Grandfathers Wartime Army service records PART 1

[jacco maccaco]

My Mother and I have recently sent off for my Grandads' Army records.

£30.00 to the Family Army Records office in Glasgow (Non-Refundable if search is negative).

You need to send the following with the payment,

 

His Service number.

His De-Mob date.

Copy of the Death certificate (Costs £20.00)

Confirmation of next of Kin ( You or completed letter of authorisation, enclosed with application )

 

The last point might cause us problems as my Granddad remarried in controversial circumstances and my mum wouldn't

really entertain his new wife.

The Army Records office insist that widow comes before daughter, last time my mum visited his grave she wasn't in with him

so here's hoping she doesn’t find out ( She's about 96 now so it might not be an issue)

 

A few things I have found out about him are,

 

He was in the Royal Artillery.

He reached the rank of Sergeant Major.

Was in Norway near the end of the war but would never talk about what happened there ( He always joked about the official secrets act and he'd be taken away for treason if anyone found out ).

After the War he was stationed in Hong Kong.

 

Subsequent things my mother has disclosed are,

 

He was a Ladies man.

He was busted down to Sergeant whilst in Hong Kong

He was partial to oriental delicacies

 

All the above three points are linked !

 

I really hope they find his records, he was a real character.

I sort of lost touch with him after my parents divorce and I know he took that episode badly.

We got back in touch just before he died and there was so much I wanted to ask of him

Sadly I never got the chance as his death was quite sudden I suppose finding his records is my way of saying good bye

 

They ( The Army Records Office) have said it could take up to 4/5 months to trace the information

If anyone else is interested the address you need is

 

Army Personnel Centre

MS Support Division

Parliamentary and Disclosure Branch

Historical Disclosure Section

Mail Point 555

Kentigem House

65 Brown Street

Glasgow

G2 8EX

 

Any way If they find anything, and if anyone's interested I'll post again under PART 2

[Kopite]

I got my grandfathers. He served in the Liverpool Kings Regiment in WW1 (aged 14) and we believe fought in the hell commonly known as Paeschendaele.

[Flying Pig]

Both great stories. I wish i knew my dads records. He was in The Merchant Navy which is different but he had an interesting life that i'll never know about.

 

Although he did once import a live African Grey Parrot home!!!

[Guest PaddyBerger15]

My Granda was at Ypres.

[jacco maccaco]

Both great stories. I wish i knew my dads records. He was in The Merchant Navy which is different but he had an interesting life that i'll never know about.

 

Must be somewhere you can write too?

[Flying Pig]

My Granda was at Ypres.

 

I wish I did better at History in school. It seems more important as you get older.

[jacco maccaco]

I wish I did better at History in school. It seems more important as you get older.

 

Ypres Summary Page

[Stouffer]

I'd like to know more about my Great Grandad who I believe was killed in the Die Schlacht an der Somme.

[Guest PaddyBerger15]

My Granda was invalided home in 1917 aged 18 from Ypres, lost a lung due to a mustard gas attack...was told not bother getting married as it wouldn't be fair on his wife as he wouldn't see many more years....he died in 1991 aged 92.

He used to tell me when I was a nipper when he was in his 80s that sometimes he would be shaving and a piece of shrapnel would surface having worked its way out through his skin all those years later. Its hard to imagine some of the things those lads saw and went through in WW1.

[Cosmos]

Sword, Arnhem.

[Gav]

I got my grandfathers. He served in the Liverpool Kings Regiment in WW1 (aged 14) and we believe fought in the hell commonly known as Paeschendaele.

 

fuckinhell- you don't know how lucky you are to be posting on a forum mate, Paeschendael was real hell

[Cosmos]

I recommend Pat Barkers triptych of Regeneration, The Eye in the Door and The Ghost Road for WW1 novels

[WaltonRed]

My grandad was a POW in Burma. Hated the Japs with a passion apparently.

[Kopite]

fuckinhell- you don't know how lucky you are to be posting on a forum mate, Paeschendael was real hell

 

I know. He died in 1979 (when I was 10) so I never had the chance to ask him. My mum has that regret too. He hated wasting food, which my mum believes stemmed from having such meagre rations.

 

Different age I know, but my mum believe he signed up at such a young age because he was a patriot (loved King & Country) also in the forces he'd get a pair of shoes and a regular meal.

[WaltonRed]

I might do this, I never met my grandad and it would be ace to find out some history about him.

[Sweeney287]

My dad dies a couple of years ago and he had all of his stuff from when he served in the Navy and all of his dads stuff too.

 

Very interested reading it was.

[WaltonRed]

Thinking on if my auntie got my nan and grandads medals so she must of gotten his war records aswell? This was about 4 years ago.

[Edward.]

My Grandad was in Belgium in WW2, when he came across a barn with 40 plus Germans raping a young girl, he went in with his pal with an unloaded rifle and captured the Germans. For this he was awarded The Croix de Guerre, of which he was very proud. Reading forgotten Voices at the moment detailing peoples experiences of WW1

[M_B]

My Grandad served with the Artillery during WW2 and was really unlucky. The Germans surrendered just the week after he was killed.

 

My other Grandad served as an Aide in Palestine and managed to avoid action. We still have a jewelled curved dagger in a bronzed sheath that was given to him as a gift.

[Tom R]

My Grandad and his 2 brothers joined the merchant navy for the trousers. True story.

[aws]

My Grandad and his 2 brothers joined the merchant navy for the trousers. True story.

 

Did they get a pair each?

[Tom R]

Did they get a pair each?

 

You would think so wouldn't you?

 

I've got it wrong though, it was actually my great grandfather and his brothers.

 

They also changed their name from Larson to Lawson, because they were Norwegian. They put on their best scouse accent and signed up.

[jacco maccaco]

Had an email from my mum today,

 

The Family Army records office have sent her reams of stuff.

Going to pop round this weekend and see whats what.

 

2 little snippets she let me have,

 

He was busted from Sergeant to Lance Corporal after returning for some leave for.............Posting a letter in the wrong post box (This I think is different to his Hong Kong escapades).

 

He was reviewed by his seniors to move up from Sergeant-Major to Captain, they all agreed he was more than capable and the recommendations were submitted..... ............and rejected as he had left school with no qualifications !

 

Hope there's more about him, and if its interesting enough I'll post again.

 

cheers

[melons]

Thats sweet, i have just started nosing around all this, i have it pretty easy. My great uncle has got this family tree thing up and running on Geni.com ace it is, i now know the relatives on my mothers side back 11 generations to 1663, impressive...on the other hand, you realise just how vast your family is.... and how insignificant you are.

 

My great grandfather on my nan's side, (her dad) was in the battle of the somme...my grandad was too young for WW2 but was in the desert rats...

[WaltonRed]

Right i want to do this, Jacco do you have the address of the family records place?