RootsChat.Com
General => Armed Forces => World War Two => Topic started by: tilly25 on Sunday 07 November 21 16:26 GMT (UK)
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Today I found one of the above on free ancestry search can someone help with a few questions
card number 1156759 is this a service number?
To prove that this is my father I need to find date of birth of this person which is not on the card
Enlisted 25/6/ 1942 5th Fld training regt R A what is this regiment?
201/46 X list (1) CHF 22/5/46 what does this mean
What does R.H.A mean
Any help gratefully received
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Hi Tilly
RA is Royal Artillery and RHA is Royal Horse Artillery. The number you quote certainly looks like a service number and falls in the range for Royal Artillery
The good people here can help more but will certainly need your father's name to investigate further
Cliff
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This link is very helpful for deciphering RA Tracer Cards: https://blogs.ancestry.co.uk/ancestry/2020/02/13/29039/
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My fathers name was Harry Shawcross born 21/10/1901
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X list (1) means he was posted away from the Regiment to a depot or similar.
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He was a fluent French speaker, where would he be used do you think
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It’s hard to say, his French would certainly have been useful. Then again the Army have a habit of ignoring obvious skills and sending people to do something for which they are totally unskilled ;D One would hope they had more sense in wartime.
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201/46 X list (1) CHF 22/5/46 what does this mean
Looks like "CMF" on the tracer card. CMF = Central Mediterranean Force.
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You can get a full service record that will include DOB but will cost £30 and it is a very long wait
https://www.gov.uk/get-copy-military-service-records/apply-for-someone-elses-records
Cliff
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Is there any other way of finding date of birth, it could be the wrong person
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Do you have a FindMyPast subscription? There's a record for a Harry Shawcross in the Royal Artillery Attestations 1883-1942 collection. And a record in the World War 2 Allies Collection.
Both records dated 1942. So they may relate to the man in the RA Tracer Card you've found.
Hopefully one of them will provide a DoB, so that you can confirm if it's your man or not.
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Unfortunately I don’t have a find my past subscription, I can go to the library for ancestry but they don’t have find my past
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Did your father say that he had served during WW2? If so, did he mention any details at all?
With a 1901 birth, he would've been about 40 when he enlisted (if he is the Trace Card fellow).
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No he never spoke about the war, I have been trying for years to find out what he did, having been sent to school in France, I assume that his language skills would have been used
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Is he on the 1939 register in Wolverhampton :-\
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Yes that’s correct
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Do you have a FindMyPast subscription? There's a record for a Harry Shawcross in the Royal Artillery Attestations 1883-1942 collection. And a record in the World War 2 Allies Collection.
Both records dated 1942. So they may relate to the man in the RA Tracer Card you've found.
Hopefully one of them will provide a DoB, so that you can confirm if it's your man or not.
They both have the same number 1156759. No dates or places of birth
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I assume that his language skills would have been used
Not necessarily. Different war, of course, but I know of one WW1 soldier who was fluent in French. But this was not put to use by the British Army. He served in the trenches, like most soldiers did.
Also, my friend's grandfather was fairly fluent in German and Russian. But his language skills were not put to use until post-WW2 operations, at the start of the Cold War.
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I assume that you have searched newspapers for mention of him other than military service ;D ;D
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Yes
Have his change of name by deed poll in London gazette
And allowing something to go on at the cinema in Wolverhampton ( sorry can’t remember what it was)