Scottish Research

This archive is nothing near as good as the 1939 ID Register for England & Wales available at Find My Past, but it's the closest archive available to 1939 for Scotland if you are trying to trace someone.

News: Valuation Rolls for 1935 Go Online

 

My researching over the years have seen me use a great number of websites. I thought I would add a few links etc to help others who are researching their Scottish soldiers/family.

To find Birth, Marriage & Death details use Scotlandspeople website. It also contains Census returns up to 1911, Property Valuation Rolls 1855-1935, Church Records and Wills up to 1926 and also Military Will collections for both WW1 & WW2 Advanced Search It's a pay to view website, but the index is now free.

National Records of Scotland is also worth checking. NAS Catalogue - simple search screen

The Scottish Military Research Group http://www.scottishmilitaryresearch.co.uk/ They also have a Facebook page.

Scottish National War Memorial lists the fallen Scottish National War Memorial

If you are completely stuck, you can find some very friendly help via the Rootschat Scotland page Scotland : Page 1 RootsChat.Com

Newspaper archives can be found (same collection on both these sites, Findmypast & British Newspaper Archives) Home | Search the archive | British Newspaper Archive https://search.findmypast.co.uk/search/british-newspapers I prefer the FMP collection because you can access your records after your subscription runs out. Attached is a list of the current newspapers available for the years 1939-1946.

How to order an entry from the Scottish 1939 Identification Register. Unlike the 1939 Register available via FMP for England & Wales, you will only get information on an individual, the entire household will not be provided. Last time I applied it was £15 for the search, but only £5 will be charged if they are unable to find the person you are looking for https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/stati...register-and-how-to-order-an-official-extract You will also need to provide the persons Date of Birth & Date of Death, if the death took place in Scotland. If the individual died outwith Scotland, the Death Certificate will have to be provided with your request.

 

Electoral Registers available via Ancestry:-

Edinburgh 1832-1966
Fife 1914-1966
Glasgow 1857-1962
Perth 1832-1961

The Glasgow Necropolis burial register is in the process of being transcribed
news — Friends of Glasgow Necropolis

 

An interesting collection for those with injured WW1 relatives has gone on line for the Erskine Hospital (formerly the Princess Louise Hospital for Limbless Soldiers & Sailors).

Contains all sorts of info, admissions, injury details etc spanning 1916 to 1936. Free to search.

Thousands of historical records for Erskine Hospital now available online.

 

Asylum registers have gone online 1858-1915. Images from the register cost £3. Pain in the derrière scrolling through the names using a phone.

Will be worth keeping an eye on archive in years to come for the remaining WW1 years and eventually WW2 admissions.

Scottish Asylum Patients

What the records include:

• Admission Number: unique to an individual carried through from the first to subsequent admissions and other records in the MC Series held by the National Records of Scotland.
• Name - this may include alternative names, so married and maiden surnames for married women, aliases
• Private/Pauper - whether the patient's stay in the asylum is being paid for privately or by a parochial board
• Date of admission
• Asylum - the name of the asylum to which the patient is admitted
• Date of discharge
• Type of discharge (Recovered, Relieved, Not improved, Incurable)
• To whom discharged - not always included, sometimes can be just a place, or a relationship (e.g. "to son")
• Date of death if died in an asylum
• Comments - sometimes about type of admission, whether a criminal, subsequent re-admission

 

Poor law records for the Paisley area available here 1839-1942.
Poor Law Records

You download the PDF file and contact them with the reference number to obtain copies if you find somebody.

Saw WW1 soldiers in the PDF. I'm sure some WW2 treatment would have happened here prior to the NHS being established.

 

National Libraries of Scotland have put a whole host of archives on line. I've just started looking through it but these British Army Lists have caught my eye
https://archive.org/details/nlsarmylist
Main catalogue
National Library of Scotland : Free Texts : Free Download, Borrow and Streaming : Internet Archive

 

Ancestry have released Aberdeenshire Electoral Registers 1835 to 1976. Apologizes if the link doesn't work
Aberdeenshire, Scotland, Electoral Registers, 1832-1976

 

Nice one! I have a strong Aberdeenshire family connection so this should be useful.

 

I was wondering if anyone has a listing, or would know where to get one, of the Scottish regiments who served in India and Burma during WW2. My wife wants to find out more about her father who served there, he was born and lived in Edinburgh, so I'm assuming it was a Scottish regiment, Royal Scots maybe? All she has is his name and birth date so if I can find out the regiments who served there I might be able to narrow it down from there.

Also, can anyone give any tips on finding someone with name and birthdate only, FindMyPast didn't produce a hit for Ronald Cunningham DOB 7th March 1921 who's believed to have discharged with the rank of Corporal, there is one on there for King's Own Scottish Borderers, but it's not him.

 

Hi

Try MOD - https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-defence , scroll down to Medals enquiries and email them with the details you have and you just want to find out what medals he was entitled to/issued. They should fill in service number and regiment, then you could apply here - Requests for personal data and service records: a detailed guide for his service records.
after getting them you can then look for war diaries, and there are people on this site who can get copies of them for a reasonable fee.

You wont find much else online, unless they died or were awarded a gallantry award or were a POW.
regards

Robert

 

Beauty, thanks for that, didn't think of that angle, I'll attach a copy of his birth certificate along with the other known details and see how we go, as far as I know his medals haven't been claimed either. He died in 1965 so should be able to get full data and service records once we get his service number.

 

you dont require his service number just date of birth and death cert
dont assume its a Scottish Regiment.
just apply here Get a copy of military service records

 

Oh OK, wasn't aware of that. It's just that on the form there's big emphasis on the service number being mandatory and that "If you are unable to complete all the mandatory fields, your application cannot proceed".

https://assets.publishing.service.g...service_details_army_application_part2_1_.pdf

 

it says
* SERVICE NUMBER AND/OR DATE OF BIRTH MUST BE INCLUDED

 

Duh, thanks for that.

 

Having another look it seems to be a typical government form, one part tells you something is mandatory, another part then tells you and/or, haha. Looks like I'll have a happy wife.

 

Keep us updated and start a new thread if you like once you get the service records through.
Forum members will then be able to add more info

regards
Clive

 

Here is a video I did when researching a local CWGC headstone in Aberdeen and some of the sources I used to get the info.



What would you recommend as the best all rounder for military records?

I used Forces War Records for a while but wasn't too impressed.

 

You will not find any WW2 service records on the internet so dont be sucked in spending money.

The only route is this official link Get a copy of military service records
£30 plus cost of death certificate.
If you want further info start a thread here Searching for Someone & Military Genealogy the casualty or person you are seeking info on.Forum members will assist where they can.