Military Chat

I have a website about Netley hospital. If you have a question, please ask: www.netley-military-cemetery.co.uk

Have a look at my website about Netley Hospital and it's cemetery: www.netley-military-cemetery.co.uk

Any questions, please ask.

Hi all, hoping someone can help me. How do I go about finding out where my uncle was stationed for his army national service? Info needed for a eulogy. Tia x

Does anyone have any tips on getting information on Home Guard Personnel or any documentation on Hornchurch Airfield?

Just purchased photo of my great uncles war grave, we always assumed he was only on the memorial, so glad to find his details on a gravestone , thanks to a quick read on these pages :-)

Update re members of the Canadian Expeditionary Force in WWI. Here are my top go to resources.
http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/military-heritage/first-world-war/personnel-records/Pages/search.aspx Over 600,000 records have been scanned and digitised. The database is complete.
http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/memorials/canadian-virtual-war-memorial . Every Canadian soldier who is listed by the CWGC is remembered. A lot of the entries have additional photos, newspaper clippings etc.
http://www.canadiangreatwarproject.com the original site is still worth looking at
https://cgwp.uvic.ca this is the update of the original site with a lot of search options and a direct link to the first two resources I have mentioned .
Once you have found a soldier/nurse and his/her records you may also found that there is a war diary available as well. https://cgwp.uvic.ca/diaries/index.php It will not often mention the individual by name but describes the units and hospitals activities.

Just a reminder that https://livesofthefirstworldwar.org is a great place to start to look for anybody who served in the military.
One of the contributors has just added this site as well, https://astreetnearyou.org be patient with it as it's proved very popular and is still under development.

Thank you for this very valuable information :-)

Any Help out there finding the war records for Charles William McCall joined The Buffs in Canterbury in 18.04.1940 his service No.6290739 L/cpl i herd he was a Battalion Boxer ?
Many thanks
From Troy King

I have just come across this webpage and thought it be of interest for people searching for Eckington, Worcestershire veterans:

http://www.eckington.info/warprofileswebsite/warprofiles.pdf

I will remove the post if you feel it is inappropriate.
:-)

OUT PENSIONERS

If you come across this expression, as I did regarding my direct ancestor, it is used to describe a Chelsea Pensioner who lives outside the walls of the Royal Chelsea Hospital, home of Chelsea Pensioners. He is still a Chelsea Pensioner and, as such, receives help.

The reason the expression OUT PENSIONERS came into being is because by the time the building was finished, the number of Chelsea Pensioners had increased beyond its capacity.

ROYAL NAVY Navy Command

Naval Records WW2

After I had already spoken to a gentleman who informed me that their records did not show all of the information regarding a sailor's service as that was handed to the departing sailor, I was told that it may not be worthwhile paying £30 for information they held that would, in all likelihood, reveal nothing much at all.

The gent did, however, send me the application forms for release of the information. The letter accompanying the forms contained the following.

From a letter sent to me (a sailor's daughter) in January 2012 from Navy Search whose contact address is in Swadlincote, Derbyshire.

Your enquiry is considered to be a request for information in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

The completed form needs to be accompanied by a death certificate and a cheque for £30 made payable to The MOD Accounting Officer. Do not send cash. We can't accept Canadian Postal Orders

This non-refundable fee covers the research into the information you seek although we are unable to guarantee that we will be able to find any data relating to the individual.

Please only enclose copies of death certificates etc as we do not accept responsibility for lost or damaged documents.

Please be aware that WWII documents were not produced in the same way as modern records due to a direct consequence of the conflict. They were not created or kept for research purposes, but for use by the government or law courts of the day. Consequently, you may find that the records you receive are not as full or as comprehensive as you expect.

If anyone still wants to go ahead you will need to check that the cost and the requirements are the same so the telephone number at the top of the letter is:

01283 227913

Email address:

[email protected]

Forms will be sent to you.

Newfoundland and Labrador Military resources WWI

Newfoundland was not part of confederation during WWI but has traditionally been part of Canadian remembrance.Just a note St John's is in Newfoundland and St John is in New Brunswick 
http://www.heritage.nf.ca/first-world-war/articles/commemorations-at-home.phphttp://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2013/exec/1105n01.htmsee also information at the Government of Canada site
.In addition to CWGC the Canadian Virtual War Memorial website is very useful.  http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/memorials/canadian-virtual-war-memorial The very best site for information about the Royal Newfoundland Regiment which served as part of the British Army is http://www.rnr.therooms.ca/part3_database.asp There is package of scanned records attached to every soldier listed in the database.The site also has a compete history of the regiment. http://nl.canadagenweb.org/dailynews_sailorssoldiers14_17.htmTranscription from local newspaper from 1914-1919 -note copyright http://archivalmoments.ca/tag/war/This site has a good connection to St Johns and will hopefully become even more useful . Worth looking at http://ngb.chebucto.org/recent.shtmland a memorial initiative at  http://operaontheavalon.com/801-women-3/ Census information.It's worth looking at a map because Newfoundland outside of the St Johns peninsula is essentially only settled around the coast . The same applies to Labrador. Unfortunately is is very hard to come by complete listings of actual residents.  For example : -   http://ngb.chebucto.org/COC/coc-nflders-a-b-can-census-1881.shtmlBorn in Newfoundland living in other parts of Canada.http://ngb.chebucto.org/census.shtml Assorted partial census information.Other websites essentially refer to the Chebucto site where volunteers have done some transcriptions I suggest just googling to see what comes up. Newfoundland and Labrador  

