UK Military Records not on Ancestry but linked from there to Fold3?

[saw119]

How is it that WO86 comes up in a search on Ancestry but I cannot access the actual image? It tells me the image is on Fold3. Why is a British War Off ice record only available on Fold3. I'm a little bit cross. 

[dowdstree]

Me too.

I actually phoned Ancestry to query this and the garbled explanation I was given was that Fold3 was part of Ancestry but separate - work that one out

They said I would have to "join" Fold3 and obviously pay to view the records.

Just another moneymaking venture for Ancestry at our expense.

Furious

Dorrie

[PrawnCocktail]

Join the club! We're all cross about this one!

Have been wondering if Fold 3 will ever have a freebie weekend, maybe around Remembrance Day - because there's no way I will ever give Ancestry a penny to join Fold3

Some of the records are also on FindMyPast, which helps.

[Nanna52]

I wonder what would happen if you right then.  I will need to cancel my ancestry membership, and as soon as you give me my refundfor I can then join fold3 because I can't afford both. 

[dowdstree]

Just had a bit of a look at 3Fold.

They say they have "free" records. OK so I put in my email and a password. Looked for a soldier who was a Chelsea Pensioner (my husband's late uncle) nothing doing. Nothing either (without paying) for other names in my family tree.

Went through to see what records are actually free and could only find American ones. Not much good to most of us who want British records. Sorry, no offence to our American Rootschatters.

Also, they seem to have a 7 day free trial but its in $ American.

Gave up.

Nanna52 - I am tempted to take up your suggestion.

Dorrie

[smudwhisk]

Haven't used it but Fold3 every so often have 40-50% discount offers on annual subs, works out about £35-40. More money but less expensive than upgrading to all access, but you do pay in dollars as is primarily a US site. I have never seen them offer free weekends so I wouldn't get your hopes up with that. I would imagine that the National Archives documents on there have been done with the full agreement of Kew so may be better to direct annoyance at them, although doubt anything will change. Ancestry say Fold3 is specialist site as not everyone wants specialist  military documents on Ancestry itself and I suspect they would raise the subs to do this even though so far not many are for UK.

[andrewalston]

There was a freebie for Fold3 last Remembrance weekend (it's Veteran's Day in the US). The links from Ancestry then took me straight to the Fold3 stuff rather than going through any registration.

The stuff I found on there seemed to be the same as I had included in my FindMyPast sub, and I thought the FindMyPast images were better quality.

Your mileage may vary.

[rosie17]

A few years back I did get some military records on Ancestry but now it is on Fold 3 another way of making money 

[mgeneas]

Fold 3 is available at no charge at all Family History/Familysearch centres