hi guys and gals. looking for more info on a relative of mine, peter kinnear, royal engineers. i believe he was awarded a DCM whilst with the 104th but i cant actually find any trace of him so far so it is hard to discern when this was won. this is what i have so far: lance sergeant peter hector kinnear 1866789 royal engineers born 1913 died 1965 served: 104th army troops coy BEF Bacchus (uncertain of where this is, only have the attached photo as a reference) he also served in Burma with the chindits and was captured and put into what i believe was changi POW camp. Other than this, i have no real details of any of his other military service, and was frustrated to not find a single reference to his military service anywhere on the internet. Any help would be much appreciated Yours aye Tam
Hello and welcome to the forum Tam The first thing you should do is apply for his service records https://www.gov.uk/requests-for-personal-data-and-service-records Good luck with your research Lesley
ah, i have tried this, but they needed a death certificate of which i am not in possession of and no one else in the family has any clue to where it can be found
Addendum: It wasnt Peter who was awarded the DCM, it was his brother Forbes, who was with the black watch.
You can order copy death certificates from your local register office or download a form from the GRO-General Register Office. Last time I used them they cost around 9 quid or so https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/default.asp
Hi Tam, just a thought do you or the family know where his last known address, the reason I ask it could be a start to your search for the death certificate. The local birth deaths registry office could help, it may cost a few pounds if they hold a copy. A phone call is worth a try. Sorry if this is of no help just trying to broaden your search
Found a death record on FreeBMD for a Peter H Kinnear age 52 in Lothingland in Suffolk. Is this him? If so you will need this info: Death: June Quarter, Volume 4B, Page 955. This info will enable you to order a copy death certificate.
He wasn't Black Watch when he won the DCM. He was 1 Royal Scots http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D7363759
Thats him, thank you so much awesome, thanks for that. i had assumed he was black watch as i have his cap badge form the war, and thats all i had to go on. How did you find out the date the card was sent? i only ask as this may prove helpful for further searches. One thing strikes me as odd though, if he was a l/sgt and the officer above describes the royal engineers as l/cpl, does this mean he was attached to the 104th from another regiment? His 2 brothers and brother in law, Forbes, Duncan and Tommy were 1 royal Scots, Seaforth highlanders and 2 royal scots respectively, so would a fair guess be he was attached from one of the scottish regiments? maybe it was HE who was black watch then and not Forbes? sorry for all the questions, i am new to genealogy/research and have no idea where to start with the little details i do have, but thankfully, you guys have come up with some hoofin' stuff and have got a few avemues to crack on with, the death cert. and service records are great starters for ten
It's a unit Christmas Card given to soldiers to send home. He would have posted it sometime during December 1939, the card has BEF on the address, this is British Expeditionary Force which were the troops that deployed to France during 1939/40.
Hi I have been finding out about my family tree and I came across my Grandad's release papers he was apart of 104 Army Troops from 1942-1946 he was from Uttoxeter and his name was Leslie Udale he had a best mate in the same troop named Darkie apparently cause he had darker skin then himself and moustache. I was hoping , drawing at straws if anybody knew of them or could give any information about anything. On the front of the book it as N8M. DU. zone written in red not sure what that means. It has lots of stamps on it from York to Manchester and Brighton for great coats His Rank was a Sapper Number 14340646. My dad recalls his dad telling him that he help build Wilhelmina Canal Bridge. this is all i know. This is all very new to me so thanks in advance for any help Clare :0)
Hi and welcome to the forum Clare, good luck with your research. Hope someone will be along soon to help. David PS do you or anyone in the family have his records?
Here is a link to obtain his records they cost £30 but are really worth it the info you can get once you have them is fantastic https://www.gov.uk/requests-for-personal-data-and-service-records Good luck David
Can confirm that 104 Army Troops Company RE recorded as at 22 Jan 46 were Garrison Headquarters Troops admin 1st Corps District and were stationed at the Boehme Factory, Lübbecke Strasse 20, Minden until 19 Jun 46
My Dad was a Sapper in 104 troop Royal Engineers, he joined up in 1943 at the age of 17, will do,what I can to find out from him as much as I can, I do know that he went over to Normandy on 17th June and was involved in the fighting going on around Caen, after this he went on through Belguim and Holland before ending up in Berlin. Dad is just coming up to his 92nd birthday but still has a good memory..