While researching my family tree, I was contacted by a relative whom I've never met but we were both stuck at the same brick wall for the same person. I managed to get through the brick wall and he was over the moon. He's a lovely chap who is 82 years old and now lives in Canada. Because he now thinks I'm a bit of a genealogy expert, he has asked me to do him a favour.
His father (my great uncle) was born in 1900 and served in India with the Welch Regiment just after WW1. He want's me to find out about his time in the army. I have a copy of his discharge papers and they show a discharge date of 1942 and only 219 days of service. It seems he joined in 1918, served for an unknown period of time and then left. He then volunteered or was conscripted into the Welch Fusiliers and was discharged on medical grounds after 7 months.
My questions are,
1) If I apply to the MOD for his records and quote the service number for his second spell in the army, will they still be able to track his earlier service history? I'm sure he would not have retained his original service number when he re-enlisted.
2) The person in question died in 1972 (so more than 25 years ago). Am I right in assuming that there is nothing to gain from getting his son to sign the application form as a close relative? He would happily do it but him living in Canada would slow things down logistically. As I read it, if the person has been dead for 25 years, the information disclosed would be the same regardless of who was applying for it.
Thanks in advance.
