Last chance saloon...

Discussion in 'Service Records' started by popeye1975, Jun 22, 2017.

  1. popeye1975

    popeye1975 Junior Member

    Fresh out of beer. I contacted the Information Commissioners Office regarding having spent a year or more trying to get an insight as to how much the TNT records office at Swadlincote knew about the service Naval service record of my late father, Lewis George Hale, JX/165696. A few days ago I had a very brief phone conversation with a very nice lady who assured me that TNT had done all they were obliged to do and had followed procedures correctly. She also went on to explain that the ICO did not have the power to search for information, and that my best course of action would be to take up the matter with my local MP. Right... Because they haven't got much else on their minds right now. That really was my Hail Mary pass and now my research is stone dead.
     
  2. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

    take up with your local MP as suggested
     
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  3. Hugh MacLean

    Hugh MacLean Senior Member

    Don't give up, do take it to your MP - let's see if they really do work for you. When undertaking research leave no stone unturned. If it is any consolation while researching my own father's MN service it took me 10 years to sort out a particular issue but I got there in the end. Best of luck and please keep us informed of any leads you get and we will see if we can help.

    Regards
    Hugh
     
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  4. popeye1975

    popeye1975 Junior Member

    I remember being told that rather than accepting just an excerpt from dad's P & V ledger I should contact TNT Records and ask for the whole thing as it could well reveal ship names. I phoned them up this week and explained the whole thing...the guy I spoke to said he would look into my case and get back to me, particularly about the mysterious 'Shrapnel, RN Unit Hendon.' He agreed that despite the secretive nature of anything on the run-up to D-Day, somebody somewhere must surely have made a record of this infernal place and what it did. To be fair he was slightly different in tone to the lady I spoke to before, who seemed to be saying 'oh, dear, that's a shame but that's just how it is.' He took my phone number and said he would get back to me. It's been several days now and no reply...could be bad news in that he has put it on a back burner or good news in that he is giving it a real crack. Time will tell
     
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  5. popeye1975

    popeye1975 Junior Member

    Spoke to the chap today (his name is Clive) and he seemed quite knowledgeable. Apparently there are several entries Under RN Unit Hendon which is encouraging. With regard to the whole P&V ledger, it has never all been digitalised as it is quite a large document and scanning is a major job. He did, however, say he would send me some details about Hendon. It appears it was indeed a training base with about seventy ratings, only five of whom were Senior Rates. It is almost certain that the base was set up to prepare for the Normandy Landings
     
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  6. Chris C

    Chris C Canadian

    It's great that you seem to have made contact with someone motivated to help you! :)
     
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  7. popeye1975

    popeye1975 Junior Member

    Having looked at the full page of the ledger for 1944 it appears that the whole time that my dad was being paid by Hendon, he was also being trained sporadically at Shrapnel units at Letchworth and Leeds. There is also mention of RTE Gareloch. Any clues?
     
    Last edited: Dec 27, 2017

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