occupation 'Soldier'

[raysen]

Hi,
I'm trying to look a little further in to the life of my g.grandad. I've got his Marraige certificate, in which his occupation is listed as 'solider'.
How do I find out more information on this / him? I've tried searching his name on ancestry but there are alot of people with simelar names, who I don't think are him.
Does anyone have any ideas how I can progress about finding out more about him being a solider?

Charles Frank Potter - B.1898 in Cowlinge, Suffolk
                                    M. 1919 in Boston, Lincolnshire

Much Appreciated

Rachael

[ainslie]

There are 8 Medal Index Cards listed by the National Archives documents online for soldiers named Charles F Potter and many more for those without the 'F', as middle names were often ignored in army records.
One of them with an extra initial 'C' was in the Lincolnshire Regiment which may or may not be a clue as many soldiers served in regiments which were not local to their home.
The Lincolnshire man's number was 49632 and rank Private.  If you have access to Ancestry you could look for his papers there, but 2/3 were lost in the WW2 blitz.
A

[nanny jan]

Hi,

How long was he a soldier?   Perhaps his records are still with the MOD.


Nanny Jan

[Redroger]

What date did he marry? I ask because if it was early in 1919 then he might well have been a wartime soldier waiting to be demobbed, like my own father who was demobbed in Feb 1919. If he married in (say) December 1919 then this suggests to me he was more likely to have been a regular soldier. If so, and he was discharged on a pension then his records will have survived and will be with the MOD.

[Bilge]

Do you or any other family member hold any of his medals?
If so if you look on the milling of the medal you will find his service number this should help you locate his records.

[raysen]

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the responses.

Ainslie; I know his full name is deffinitly Charles Frank Potter, so I don't think the lincolnshire guy with the extra 'C' is my g/grandad. It isn't the most unusual name which is why I find it a bit frustrating as to where to start - as you say he may not have even listed his middle name!

Nanny Jan; I'm afraid I haven't got a clue - I got the marraige certificate quite a while back and just looking through it tonight I clocked the 'soldier' thing and became curious

Redroger; They got married on August 20th 1919 (when he was 21)- oh wow okay, I didn't realise any of that - At least I know I can look specifically under the Pension section on ancestry

Bilge; I'm afraid we don't have any of the medals

Again, thanks so far for your advice guys :-)

Rachael

[km1971]

Hi Rachael

As he was 21 and you have an address you should also look at the electoral rolls. The one for 1918-19 often includes details such as regiment and number.

If you search FreeBMD for Potter/Gill births you will see two 'sets', one remaining in Boston. This suggests he did not remain a soldier for long. But you will need to buy/research one or two to be sure. At least it should stop you wasting £30 with the MOD.

He may have already been demobbed but part of one of the reserves receiving half pay. If he had not found a job he may have chosen to put 'soldier' rather than unemployed.

Ken

[Redroger]

My father added 3 years to his age in order to volunteer in 1915. He voted in the 1918 General Election at the age of 19, and I had assumed this was through his age entered when he enlisted. However, I now believe that all British servicemen were entitled to vote in that election. Have you found him in the 1911 census?