Battle of Medenine 2nd Battalion Scots Guards.

[ScouseBoy]

Go direct to MOD  is the best way

[cartridge_uk]

https://www.forces-war-records.co.uk/

[Ruskie]

https://www.forces-war-records.co.uk/

Don't sign up with that mob.

Scouseboy is right, apply direct to the MOD - it is quite easy:
https://www.gov.uk/get-copy-military-service-records/apply-for-someone-elses-records

Cost is £30 and at the moment the wait seems to be only a month or so. I am not sure what payment methods they accept, but all the information you need should be on the MOD site.

Obtaining the war diaries is another matter, but there is someone who visits regularly who will not charge like a wounded bull. I will pass on their details if you are interested.

[cartridge_uk]

Hi. for the war diaries there was someone posting on another topic who says he has them already if anyone wanted a copy. I sent a PM and I will wait for his reply. However, if there are people going to Kew then I would like details as there are other documents I would like to get a copy of.
I thought website mentioned about might be a good idea as there are 2 other people I would like to look into as well. But I cant seem to find what information the site actually give apart from what is already freely available. For example i signed up for ancestry website and everything on it was freely available on the web anyway so it was a kind of a waste of money.

[MaxD]

Cross check - this is the diary for the period

http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C2354831 Rubbish  see my next post
The point about the site mentioned, following on from Ruskie, is that depite what it says it does not have personal records for the Second War, they are only available from MOD as others have said. Except:

A better approach is to contact the Coldstream Guards archivist https://www.coldstreamguards.org.uk/histories-of-the-coldstream-guards/archives.html.   More rubbish!  The Guards regiments kept duplicate records so their rules are the same as for MOD (as is their charge).  It may be a shorter wait.

Just to add regarding your comment about finding stuff on the web for free - Ancestry doesn't have WW2 records either so you should not expect to find personal records,  which is why you can find overview info on the web but nothing more detailed about individual soldiers.  It is the Great War you are referring to, then that is another story.

maxD

[cartridge_uk]

thanks for the heads up about that site.
I think the records I need are for the 2nd battalion Scots Guards. The Coldstream guards were positioned to the left of them and a little to the rear.
WO 169/4983 2 Scots Guards 1942 Jan.-Dec
WO 169/10170 2 Scots Guards 1943 Jan.-Dec
Th ancestry website I was using because he was married with 2 young children at the time he died. James (and my mothers family) were from Lancashire but his wife was from London. She was upset and went back to London and no one heard from them again. I was therefore trying to track down the marriage certificate and birth certificates of the daughters to maybe try to trace them but there is nothing on the ancestry website except his death, which I already knew from the commonwealth war graves.Its a bit difficult because so many people have passed away and the ones that survive were very young and dont remember much.

[MaxD]

My profuse apologies - senior moment!! Took my wife to the opticians this morning, should have stayed there myself.

The Scots Guards archivist does the same thing  http://scotsguards.org/history/archives/

You may be able to find the registration details for the marriage and the births of the daughters on FreeBMD.  You know the father's name, presumably the area and the approximate date and with the births, if it is after 1911 which is looks like then the mother's maiden name can be used. All else fails, post what details you have and someone far less stupid than I am being today at least may be able to help.

maxD

[cartridge_uk]

well the Coldstream Guards diary may hold some interesting articles as well so dont be too hard on yourself. we all have our moments.
Thanks for the link I did not know about that one.
Yeah I tried FreeBmd and I found his sister who was born before him.
However, nothing else and nothing on ancestry. Only 1 girl born at the time on there with same name but it was in London and she was born in Lancashire. The other girls name not found at all. and no marriage or birth certificates.
FreeBmd does say they are not 100% complete but ancestry just seems to hold exactly the same information but you have to pay for it.

[MaxD]

I've sent you a PM