I'm about to go to the Records Office at Kew with the intention of looking for my Grandfathers WW1 Service Records. First of all, will this be possible? If so, what would I need? I have his discharge papers, and his Mons Star and two other medals. Would they allow me to access his records? This will be the first time I've ever done this so I'm completely in the dark. Any help would be very much appreciated. Cheers Steve
Steve, To save yourself a trip to Kew, you might want to check to see if your local library has access to Ancestry.co.uk. Many (all?) of the surviving WWI service records are available there. Lee
HI Steve You dont need to go there, you just need an Ancestry subscription. Those records that have survived are online there, see- Military - Ancestry.com.au See on the right had side, the list of things available. Having his service number, you will be able to find his MIC (medal Index Card) Also read here - How to find records of British soldiers of the First World War This site is a great source of information and where to look and understand it hope this helps regards Robert
I'm about to go to the Records Office at Kew with the intention of looking for my Grandfathers WW1 Service Records. First of all, will this be possible? If so, what would I need? I have his discharge papers, and his Mons Star and two other medals. Would they allow me to access his records? This will be the first time I've ever done this so I'm completely in the dark. Any help would be very much appreciated. Cheers Steve Steve, What is his full name? Someone with an Ancestry account might be able to find them for you. The downside is, that a lot were destroyed by fire in WW2. Cheers - Rob
Amazing. I can't believe how quick answers come back on this forum :rocker: His name was William John Manns, born 1894 in Egham,Surrey. Started the war in the RAMC, service number 5127 The odd thing is, he ended up in the Black Watch but his Mons Star, Victory Medal (?) and the other standard medal (war service?) are made out to him in his RAMC rank/Corps Cheers Steve
Eddie All received. Thank you very much for your trouble. I think it's time I got myself an account at Ancestry, I've a few more family members military service to investigate. Regards Steve
I thought you might be interested in seeing a photo of the old fella, inexplicably wearing what I believe to be the uniform of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders....which he wasn't in! He must have been in the 2nd Bn Black Watch, because he served, and was wounded in, Mesopotamia. He carried a fragment of a Turkish bullet in his foot until his dying day. I remember him having a huge respect for the Turks. Another odd thing, he was one of two Englishmen in the battalion, and the other one used to live about 100 yards from where I live now. Talk about a small world. The other photo is of him in his hospital blues after being wounded and/or gassed on the Western Front. A fine old chap, and hugely funny.
Found the medal card same as Eddie. I could not find any service records though. Beyond H, I believe that's where the majority of records were destroyed.
Found the medal card same as Eddie. I could not find any service records though. Beyond H, I believe that's where the majority of records were destroyed. That's a shame. Pity his surname wasn't Aardvark