WW2 Service Record contents question

Discussion in 'Service Records' started by Geoff Smith, Sep 12, 2019.

  1. Geoff Smith

    Geoff Smith New Member

    Good evening all.
    I'm a new poster here and just starting to read my way around the site.

    My late father was in the RASC and served in the Normandy landings and then BAOR. Now that I have some time available I would like to try and trace some of his history.

    I have just obtained Dad's service records from Glasgow and I have a question which I hope one of the experienced hands on the site will be able to help me with :

    The copy records that I received contained 3 sheets of Form B103. One sheet covers end '43 to June '44, another covers Jan '46 to Apr '47 and the third covers July '47 to Sept '48. i.e. there is no Form B103 covering June '44 to end '45 !

    Am I expecting too much ? Did Form B103 exist during that intense period of WW2 ? Otherwise might the sheet or sheets have been lost, misfiled, lost in transit etc?

    Any advice would be gratefully received

    Geoff
     
  2. timuk

    timuk Well-Known Member

    I would contact the Records Office and ask them. They may have missed copying it or, as you say, it may have been lost, misfiled etc. It would certainly have existed at some stage.

    Tim
     
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  3. bamboo43

    bamboo43 Very Senior Member

    I would second Tim's advice Geoff. I recently received two sets of records from Glasgow after waiting over 8 months for them. Within both sets there were duplicate copies of single pages, but thankfully no chronological gaps, so it is more than possible that they might have missed a page in your case.

    To be honest I've made this error myself several times when copying large files at the National Archives, turning two pages over at the same time.
     
  4. Geoff Smith

    Geoff Smith New Member

    Thanks both

    I phoned Glasgow this morning and was told a gap in a soldier's record after June '44 is not uncommon.
    I was invited to write in with a specific request and the records will be double-checked, so that's what I will do.

    Next on the agenda is a visit to the RLC museum before it closes next month - I could have timed this better !

    Geoff
     
  5. Tullybrone

    Tullybrone Senior Member

    Hi,

    From the hundreds of records posted on the forum I would say post 1944 gaps are very uncommon!

    Pleased you are pursuing the matter and haven’t just accepted being “fobbed off” by a likely busy junior member of staff probably keen to avoid further work!

    Steve
     
  6. Geoff Smith

    Geoff Smith New Member

    OP here, reporting back.

    The admin officer at Glasgow retrieved the records again and called me with the file in hand. We were able to talk through the sheets in my copy versus the originals and checked that nothing had been missed during the copying process. Sadly we came to the conclusion that one sheet of Form B103 sheet was missing.

    Thanks to responders for your advice

    Geoff
     
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