Military Chat

This a wall I have been trying to climb for many a long year. Am trying to find Sid's naval records. There is a family feeling that he may have attended a Naval School prior to enlisting in RN.

He was born 3 July 1915 in Portsmouth and d. 6 Nov 1999. He had returned from leave to rejoin his ship only to be told he was to report to HMS Exeter instead.

Today is the anniversary of her scuttling in the Java Sea. A lot of her crew were captured by the Japanese Navy and Sid was in Macassar POW for 3 1/2 years in Indonesia.

His father, also Sidney George Betenson was kia 1 January 1915 on HMS Formidable off Portland Bill so it could be possible his son was in a naval school. He too was an artificer M1295 and I found his records but not his son's.

We have many photos of Sid in uniform, no dates - sometimes a place name and we should like to tidy these up also.

If anyone can help me - please I would be so grateful and advise me where to look.

As he was born 1915, his records might/ are probably still with the MOD.
Check out
http://www.veterans-uk.info/service_records/service_records.html
for details on how to apply.

will do later - chef is calling.

Thank you

he is recorded as SHG Betenson - Engine room artificer - POW camp Java
Liberation 02/09/1945

There are two naval schools, one in Dunbar and the other now in Holbrook, East Anglia but previously The Royal Hospital School at Greenwich. If he came from Portsmouth, this is the more likely.

According to the link below, all the early tiffies (artificers) came from The Royal Hospital School. The link has a lot of photos of people, sadly not labelled, but interesting all the same.

It might be possible to get further information by contacting The Fisgard Association.

http://thefisgardassociation.org/association/timeline.shtml

Thank you all - yes his middle names were Henry George after both his g.fathers.