« Reply #2 on: Monday 30 November 15 04:12 GMT (UK) »
From what I read at a UK Government website, anyone can order the service records after the person has been dead 25 years.
Request for service records of deceased service personnel
Under the scheme, and in recognition of the duty of care owed to the family of the deceased subject, for a period of 25 years following the date of death of the subject and without the consent of the next of kin, MOD will disclose only:
- surname
- forename
- rank
- service number
- regiment/corps
- place of birth
- age
- date of birth
- date of death where this occurred in service
- the date an individual joined the service
- the date of leaving
- good conduct medals (for example, Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (LS&GCM)), any orders of chivalry and gallantry medals (decorations of valour) awarded, some of which may have been announced in the London Gazette
After this period, and if it is held, in addition MOD will disclose without the requirement for next of kin consent:
- the units in which he/she served
- the dates of this service and the locations of those units
- the ranks in which the service was carried out and details of campaign medals awarded
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/requests-for-personal-data-and-service-records#service-records-of-deceased-service-personnel
Canada: Patterson, Brown, Haidenger/Heidinger, Meyer, Johnston(e), Gorsuch, Kitchin/Kitchen
United States: Patterson, Smith, Brown, Vance, Bower(s), Newberry, Best, Love, Gorsuch
England (Northumberland): Brown, Whitfield, Henderson
Scotland (Glasgow, Edinburgh, Fife, East Lothian): Johnston(e), Bell, Galloway, Campbell, Robertson, Williamson, Thomson, Crawford
Germans from Russia: Haidenger/Heidinger, Meyer, Meach, Lorenz