Trying to find an answer .....

[las camelias]

Are there any military experts/family historians out there on Rootscat who can help or advise me.

I am trying to find out for a close friend more information about her maternal grandfather - there appears to be some question as to whether he was in fact her biological grandfather.

On his marriage lines in July 1943, his occupation is shown as "Army".

Their only child was born on 1st August 1946.  The birth certificate of the child (friend's mother) gives a service number and regiment along with "father deceased".  One has to assume the mother of the child knew the service number and regiment of her husband.

So if this is true so far, my friend's grandfather died sometime between the conception of the child cNov 1945 and the birth of the child on 1st Aug 1946.

I have searched the CWGC and found one solider with the same name (not a common one) and of a similar age who died in France in June 1944, but he has a different service number and regiment.  So although the names match, either it is the wrong man, or if it is the right man, he couldn't have been the father as he died before the conception of the child.

I have searched the GRO index for his death in E&W but have found nothing.

So one question is, what are the chances of the service number on the CWGC being incorrect?

If anyone is able to help or advise, a personal message with names given would be best .

With thanks.

[avm228]

Hi there,

Have you looked up the name in the Times Digital Archive?

If not, PM me with the details and I'll see what I can find.

Anna

[casalguidi]

Hi

Has anybody checked to see whether his name is on the local war memorial?

Have you checked the overseas section of the GRO registers ie. Army Deaths WW2 available at the Family Records Centre, London or (pay per view) http://www.findmypast.com ?

Casalguidi

[avm228]

Jan has PM'ed me with the name and there is no reference to the relevant person in The Times Digital Archive. 

The CWGC death of 1944 seems clearly to be of another person; not only do the service number and regiment differ, but the CWGC soldier was (according to the Army Roll of Honour) born and resident in Swansea which does not fit in with the details Jan has from the marriage certificate of the correct soldier, who was from England.  The CWGC soldier also, for what it's worth, is missing the middle name which Jan's soldier had.

The Army GRO registers for the period contain no death for the relevant name other than the death which appears on CWGC.

I will leave it to Jan as to whether to say more on the identity of the soldier on the forum.

Anna

[avm228]

Jan, I can't find the death in the ordinary GRO index either for any date between the marriage and the baby's birth.

This link

http://www.surreycc.gov.uk/sccwebsite/sccwspages.nsf/LookupWebPagesByTITLE_RTF/Army+service+records?opendocument

may help with finding service records, though you should note what they say about only providing them to next of kin.

Anna

[bevbee]

Hi Jan,

I live in Swansea and am a volunteer for the War Graves Project.

If it would help you to be sure that the death on the CWGC website is not the soldier you are looking for, send me a PM with the details and I will check my collection of photos to see whether I have this one.

Bev.

[bevbee]

Sorry Jan,

No-one of that name in my collection.

Sorry I couldn't help.

Bev.