ww1 records-no trace

[SHughsonMurphy]

Can anyone throw some light on my problem.i am trying to trace army records,ancestrty.co.uk, and cannot find any relating to Andrew Holmes Wilson b1888.Now we know he was a private 8/10 Battle Gordon Highlanders.No trace!Anyone shed some light?

[suegill]

60% of the records were burned in a WWII bombing.  His records might not have survived.

[SHughsonMurphy]

Thank you for that very speedy reply.I did not know that.

[stanmapstone]

If you are looking at the British Army WWI Service Records, 1914-1920 on Ancestry go to the bottom of the page and you will see Historical Background:

Stan

[Redroger]

His medal record will have survived and be available at the National Archives Kew.

[corisande]

With his medal card it is difficult to be sure, but he probably is  Service no.   265349

If so he had the DCM, you can look that up in London Gazette

[Papa1]

60% of the records were burned in a WWII bombing.  His records might not have survived.

Also I believe as did my grandfather's records, if he survived WW1 and received a pension, then these records were removed elsewhere before the main index was destroyed in WW2 by enemy action.

[Redroger]

Believe that is correct.

[Sloe Gin]

if he survived WW1 and received a pension, then these records were removed elsewhere before the main index was destroyed in WW2 by enemy action.

Not all of them, unfortunately.  The collection referred to as the 'pension records' is only a small sample that happened to be at the Ministry of Pensions at the time, probably being used for some sort of statistical work.  It doesn't include the records of all pensionable men, and does include some who were not.

If one is looking for someone's record, it's always a good idea to search both collections.

To illustrate:  I found my grandfather's record in the main collection, not the 'pension' one, although he did survive the war and was granted a pension.  And in the 'pension' collection we have found records of men who were killed in action.