Military Chat

how do I find out about Scottish army records?
my grandad ( James Campbell ) born about 1896 in or around dundee was a pipe major in the black watch but I cant find any records of him I only know the above from my aunt before she died and she couldn't remember that much .
I know he meet my nan in southern Ireland and hand 4 children from 1926 /1931but theres no record of there marriage and when she remarried on that cert she was a spinster.
any help
cheers
dave

https://www.gov.uk/get-copy-military-service-records

Records from 1920 have to be sent for and that site explains what you need to do to apply for them but you need his full name, date of birth and service number


Do you know the name of your Nan ?

yeah it was Elizabeth Roberts 1903 or but on the bmd site its down as Bessie roberts

:-S

No record of their marriage !!

So which site shows her as Bessie Roberts ? Or is this for her second marriage.

Probably never married or they split up and she lied on the second cert

I don't think he would have been in the Black Watch serving in Southern Ireland in 1926 - partition happened in 1922 and there were no English or Scottish regiments in Eire after that time.

Do you have the birth certs of any of the children, which would give his occupation.

Historical Disclosures
Mailpoint 400
APC Glasgow
Kentigern House
65 Brown Street
GLASGOW
G2 8EX

APC Glasgow will send specific forms for completion. They will need proof of kinship to comply with the Data Protection Act.

In the case of living enquiries this should be some proof of identify (utility bill or driver's licence).
In the case of deceased enquiries it should, ideally, be a copy of the Death Certificate.
T: 0845 600 9663 (option 1, then option 3)

Online at:


army.mod.uk
Further information about Service Records held by MOD
Making a Request for Information held on the Personnel Records of Deceased Service Personnel

I have a birth cert from killarney,kerry.eire which I got from Ireland
I found she had 4 children from 1924 - 1931 in Bristol ,England. Which all cert said the father was James Campbell and her name was Elizabeth Roberts.
my aunt said she had a photo of her dad in uniform but died before she sent it to me and I think I sore it on the wall once but it was black and white.
I getting the feeling that they met and didn't marry but I sill can't find anything about him but my aunt said he was very proud about his Scottish roots as she said he made sure they new they were from Scottish blood and to be proud

I would like to thank very one helping me

David, what was his occupation on the birth certs? Was he still in the Army then? Do you know when & where he died?

He was a journeyman after my dad was born 1931 my nan married a man called andrew sharkey and they had a child and don't have anything on james campbell after 1931

I see that your nan married in Surrey - any idea why she had moved from Bristol? Did James have a middle name?

Edit: as you haven't got a birth or marriage cert for James, how did you get his YOB?

There is this death in the same area that Elizabeth married in but this James would have been born c1871:

Deaths Jun 1935 (>99%)
Campbell James 64 Surrey N.E. 2a 41

on my dad's cert in 1931 lived in 6 Clifton wood terrace,clifton, Bristol then on my nan marriage in 1938 to Andrew sharkey she at 24 southwood drive tolworth then when my aunt they lived at 38 grove lane Kingston

David, it might be worth getting the 1935 death cert to see who the informant was; if it was your nan, then we would be looking a lot earlier. Of, course if you are sure of James's YOB, that death can't be him.

Not sure of d.o.b

One word of 'advice' the records from between the wars are equally as scrappy as those for WW1.

When I applied for my maternal grandfathers' records from the 1920s, they were unable to find them, they came back with 'they have rither been lozt or mis-filed!!'

And I have read on other sites about similar situations.