Here are the remaining WWI Canadian resources
General Canadian Genealogical Information
http://forebears.io/canada
I stumbled upon this site while helping a forum friend. There were one or two sources new to me and I could not see exactly who owned the site.

http://pastvoices.com/canada/
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~canmil/ww1/


Archive Groups

http://acitygoestowar.ca/
Site I just discovered and still under construction, among its feature a small searchable data base of CEF papers by occupation etc. Cities so far are Victoria, Saanich, Brantford * , Toronto ( no info so far)

*http://doingourbit.ca An excellent site about Brantford, Brant County and Six Nations.

"Remembrance of Things Past " ( under development)
Websites and places to aid in your search

Canada
http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/place-names/
http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/history/first-world-war/canada/Canada20
http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/memorials/national-inventory-canadian-memorials

Military Bases
Buildings and streets were named for the fallen and veterans but may have closed. Check out
http://www.forces.gc.ca/en/index.page
Canadian Armed Forces Installations across Canada etc.




Provincial Rembrance
Manitoba
http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/canada/manitoba/manitoba-first-world-war-soldiers-1.3403725
http://www.gov.mb.ca/conservation/lands_branch/geo_names/index.html
Saskatchewan
http://www.pcs.gov.sk.ca/geomemorial
British Columbia
https://news.gov.bc.ca/stories/first-world-war-events-commemorated-in-bc-place-names
Quebec
under development
Ontario
Historic Plaques
http://www.heritagetrust.on.ca/programs/commemoration/provincial-plaque-program.aspx
This is not run by the province
Place names
??
Prince Edward Island
under development
http://peihistoryguy.com/author/peihistoryguy/ - good blog and worth asking Isaac what he has
Newfoundland and Labrador ( now given its own file as Newfoundland wasn't part of confederation during WWI )
http://www.heritage.nf.ca/first-world-war/articles/commemorations-at-home.php
http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2013/exec/1105n01.htm
see also information at the Government of Canada site.




Other Resources
By Province
Newfoundland and Labrador
http://ngb.chebucto.org/
A great site but read their warning about searching it.
Saskatchewan
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cansk/P-PP-SK/
Copy of a book about pioneers and prominent citizens published in 1924

Ontario
Toronto Interesting map
http://globalnews.ca/news/306578/griefs-geography-interactive-map-of-torontos-first-world-war-dead/
Historical Plaques with a searchable index from Alan L Brown, excellent images
http://www.ontarioplaques.com/index.html


Canadians buried in the UK
http://www.canadianukgravesww1.co.uk/index.htm
Run by a couple who are in the process of visiting every graveyard in the UK with a Canadian connection. They are trying to cover their costs but it's worth getting in touch.

I am a volunteer co-curator with IWM Lives of the First World War, in case you have never heard of it here's a link. https://livesofthefirstworldwar.org

The volunteers have a closed Facebook group and I maintain the Canadian resources file page . Here's some links added in random order and posted for reference. Eventually it would be helpful if ratings and caveats could be added.

MILITARY RECORD SOURCES
CEF Attestation Papers and follow ups
http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/military-heritage/Pages/military-heritage.aspx
"Library and Archives Canada is digitizing the service files systematically, from box 1 to box 10686, which roughly corresponds to alphabetical order. Please note that over the years, the content of some boxes has had to be moved and, you might find that the file you want, with a surname that is supposed to have been digitized, is now located in another box that has not yet been digitized. So far, we have digitized the following files:

Latest box digitized: Box 5003 and Karpuk.
Please check the database regularly for new additions and if you still have questions after checking the database, you may contact us directly at 1-866-578-7777 for more assistance.".


http://www.canadiangreatwarproject.com/
Great War Project
The quality of the material by far outweighs the fact that it only has partial coverage of the C.E.F. at the moment. If you are researching a C.E.F. soldier it is well worth a look at the entire site. Note that although the home page has a Guest login it is not active, however you can access all the materials at the site THIS SITE WAS OUT OF SERVICE LAST TIME I CHECKED

http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/memorials/canadian-virtual-war-memorial
Canadian Virtual War Memorial
Well worth checking in addition to CWGC. There are about 118,00 records AND at least 10% have additional links posted with all kinds of interesting additions from relatives and researchers. Please treat copying them with respect, my practice is to simply refer to them.

http://cefresearch.ca/wiki/index.php/Main_Page
CEF Study group Wiki pages .... Explains the whole format of the group lots of links that you should explore.

http://cefresearch.ca/phpBB3/index.php
This is CEF study group forum. Well worth joining and searching and contributing or asking a question.


http://www.americansatwarinforeignforces.com/named-americans-in-the-american-legion-cef.html
These are named Americans in C.E.F., not a complete list and I believe they are also remembered at the Arlington Cemetery. I've heard a rumour some of them were dishonourably discharged in the U.S.

