6980891 Ralph FAULKNER, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers - pls help with service records

Hi, I was wondering if anyone could help me with tracing my grandfather Ralph Faulkner's records or any photographs. He was a fusilier with the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers during WW2. All I know is that he was in 1st Training Centre, Omagh in July 1940. Relatives have said that he served in Burma. I know he was transferred n 8th March 1946 to the army reserves. His army number was 6980891. I am not sure where to start with my search. I am particularly interested in tracing his movements during the months of October, November and December 1945.

 

There is really only one place to start and that is to obtain his official service records, these are only available here:
Get a copy of military service records: Apply for the records of someone who's deceased - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

There is, as you have no doubt read on this forum, a long wait at present, but they will provide the basis for further research via war diaries and regimental histories etc.

 

Yes, I have just completed the forms. If I am his granddaughter can I apply as his next of kin or do I need to get his living daughter to sign the form instead of me, do you know?

 

I can add, based on his service number, that he is not mentioned in any casualty list that give details of those wounded, missing, POW or KIA.

 

My reason for this is to try and establish whether Ralph is my dad's father. He was supposed to be but since my own dad died in 2019 we have discovered that he didn't have Ralph's name on his birth certificate. Members of the family aren't sure whether he was or not. So if I could find out if he was here during those 3 months in 1945 then I could say with a lot of certainty that he was the father. If that makes sense.

 

Thank you. He did survive the war and died in 1975. I hadn't heard that he was a POW either. I just know from stories that he was in Burma but I personally don't know.

 

I see. His service records should indeed tell you where he was at the relevant time although that would not, in itself, mean he was your grandfather.

I am wondering if anything else can help. You obviously have your father's birth certificate and I presume his father was left blank? What about your dad's marriage certificate, that should have his father's name, if you haven't seen it, certainly easier and quicker to get and may, at the very least be interesting.

 

My own father served as a WO2 in the Royal Engineers and at the time he enlisted in the army, Ralph's name was down as father. In his record there is a letter from the army asking for details about the father and a step father. They needed this information in order for my father to pass security clearance in the 1960s. The record was changed from father to Stepfather with Father noted as deceased. That's quite curious we find especially as my dad thought that Ralph was his dad. His sister claimed that his father was a man called Charlie Tonge from Manchester that granny had a relationship with at the end of the war. We don't know what to believe.

 

Just checked the marriage certificate and Ralph is noted as the father on the marriage certificate in 1967 but not on the birth certificate in 1946

 

If your father's official documents such as birth and marriage certificates don't help, then I am not sure what to suggest, the army service record for Ralph could certainly discount him but whether it would confirm him as the father is another matter.

Interesting about your father's security clearance and the mention of a father or step father, there was obviously a question at that time, presumably a shock to your dad if he didn't have any knowledge? How was the security clearance resolved, presumably the MOD received an answer. You say that you have your dad's records, are they the official ones?

 

I have the official records. It doesn't really say anything about it being resolved. The only indication is that someone has handwritten the changes on the documents - father stroked out and deceased written, then the word stepfather handwritten instead.

 

Hi I have received the war records of my grandfather and I am a bit confused about the contents of it. Would someone be able to assist me deciphering it please? On the 3rd page there is an entry stating: posted Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers - Infantry Training Centre, Omagh in 11.1.1940. Then there are no further entries after that on any of the other pages. I have a form B200B which has the following entries: Relegated to Class W(T) Reserve from 18 Nov 45 to 16 Dec 45 Authy: Div/V/Releases/3539 DT 8 Nove 45. Another entry: Rejoined from class W9T) Res (then mentions his home address) and the last entry is dated 6.3.46 which maybe refers to leave its hard to tell. Last entry on the form is his discharge stamp dated 10.11.50. Does this suggest that he had a role during the war at home in Ireland and didn't go to Burma. He does have a Burma star. On the Military History Sheet the record shows the attached detail. So not sure if he went to Burma or not? I would appreciate any help on this, thank you in advance.

 

Hi I am researching my granfather Ralph Faulkner (Ralph Morehead Faulkner). We received his war record and we think from the history page that he was in a POW camp in Burma (see attached). Could someone assist me with deciphering this please? I am not sure what it all means. As far as we can tell from the records he was in Burma from 8.5.42 to 16.6.45 (see attached). Thank you in advance.

 

Have you got his army service number? It will help with searching casualty lists

 

Slightly ambiguous wording. The way I read the entry is that he was serving at a British/Allied POW Camp (as a guard etc?). He was not himself a POW.

Tim

 

Also states he was posted to a different battalion in 1943

 

He doesn't', as far as I can see, appear in any casualty lists as missing or POW nor in any pow records, so wonder if Tim #3 is right. See also:
6980891 Ralph FAULKNER, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers - pls help with service records

6980891 Ralph FAULKNER, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers

 

Not the clearest record I've ever seen. From what I can gather he was posted to 1 Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers (1 Innisk), but the date of joining isn't clear. He seems to have remained with them, on and off, until 06/45 when he was repatriated to the UK.

If he was indeed with 1 Innisk he may, just possibly, have seen action in the disastrous 1943 Arakan campaign, after which the battalion spent the rest of the war in India. It is interesting that his Military History Sheet states 'Burma 08/05/42-11/06/45', when most of this period would have been spent in India.

An element of supposition here; so it'll be interesting to hear other interpretations.

 

Have you got his Service and Casualty Form, B103 that should give clearer details. To answer a previous question he is stated as being stationed 'Home' from 12.6.45 to 17.11.45.

No 5 POW camp 24.7.45, is it County Tyrone?
Every prisoner of war camp in the UK mapped and listed | News | theguardian.com

 

Hard to read, but it looks like he was posted to 1st Battalion, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers on 10th April 1943 and remained with them for some time, with some periods of sickness/injury on the 'X (II) List'.

Below is the page from 1 Innisk's war diary for the day he joined them - a few days earlier the Battalion narrowly escaped complete destruction on the Mayu Peninsula, though it suffered terrible losses. I would imagine he was posted to the Battalion as a replacement as it began to reform after its mauling in the Arakan.

Do you have other pages of his record? Seeing all of them together can help people piece together different pieces of information to get a fuller picture.