Help to research my Grandad at Dunkirk (Possibly Irish Fusiliers)

Discussion in '1940' started by Raradir, Mar 7, 2018.

  1. Raradir

    Raradir Member

    Hello everyone, been browsing the forums, and I thought I may as well make an account to get some help. So this is a very tricky one for me, being only 27 I never actually met my grandad but I have heard snippits here and there about him. So here is the tricky bit, I'm wanting to put together a sort of book about him and his military career, with bits of history about campaigns he was in and stock photos of the battles etc. I'm wanting to create these for my mother and her sibling for Christmas, and since its a present, I can't really go asking them in depth details about his military career, as it would spoil the surprise, and even though he told the stories as kids, they never thought to write them down, so mostly has been forgotten. So you can see my dilemma here when trying to research.

    What I do know is he was injured at Dunkirk, shot in the leg and stretchered off, and he had something to do with an Irish regiment, he wasn't Irish but with have Irish ancestry.

    So his name was Andrew Doran, and when I searched the 'British Army Casualty Lists 1939-1945' it only came back with 6 results, with one being possibly hopeful.....

    Name: A G Doran
    Service No: 3773849
    Year: 1940
    Rank: Fusilier
    Regiment: Royal Irish Fusiliers

    So that is a starting point, I think at some point he was also connected with REME, I'm going to go search through some photos soon, as I think we only have one photo of him during the war and he is in uniform, so going to try and pick out the insinia etc

    Also worht mentioning, from hearing about him, apparently he was mention in a book, and that he might have been mentioned in dispatches. Apparently when he told his war time stories to my mother when she was little, it was quite amazing and could have been published, so I'm curious to try and find this out.

    Sorry about the long post, any help would be great, as you can imagine, I'm starting with basically a name.

    Thanks
    Raradir
     
  2. bamboo43

    bamboo43 Very Senior Member

    Hi,
    Hopefully, other forum members will have more input for you, but the Army service number of the soldier mentioned (3773849) was allocated to the King's Liverpool Regiment during WW2. So it could be that this man began his Army service with this unit.
     
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  3. Raradir

    Raradir Member

    Hmmm this very very interesting as our family has strong links with Liverpool, and a few of our family still live there.
     
  4. Tony56

    Tony56 Member Patron

    Only one place to start and that is his service records, otherwise you (we) may spend a lot of time searching someone else's grandfather!

    Get a copy of military service records - GOV.UK

    You give his name as Andrew, did he have a middle name with the initial G? If you can post his full name, date of birth, death, locations etc it may help, but service records are the only real place to start.
     
  5. Incredibledisc

    Incredibledisc Well-Known Member

    Seconded on the service records. Those will give you units and dates and possibly notes on medals awarded, mentions in dispatches etc.

    Unit names and dates will take you unit diaries which (if still in existence) can give you a good indication of what he was up to at various points. There are a couple of forum members who go to Kew regularly and may either have copies or can get you them.

    There’s also a chance someone may have written books about the Regiment/unit he was in that will have more info.

    Don’t forget to check Newspaper Archives for his name and unit. I managed to get a good photo of my great grandad that way and a little article about him returning from a POW camp.

    Hope some of that is useful. Good luck.
     
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  6. Raradir

    Raradir Member

    Thats probably going to have to be the case. Been digging through old photos and I have found that he became part of REME and was a Sergent in Malta in 1959. I have also found his REME diary from 1957 which includes his number and rank, which is.....
    22968318 WOII
     
  7. Guy Hudson

    Guy Hudson Looker-upper

    I have also found his REME diary from 1957 which includes his number and rank, which is.....
    22968318 WOII


    That is a Post-war service number, he must have re-enlisted. All the answers will be be revealed in his service records.
    Good luck with your research.
     
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  8. Raradir

    Raradir Member

    Ah right, need to try and find his service number from the war then
     
  9. 4jonboy

    4jonboy Daughter of a 56 Recce

    You don't need his service number to apply for his records but you do need his FULL date of birth. They can usually find records from this. (They found my father's army records just from his DOB).

    Lesley
     
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  10. Raradir

    Raradir Member

    Oh right, thanks for that, I'll save up the £30 and give it a shot. Where do they stand on grandchildren applying, as I know it has to be next of kin or spouses etc

    Thanks
    Raradir
     
  11. Tony56

    Tony56 Member Patron

    The FMP records show that 3773849 Doran was a POW, this gives his name as Albert George.
    Faugh a Ballagh 1943
     
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  12. 4jonboy

    4jonboy Daughter of a 56 Recce

    Just apply as next of kin, it's never a problem
     
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  13. Raradir

    Raradir Member

    Well thats defiently not him then.

    Fantastic, luckily my friend is a whizz in the archives and she has got his date of birth and location etc, she even managed to scout my family back to the 1700s at the same time. Will attempt the £30 fee and see what happens, I'll keep everyone on here updated if people are interested.

    Thanks again
    Raradir
     
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  14. bamboo43

    bamboo43 Very Senior Member

    Absolutely right, use his full name, birth details and perhaps mention the service number you have subsequently found regarding his REME service. Good luck going forward.
     
  15. Raradir

    Raradir Member

    Thanks, yea good idea about using his REME number. I've got a photograph of him from the 1940s but you can't make out any insignia, all it said on the back was....

    1940
    Andrew Doran
    Harbottle Castle
    Rothbury
    Northumberland
    With Hertfordshire Regt
     
  16. Guy Hudson

    Guy Hudson Looker-upper

    1st and 2nd Battalion Hertfordshire Regiment were both part of the 162nd Infantry Brigade, 54th (East Anglian) Infantry Division. They were responsible for defending the Northumberland Coast in 1940.

    Screen Shot 2018-03-07 at 22.11.37.png
     
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  17. Raradir

    Raradir Member

    Ah intresting, wonder if in 1940 he trained with them then.
     
  18. Raradir

    Raradir Member

    Hi all, me again, looking at the forms I have to fill out to get service records. What happens if I don't have a death certificate, as it states "Unless the individual died in Service, you are required to provide a copy of a death certificate as proof of death before a request can be accepted". Also it says "administration fee of £30 per record", will I have to pay £60 since I'm filling out 2 forms, the 'Not the immediate next of kin form' and the 'British Army Form'?

    Thanks
    Raradir
     
  19. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    If he's your Grandad sign the form as the next of kin and you only pay £30
     
  20. Scott1975

    Scott1975 Active Member

    I sent for my g'dads papers on dec 26th and got them on jan 26th,was well worth it as said by those above.
    There's some good people here that will help when you get them.
     
    Incredibledisc likes this.

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