Genealogy Chat

I have just downloaded what i think is my Grandfathers medal card - I thought I would get an address of his family or something more than just his name on the card. how can i be sure I have even got the right man? Supposing I am right, I wonder how the information may help me find out more about his army career. I know he and his family went to what was then Ceylon for a time and then came home and lived in york castle. I would like to find out more- can anyone help please? Alice

Alice Medal cards often don't give much info. My grandfather's one just states that he was in the Royal Engineers and that he got the 1914 Star. I have other documents including a form which says he was 'very good' which he got when demobbed. But you would need to look at his military records for more info. See this website; www.army.mod.uk/contacts/divisions/records.htm As to how you know its him - well I knew I had my grandfather as he was the only ANGUS Williams in the index. But his elder brother Charles - well there is about a quarter of a drawer full of Charles Williams at Kew and without knowing which regiment he was in, I thought it was a lost cause. nell

Thank you Nell He was raised in kent and according to the card he was in the West kent regiment, so I am guessing. he is the only Ernest E Allison there - so i think i have probably got the right man. i know he was still in the Army in the 1930's do i have to get special permission to view his service record?

Hi Alice and Nell I found a photo of my great Grandfather in Army uniform. I managed to work out that he was in the Medical Corps. I found 4 medal cards for Joseph Bradys in the Medical Corps and downloaded them and like Alice I am now a bit stuck. I read somewhere that the address the medals were sent to was on the reverse of the medal cards which you can't actually see. If I had been able to see the address I would probably have been able to work out which was my Joseph. Jeanette x

Quite often you can get more info from the CWGC site than you do from a medal card. I only knew my grandfather's name because i have his WWI medals - and i was told that he died during the war. And that's all i knew about him! Thanks to CWGC - i got his parents names and town and his wife's address. So i was a tad disappointed when i downloaded his medal card. Still - i could always sell the others that came with it i guess? lol

Hi susan Fortunately my gt Grandfather survived the war so he won't appear on the CWGC site. I wouldn't have even known he had served unless I had found the photo. Jeanette x

Alice. What you need is his SERVICE RECOED.if you know his dob and service number this is great help. Kay

Alice The Queens Own Royal West Kent Regiment served in Ceylon in 1902, this could have been this Regiment. If you follow the link I will post, about half way down there is the 2nd Battalion click on that and it shows there deployment. www(.)regiments(.)org/regiments/uk/inf/050QORWK(.)htm Remove () Keith

Thank you all for your help with this. I have looked at the QRWK Regiment and i am pretty sure i have found him on the medals list. However he went to Ceylon I think in the 1920's as my father who was born in 1814 was a young boy. i obviously need to do more research, which will be easier now I have his number. Alice