Record of Death - 1946

Discussion in 'Searching for Someone & Military Genealogy' started by dario2739, Mar 8, 2017.

  1. dario2739

    dario2739 Junior Member

    Hi guys – just need a bit of guidance really, my Grandad was in the RASC during WW2, serving in Italy (that I know of) – he must have stayed on after the war, and died in Italy 1946.
    I know that he's buried in Assisi War Cemetery – I know what plot he's in and even have a photo of the gravestone... my Mum (his daughter) was only small when he died and doesn't remember that much about him, and doesn't know how he actually died - story she was told was that he was in a truck that went off a mountain road.
    So, my question is - can I find out what happened to him... will records show what happened if I send off for his service record?

    thanks,
    Darren
     
  2. CL1

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

    Hello
    if you can post his name and date of death (also headstone) im sure forum members will assist further
    service records the way to go for more info
    Get a copy of military service records - GOV.UK

    Also there may be info in the war diaries re casualties
    a couple of forum members offer a copying service at reasonable rates.


    regards
    Clive
     
  3. Tullybrone

    Tullybrone Senior Member

    Hi,

    There was likely a Court of Enquiry after the accident which will be in his file but I doubt MOD will release those papers. They will likely rely on Freedom
    Of Information Act. They don't release medical papers either - unless in exceptional circumstances.

    Having said the above I would specifically ask for the release of the Court of Enquiry papers and see what MOD say.

    I've seen Canadian Service files for soldiers who were killed accidentally - despatch riders killed in traffic accidents etc - which contain the Court of Enquiry papers. In the case of deaths in UK Coroners Court papers are often in the files.

    Good Luck

    Steve Y
     
  4. CL1

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

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  5. Tony56

    Tony56 Member Patron

    I like CL's post as this is the only RASC buried Assisi in 1946, the GRO Register of Army War Deaths gives his name as Jack. I do know that some regimental war diaries contain reports/results of courts of enquiries including those where death has occurred, so that may be a route.
     
  6. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    If that is him then there are 3 family trees on Ancestry (seems they have a transcription error)

    Jack Faulds
    Birth: Mar 1917 - Lancashire, England
    Death: 29 Aug 1946 - Italy
    Marriage: 10 Feb 1940 - Openshaw, Lancashire, England

    Unfortunately none of them have pushed on to find any details about his death

    TD
     
  7. dario2739

    dario2739 Junior Member

    Hi CL1 - apologies for such a long time in replying... yes this is him - I stopped doing my Family Tree a while back, and Covid put paid to it for the past few years, however due to a few things happening personally, I would now like to find out what happened to my Grandad.
     
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  8. dario2739

    dario2739 Junior Member

    Hi - yes, this will be my Grandad... I know two of the trees (me and my Auntie) but not sure who the third would be... He died in September too...

    My main question is how do you go about finding out how he died? Thanks
     
  9. 4jonboy

    4jonboy Daughter of a 56 Recce

    Blimey- has it taken you four and a half years to reply to members who took the trouble to help you?
     
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  10. ritsonvaljos

    ritsonvaljos Senior Member

    Have you obtained the service record yet? I reckon it would have the information regarding the accident that led to your Granddad's death. A brief report on what happened might have been in the local newspaper for his home area. If you can find a library or archives that has copies of these it might fill out a little more information.
     
  11. dario2739

    dario2739 Junior Member

    Thanks - not yet got the service records, but had thought about the newspaper... i've been trying to look online - he lived in Manchester but was born in Barrow-in-Furness (his name is on the memorial there), so could feasibly be in either newspaper.
     
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  12. ritsonvaljos

    ritsonvaljos Senior Member

    It could be worth phoning the Cumbria County archives/local history centre (Barrow office) and ask if they can do a quick look up in the local newspaper for early/mid October 1946 to see if there was an article about the accident? Sometimes these local newspapers would report a military death like that even if the person concerned had left the area some years earlier.
     
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  13. dario2739

    dario2739 Junior Member

    Thanks - i'll give that a try... is the Forces War Records website worth subscribing to do you know?
     
  14. 4jonboy

    4jonboy Daughter of a 56 Recce

  15. dario2739

    dario2739 Junior Member

  16. Wobbler

    Wobbler Well-Known Member

    You guess right ;)
     
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  17. 4jonboy

    4jonboy Daughter of a 56 Recce

    I quoted the link to the other thread as it is important for any members who haven't seen it what FWR are really like and try to make sure new members know about them .

    You should take the advice originally given to you to apply for the service records from the MOD as you will not get them anywhere else at the moment:).
     
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  18. ritsonvaljos

    ritsonvaljos Senior Member

    Definitely don't waste time and money on FWR. It was a few years back now but some of their 'researchers' were attempting to use this site to 'research' service details that subscribers to FWR were paying for. If I remember right the said 'researcher' was banned off the site.
    For a close relative who served in the British Armed Forces the service record from the MOD can be really useful. It usually stops any guessing about what they did and may have done and where and when they served. Member of this site are generally happy to help each other out such as interpreting the shorthand used in service records when somebody is stuck with that.
     
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  19. dario2739

    dario2739 Junior Member

    Thanks everyone for the help and advice :D
     
  20. vitellino

    vitellino Senior Member

    Please contact the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and ask them what they have on your grandfather.
    They should tell you where he was brought into Assisi from and may have other details.

    This is the second time in two days that I have given this advice- perhaps I shoudl start a new thread.
     
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