Genealogy Chat

I'm trying to find records of my Granfathers medals - I know he had some as my Grandmother threw them in the dustbin after he died! He was always known as Bert although his birth cert shows Bertie so I am assuming that would be the name on the records. I have found two Bertie Haylocks but don't know which is correct. I was always told he was in the Cavalry and I have a photo with him in uniform with a horse - the records show one as Private in Army Cyclist Corp and the other as a Gunner in Royal Field Artillery. I'm assuming if he was a cyclist he wouldn't have a horse but would a gunner? Maggie

I think you "lied" about the sun.

Yes well - it was sunny when I made up the name - today it's tipping it down. Made worse by my daughter ringing from Abu Dhabi to say how hot it was!

hi maggie , yes as a gunner he would certainly have been involved with horses, in the great war the combatants were mainly horse powered with teams of horses pulling the guns sean

If you have photographs, do they show anything useful, like hat badges, arm stripes etc? Take a magnifying glass to anything that loks promising. Books have been written on identifying soldiers from photos and there have got to be a few experts on this site. Brenda

Regarding your G-Father's service in WW1, some cavalry regiments converted to cycles due I believe to the shortage of horses during the war,a great number were killed in action and because of the casualties to front line infantry they were made into cycle corps in order to give them some mobility. They all usually ended up in the trenches. I am looking for my own g-pa's service record but as two thirds of them were destroyed in WW2 there's not much chance anyway good luck with your search....... Len C

Have a look on the forum at www.1914-1918.net/

Would he have been called Albert?

Or Herbert, or Cuthbert, or Robert, or Wilbert or Delbert or Hubert or Gilbert or...

Maggie, The National Archives online has a searchable database for the WW1 medal roll, so you should be able to find him on there, together with his medal entitlement. Ian

Thanks to all who replied I think I'm going to go for the records of Gunner Bertie. He definetly was Bertie, although I didn't know this until I got his Birth Cert - was always known as Bert. Maggie