Genealogy Chat

hi karen i think you should be able to get all the info you need as you say your step mother has re married and you dont have any more contact , if i was you i wouldnt even mention her that is what i would do . let us all know what you do this is a good one regards Ang

thank you all i shall probably go with the majority and send for them

You don't have to be a blood relative to be next of kin. A wife is next of kin to a husband and vice versa, but they are not blood related.

i would say you are his next of kin, you are a blood relative, when he remarried his 2nd wife would not be a blood relative. go and get those records! they are yours! Chris.

I may be wrong, but I would say that his widow ceased being his next of kin once she remarried. Surely now the next of kin would be his child, if your mother is not alive. Regards, Alison

You are your father's closest blood relative, I think? I'm not sure that 'next of kin' has a legal definition, therefore you have a strong case for claiming. Good luck. Gwyn

thanks gwyn that just how i feel

thank you all for your replies i may just apply for them and see what happens

Hi I also ordered my grandfathers service records, i got my permission from my aunt (His daughter) .She was not his next of kin as she has an elder sister. I contacted them they said it was ok. Mind you i applied for the service records in May so there is quite a bit of a wait. I recently phoned them and they said they had such a back log. Best Wishes Karen

Karen. Go with Heather - your Mum, his spouse, is deceased isn't she. Keith

Well, I guess I shouldnt say this but I do know some people have stated they are next to kin and not been asked for further proof. Say for example, you didnt know that his wife was still alive ...................... With my fathers RAF records I had to say I was next of kin and they asked when my mum died on the form - well, if your mum is deceased you could genuinely give that information, couldnt you. Act a bit dopey, eh?!

When I sent for my grandad's, the request form comes with a checklist somethink like this: Spouse Child Grandchild Nephew/Neice and you have to tick the first person in the list that is still alive. In my case, it was my mum (child). She signed the form but I don;t know how they checked that she really was his daughter. Sam x

sorry forgot to add last bit dont think she would give her permission

thanks for your replies i can get the records if i pay £30 its not the money i will willingly pay for the info but am a bit peeved because i have to ask her permission i have always got on with her but since she remarried she has cut herself off

i would like to send for my fathers army service records from the war pensions agency but i have to have his next of kins permission .What i would like to know is - if my fathers widow (who is not my mother) has remarried and has nothing more to do with my fathers family would she still be his next of kin . i am his eldest child and dont really have a lot to do with her now and i dont think she wuold give her permission

I seem to recall that someone posted on here to say that she had been allowed to access the record in her own right as the daughter, even though her mother was still alive, but my memory's a bit hazy