Boer war/ W W 1

[william james]

Hi
Can anyone one give me some advice.
I believe my grandfather served in the Boer war and went on to serve in the first world war.
I have been told he was a physical education instructor in the grenadier guards.
unfortunately he and my grandmother divorced in the late 30 and he died at 46 in about 1948, so i never knew him and he wasn't talked about.
So how do i go about tracing his war record please.
Thank you.
Wj

[suey]

Hi Wj - 
Nip to the library and see if they have a copy of Tracing your Ancestors in the PRO (now the National Archive) by Amanda Bevan.  It will give you some idea of the records they hold and how to find them, unfortunately you will have to make the trip to Kew to search or pay a researcher if you cannot get there in person.
The PRO also publish small books on 'How to' research all things Military your library might even have these.

Also try putting Military Records in the Rootschat Search box and you will see some of the previous postings and replys.

[casalguidi]

Hi WJ

I believe my grandfather served in the Boer war and went on to serve in the first world war.
I have been told he was a physical education instructor in the grenadier guards.
unfortunately he and my grandmother divorced in the late 30 and he died at 46 in about 1948

If your dates are correct (born about 1902), he wouldn't have been born at the time of the boer war and would only just have been old enough to enter WW1 (1914-1918).  Are you sure you mean WW1 and not WW2?  WW2 service records are still with the Ministry of Defence.

Best wishes

Casalguidi

[william james]

Hi
Thank you for your answer's to my question's i have some work to do on this, but was unsure how to go about it.
The truth is i  have no idea if i mean first or second world war as my grand father was never talked about at home,
he caused so much bad feeling that his name was never mentioned.
It just makes researching his war record more of a challenge.
Thank you both for your help.
Wj

[casalguidi]

Hi WJ

Yes, and I think it makes research all the more rewarding - the determination to discover things!  Still, there's always sombody on here to help or advise if they can.

Best wishes

[sandie]

Hi WJ

Although he may not have been 'officially' old enough for WW1, it doesn't mean he didn't join up.  My husband's father wasn't born until 1903, but in 1917 joined the South Wales Borderers and remained with them until 1928.  Apparently quite a lot of young boys joined up - in fact we think it's because he was so young when he joined up that we can't trace any record of him, he would obviously have had to tell a few porkies!

Regards
Sandie