way what is it you want to know, I only deal with Greater Accrington WW1.

Morecambe Ex Pat · 02-02-2016, 17:14

My wife is reading a book which you have referred to before - Old Homesteads by Richard Ainsworth. The farm above appears as Leyfield Farm on page 85 of that book.

After a bit more delving, the picture is of Leafield Barn Farm which is referred to in this thread. The whole building has been renovated and it is possible the new owners have changed the name.
http://www.accringtonweb.com/forum/f...e-58975-2.html

We are planning to have a walk around that area but are doing as much groundwork as possible before we do - It would also be better if it was a bit warmer too

Retlaw · 02-02-2016, 20:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by Morecambe Ex Pat

My wife is reading a book which you have referred to before - Old Homesteads by Richard Ainsworth. The farm above appears as Leyfield Farm on page 85 of that book.

After a bit more delving, the picture is of Leafield Barn Farm which is referred to in this thread. The whole building has been renovated and it is possible the new owners have changed the name.
http://www.accringtonweb.com/forum/f...e-58975-2.html

We are planning to have a walk around that area but are doing as much groundwork as possible before we do - It would also be better if it was a bit warmer too

I'd forgotten about that thread, to get to Wrights old farm ie Leafield, you'l have to come into Sandy lane from the top unless you have a Land Rover, by the way take all that guff in that old homesteads with a pinch of salt, no one has ever found any documentation to back up his fancy tales, and I've spent the most part of my adult life with the history of Acc, just remember he works as a reporter for the local toilet paper, why like the truth stand in the way of a good story, its even more fanciful when he gets to the Alma Inn can't even decide where it is and buildings that never existed knocked down.