RootsChat.Com

Hi Paul,

I think you had it right to begin with, it really boiled down to administration and the cost of naming all the medals. Many WW2 veterans were incredibly disappointed when their medal entitlement dropped through the letterbox in a small cardboard box and unnamed.

Boots the chemist offered a naming service. I don't know how much this cost though.

Hope this helps.

Steve

Hi Sandi15,

Try entering his name into this search engine, if he was a Japanese POW, there is a good chance he will be on it.

Good luck.

http://www.cofepowdb.org.uk/cdb2/Controller.jsp?action=simplesearch

Hi dodger,

At the National Archives there will be a Japanese index card for Eric, found within the file series WO345/44.

His details are recorded on the cofepow database here:

http://www.cofepowdb.org.uk/cdb2/Controller.jsp?action=showfepow&id=36389

Hi All,

I am attempting to help a friend of mine who lives in the USA and does not possess a computer.

We are trying to find family relatives of:

George Henry Wiggins, who is my friends grandfather.

Married to Ethel Kate Tansley in 1913.

Children: Annie Ethel, Eric John and Muriel Joyce (who is my friends mother).

Census 1911: George is a border at 82 Sketty Road, Enfiled, Middx. He is a postman.

Census 1901: George is living at the Cowley Military Barracks, Oxford. A nineteen year old soldier in the Oxford & Buck's regiment. Shows his birth place as Stepney, London.

Census 1891: George is living at home with his father, George senior a labourer and his mother Anne, a shirt machinist. They live at 23 Cornwall Road, Stepney, in the district of Mile End, Old Town. The house is next door to the stables. George senior was from Clerkenwell and Anne from Somers Town.

Muriel Joyce was given up for adoption and moved away from the area to the North East of England. We are really looking for relatives of Annie Ethel and Eric John, both of whom my friend Barbara was unaware of, up until last year when we found George Wiggins WW1 Army records.

Any help would be much appreciated.

Many thanks

Steve

Hi daisynook,

As some of the other posters have said the best thing you can do is apply for his Service records. I have been researching the First Chindits of 1943 for about 4 years now, it would be great to think Robert was one of these men.

The 1943 Chindits were really used to test the Wingate theories of Long Range penetration and air supply. None of the first wave were ever flown out when wounded or sick with malaria and so on. 17 men were lucky to have been picked up when one plane did manage to make a landing on a jungle clearing, but I have the list of those men and Robert was not one of these.

However, 16th Brigade did walk in to Burma in 1944 and many of these men were flown out when they became ill or had been wounded, so my gut instinct would head in this direction. His service records would tell you his regiment and other associated units and then we can really narrow things down.

If you would like an overall good read on the Chindits and their exploits then I would recommend the book 'March or Die' by Phil Chinnery.

Let us know how you get on with the records or if you find some other information on his regiment etc.

Good luck.

Steve.