Trying to find soldier's record

[LizzieL]

Thomas William Livermore was killed in action in Belgium either on 23 August 1917 or 24 August 1917. The former date is on CWGC website, the latter is from the letter sent by his CO to his next of kin. At the time of his death he was in the Durham Light Infantry (number 26035). According to CWGC he was formerly in the Hussars (number 15478).
He was born in 1892 in Bishops Stortford the son of Thomas Livermore and his second wife Sarah Grace Robinson.
I have searched on Ancestry, FindMyPast and tried to search on National Archive (find that site difficult to navigate) using all the information I have, but no success. All I get is the information about his death, but nothing about his service in either regiment.
We have the letter sent by his CO, the very large medal sent to NOK of servicemen who were killed and a bugle which we were told by Thomas's nephew (now deceased) was his when he served in the Army. Since he was killed in Belgium, I would assume he was once a bugler (possibly in the Hussars) and kept the instrument.
Can anyone find his service records or suggest a way I could find them? If nothing comes up on a national Archive search, can I assume they no longer exist or are they just not available on line?
And is the bugle actually our property or does it really belong to the MOD?

[jess5athome]

Hi, sadly there is every possibility that his service records were destroyed in the Blitz during the second world war, this happened to about 60% of them and those which were saved are damaged.

Regards
Frank.

Added, are you aware that the register of his effects is now available on Ancestry?

[Jebber]

About 70%  of WW1 records were lost in WW2 so you would be very luck to find them.

Don't worry about the bugle, it is your property.

Jebber

[jess5athome]

Hi, his Medal Index Card is on Ancestry also.

Frank.

[jess5athome]

According to the medal and award rolls he earned the 1914 - 1915 star as a private and he is shown as a corporal with the 10th Durham Light Infantry for the War and Victory medal.

As you said, sadly there does not seem to be his service records so it looks as if they were among those destroyed.

Frank.

[LizzieL]

Thank you all for your replies. I have seen the register of effects - a small amount of outstanding pay collected by his father (OH's great grandfather). It does look as if records are gone for ever. But what to do about the bugle? we're trying to declutter and no -one to leave it to. may'be a museum.

[jess5athome]

Hi, a museum may want it as you say, it's such a problem when you don't know what to do with things.

Frank.

[LizzieL]

Still no luck on service records, but we have been in touch with the assistant Curator of the Bishops Stortford museum, who seem quite interested in items connected with one of the people named on the town war memorial. We're going to Bishops Stortford on Thursday to take the bugle etc

[philipsearching]

Still no luck on service records, but we have been in touch with the assistant Curator of the Bishops Stortford museum, who seem quite interested in items connected with one of the people named on the town war memorial. We're going to Bishops Stortford on Thursday to take the bugle etc

If the museum doesn't take the bugle I am sure the local branch of the Royal British Legion would like it, especially as it belonged to a local soldier.

Philip