WW2 Service Records

[Pollynation]

Ages ago ( august) i wrote a letter to the Historical Disclosures department in Glasgow. I wanted to find out if i can get my grandfathers army records.

I have recieved a reply today with 10 pages of information and pages to fill in and return.  It says they have records from 1921 to 1997, but they do have some rules.  If anyone wants further information , i will gladly send details to you. I am going to scan all the pages so i can forward them.

Also they charge £25- does not matter if they find anything or not!

Best wishes
Pauline

[suey]

Golly Pauline, what have they sent you ? - I enquired about a WW2 soldier and was sent a reasonably simple form to fill in and a few explanitory notes.

You do need to know the Regt on discharge, they do say a search without this info is impossible.

I filled in the form and enclosed a death cert and the cheque for said man and now await reply - by my calculations it should be about next May!

PS - Historical Disclosures are indexing the records, millions of them, to make searching easier - they say they expect to have them completed by early 2005.
Suey

[Pollynation]

They sent me a sheet for me to fill in details of soldier. next sheet is next of kin information, next sheet is information of their address and phone numbers/fax numbers,next is about historical disclosures and the service provided, next is about data protection act and how records are located, next is information online/charges, next "steps to be taken now", next sheet army contact addresses, next royal navy contact addresses, next royal air force contact addresses+other useful contacts, next more other contacts.

And i had a cover letter as well!

Attached is copy of their address/phone and fax for anyone thats interested.

Best wishes
Pauline

[exessexgirl]

If you go onto the British Legion web site you can download the forms online for Army Records. You have to send it to Glasgow as shown on the leaflet posted on the site. I sent for my Father's army records just after Xmas this year, and received them a week ago. Mind you, I had all his personal details to put on the form which probably helped. They were sent to me here in Australia and it cost me nothing. Regards... Lyn

[kated]

Hi,

Here's a question I hope someone can answer. When a man enlisted, how did they prove their identity?  I have a relative who's birth I cannot find (in Ireland) with any resemblance to the info he gave when enlisting.

Thanks

Kate

[suey]

Hello Kate - I'm not sure that a man would have had to 'prove' who he was or that the information given was correct or indeed the truth.

Looking at a copy of the form I have belonging to a rellie of mine it seems he only had to give name, address, parish or place of birth.  He was asked f he was a British Subject, Nationality, whether he was married or single, if he had served in the Armed Forces before and whether he was Insured! - he then just signed the form.  This was in 1940. 
Where the signature goes it does say I ..................... 'do solemnly declare that the above answers made by me to the questions above are true'   .  There is also a signature for a witness but I do know that the 'witness' was often the Recruiting Officer who simply filled in the form at the time, so had never met the man before that day  .
I also know that my hubbies Great Grandpa told a whole pack of porkies when he joined up - I don't think the Army were too fussy.........
Suey