Canadian Jewish casualties
http://www.cjccc.ca/en/cjccc-national-archives/canadian-jewish-military-casualties/

TRAINING CAMPS IN CANADA
Prior to WWI there were provincial militia (volunteer) units but no formal standing army . The local units had camps but nothing large enough for the enormous effort of training raw recruits.
Canadian National Exhibition (CNE)Grounds Toronto
http://www.cneheritage.com/gallery-details-page?image_id=1268&main_category_id=60
Use this in conjunction with War diaries and you have a wonderful source of information. I suspect there are hundreds of hidden lives here as well.
VALCARTIER Quebec
http://www.warmuseum.ca/firstworldwar/history/going-to-war/canada-enters-the-war/training-at-valcartier/
Unlike the CNE this camp was built from scratch and there is a lot to research!! There's a whole battalion I believe attached to the building and maintenance of it.
NEWFOUNDLAND
Most of the training took place in Scotland and all is well covered at
http://www.rnr.therooms.ca/part1_entering_the_great_war.asp for a start

CENSUS etc.
http://automatedgenealogy.com/
Free look up for 1901 and 1911 Canadian census
GREAT links to Soldiers of the First World War,Canada Virtual War Memorial, and the Canadian Dictionary of Biography all free sites as well. The links come up in a column so you can immediately know if you've found the right census for the Life. Unfortunately not all Soldiers records have been properly digitised yet but the automated site also has a list of the soldiers with a 1901/1911 census reference.

1921 Canadian Census
Currently accessible with a subscription to Ancestry.ca, and through most public libraries in Canada,
Might be for free from Ancestry.ca IF you have a Canadian I.P. address. Looks as if this is no longer the case (Jan 2016) Fragmented references in archives etc across Canada.
Absentee Voters during WWI - information
http://www.elections.ca/content.aspx?section=vot&dir=bkg&document=ec90785&lang=e


http://www.americansatwarinforeignforces.com/named-americans-in-the-american-legion-cef.html
These are named Americans in C.E.F., not a complete list and I believe they are also remembered at the Arlington Cemetery. I've heard a rumour some of them were dishonourably discharged in the U.S.



Canadian Jewish casualties
http://www.cjccc.ca/en/cjccc-national-archives/canadian-jewish-military-casualties/

Lost Cousins Forum
http://forums.lc/genealogy/index.php?categories/new-members-start-here.64/
http://forums.lc/genealogy/index.php?forums/canada.74/

British Home Child (ren) (BHC)
If you come across a BHC and they are not already part of your family tree please check with one of the organisations that advocate on their behalf. While they have no control over a public web site such as LOTFWW they can make recommendations on how you should proceed. Some new records were made available by LAC in November 1915 but as they contain information about people possibly still alive there is a rigorous process to obtain access.

Political Cartoons
A great way to understand the political climate c WWI , one I particularly like is in the Province of Ontario Archives in Toronto .
http://www.archeion.ca/newton-mcconnell-fonds


Canadians recipients of the Victoria Cross
Lives has all the VC's listed and a lot of their stories have been told.

https://legionmagazine.com/en/category/canadian-military-history-in-perspective/canada-and-the-victoria-cross/page/3/ A complete list of all Canadians holders of the V.C. from Balaclava to 1945. Original illustrations are included.
http://www.cmp-cpm.forces.gc.ca/dhh-dhp/gal/vcg-gcv/index-eng.asp?gal=2#vcg-gcv The Directory of History and Heritage for the Canadian Armed Forces (DND) Excellent bios of Canadians.
"For Valour: Canadians and the Victoria Cross in the Great War" 2015 update edited by Gerald Gliddon and available in a number of formats.
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/323955/FCO632_WW1_A4_brochure_PRINT_UPDATE.pdf Useful facts about all the countries with Victoria Cross recipients.

Hi Tony
Many thanks for HUGE list of Aus and NZ research lists for the 2 Wars
Sandra

hi Joy
This is really useful information.
Many thanks
Sandra :

I hope this link hasn't already been posted, but for anyone searching for WW1 ancestors it is an excellent site.

http://www.circlecity.co.uk/wartime/board/index.php?pag

My father served in the Royal Artillery through the second world war and I have his Army service number 1503095 .. However he does not appear in the records here .
Does anyone know why or are there missing records

Thank you
AAKitchen.

Just noticed some new records on Ancestry - Foreign and Overseas Register of British Subjects 1628-1969. It says that it includes a significant number of British and Allied Servicemen killed in WW1, not all of whom are on the CWG website. Also says that even if they are on that site, the new records show certificates that have more info.
Sue