Genealogy Chat

Could someone remind me of the procedure to obtain army records of someone who left the army in 1961. With thanks Jan Walker

Janice Army Personnel Records Enquiries about information from Army personnel records should be made to the appropriate address below: Officers or Soldiers whose regular or reserve service ended before 1921* The National Archives Ruskin Avenue Kew Richmond Surrey TW9 4DU Telephone 0208876 3444 www.nationalarchives.gov.uk [email protected] Officers or Soldiers whose regular or reserve service ended between 1921 and 1997 Army Personnel Centre HQ Secretariat Historical Disclosures Mail Point 400 Kentigern House 65 Brown Street Glasgow G2 8EX I put in both addresses as it might help someone else, and I wasn't sure if you meant 1961 or 1861. Nell

Nell, thanks for adding those contact details - they will hopefully help me as well! I've recently obtained my grandfather's wedding certificate and his occupation is listed as soldier (in 1919). None of my aunts or uncles had any idea that their father had served in the forces, my mother was also unaware but her father died when she was only 8 months old. From the little bit of reading I have done it appears that you need to know the regiment of the soldier to have much of a chance of finding any military records. Is this the case and if so are there any other sources for finding out this information when relatives can't help?

Yes You need to know the regiment and hopefully the regimental number, unless your ancestor was an officer. How to find this out? Does it give any clues on his death cert? Medal rolls on The National Archives site (I think they are up to F alphabetically) will say which medals they got. My grandfather's medals have his number on them. Also, any family letters may have his number on. I have recently found my grandfather's discharge paper which has it. Thre must be other ways too, hopefully someone else can add to this thread. Nell

Death certificate doesn't say anything but he did die 20 years later in a pretty horrible accident. There was a coroners inquest that I haven't looked into yet, maybe that will turn up something. I have looked on the national archives website and there are a fair few Charles Holdstocks but no Charles Baden Holdstock (his full name). I think he is unlikely to have been anything other than a private during his miliary career. Did recruits automatically join the regiment associated with their county of recruitment i.e. east yorkshire?

Hi there, This may be of help to you. In 1918/19, there was a general election and so to enable the government to get as many votes as they could they brought out an Absentee Voters List. which was a list of men that were still in the forces at that time. They were allowed to vote in their home constituency. These lists still exist and include there home addresses and in some cases their forces number and also their next of kin. If you have an address where they were living at that time, then try their nearest local history library. Mary

Nell- thanks for the address in Glasgow - I'll send my little package of things off tomorrow. I think it costs £25 Jan

Hi Janice, rather than send £25 immediately, just make an enquiry first regarding the subject and ask what else is necessary. My father had a dfferent surname to me, plus I had no idea of his Army number. I had a quick response and two months later I had copies of his docs. Hope I have caught you before posting., regards, Derek in France