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Author Topic: Identifying a service record  (Read 7457 times)

Offline Trees

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Identifying a service record
« on: Saturday 16 July 22 17:16 BST (UK) »
Is it possible to find which unit a man served in in WW2 given I only have the following very sparse information?

Name Norman PRATT
born 23 Sep 1919 Birmingham son of John George Pratt and Maria nee Hall
service number 1884211   from a message home
Served in the desert  written on  the back of one photo has desert rat 1942 it the photo shows him in an open neck shirt
1939 he was a plumber

There  is very little else ...one cousin thinks he served with the RASC and an elderly sister thought he may have been a POW in Italy  but dates and other familymembers don't seem to agree with that!
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Offline Rena

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Re: Identifying a service record
« Reply #1 on: Saturday 16 July 22 17:50 BST (UK) »
Sorry, I can't help but coincidentally have spent this afternoon trying to find my own RASC uncle Jack Shearing. 

I hoped I might find a sign of him on one of the many WWII  official and reminiscent sites but have so far been unlucky.
Aberdeen: Findlay-Shirras,McCarthy: MidLothian: Mason,Telford,Darling,Cruikshanks,Bennett,Sime, Bell: Lanarks:Crum, Brown, MacKenzie,Cameron, Glen, Millar; Ross: Urray:Mackenzie:  Moray: Findlay; Marshall/Marischell: Perthshire: Brown Ferguson: Wales: McCarthy, Thomas: England: Almond, Askin, Dodson, Well(es). Harrison, Maw, McCarthy, Munford, Pye, Shearing, Smith, Smythe, Speight, Strike, Wallis/Wallace, Ward, Wells;Germany: Flamme,Ehlers, Bielstein, Germer, Mohlm, Reupke

Online steviebyday

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Re: Identifying a service record
« Reply #2 on: Saturday 16 July 22 19:07 BST (UK) »
 service number 1884211 was allocated to the Royal Engineers.

Offline Trees

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Re: Identifying a service record
« Reply #3 on: Saturday 16 July 22 20:35 BST (UK) »
Royal Engineers how interesting. I have a letter sent by him April 1942 from the desert so I  canstart by looking at RE Units in the desert early 1942  Its a long shot

Looking again at the tiny letter with my sadly inefficient eye sight I think it says
"138ME Company Middle East Forces"
 Is that a good clue ?
Any idea what that means please?

Census Information is Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

For details of my research interests please see
mcmullin.me.uk
Also read the children a story from Story Time at the same web site.

Offline Rena

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Re: Identifying a service record
« Reply #4 on: Saturday 16 July 22 23:35 BST (UK) »
Quote from: Trees on Saturday 16 July 22 20:35 BST (UK)
Royal Engineers how interesting. I have a letter sent by him April 1942 from the desert so I  canstart by looking at RE Units in the desert early 1942  Its a long shot

Looking again at the tiny letter with my sadly inefficient eye sight I think it says
"138ME Company Middle East Forces"
 Is that a good clue ?
Any idea what that means please?

My late husband was in H.M.Forces in the middle east at one point.  Below is a list of countries in the middle east.

Unfortunately, You will still have to discover which country:-

Middle East includes 18 countries:-  These are Bahrain, Cyprus, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the Syrian Arab Republic, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
Aberdeen: Findlay-Shirras,McCarthy: MidLothian: Mason,Telford,Darling,Cruikshanks,Bennett,Sime, Bell: Lanarks:Crum, Brown, MacKenzie,Cameron, Glen, Millar; Ross: Urray:Mackenzie:  Moray: Findlay; Marshall/Marischell: Perthshire: Brown Ferguson: Wales: McCarthy, Thomas: England: Almond, Askin, Dodson, Well(es). Harrison, Maw, McCarthy, Munford, Pye, Shearing, Smith, Smythe, Speight, Strike, Wallis/Wallace, Ward, Wells;Germany: Flamme,Ehlers, Bielstein, Germer, Mohlm, Reupke

Offline nanny jan

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Re: Identifying a service record
« Reply #5 on: Sunday 17 July 22 09:35 BST (UK) »
WW2 service records are not online;  you can apply for a copy from the MOD.

https://www.gov.uk/get-copy-military-service-records

I've sent for 2 (RAF and Army);  full of details regarding courses taken, postings, promotions etc.
Howard , Viney , Kingsman, Pain/e, Rainer/ Rayner, Barham, George, Wakeling (Catherine), Vicary (Frederick)   all LDN area/suburbs  Ottley/ MDX,
Henman/ KNT   Gandy/LDN before 1830  Burgess/LDN
Barham/SFK   Rainer/CAN (Toronto) Gillians/CAN  Sturgeon/CAN (Vancouver)
Bailey/LDN Page/KNT   Paling/WA (var)



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Offline Trees

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Re: Identifying a service record
« Reply #6 on: Sunday 17 July 22 10:03 BST (UK) »
Thank you both it will take me a step further in piecing this Uncles life together he sadly did not have children so its left to my cousins and I to remember him
Census Information is Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

For details of my research interests please see
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Also read the children a story from Story Time at the same web site.

Offline nanny jan

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Re: Identifying a service record
« Reply #7 on: Sunday 17 July 22 10:54 BST (UK) »
Same for me; my uncle (RAF) killed in 1944 was unmarried and all his siblings have died, so it is just his nephews and nieces and our families left to remember him.
Howard , Viney , Kingsman, Pain/e, Rainer/ Rayner, Barham, George, Wakeling (Catherine), Vicary (Frederick)   all LDN area/suburbs  Ottley/ MDX,
Henman/ KNT   Gandy/LDN before 1830  Burgess/LDN
Barham/SFK   Rainer/CAN (Toronto) Gillians/CAN  Sturgeon/CAN (Vancouver)
Bailey/LDN Page/KNT   Paling/WA (var)



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Online ShaunJ

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Re: Identifying a service record
« Reply #8 on: Sunday 17 July 22 11:23 BST (UK) »
Quote
Looking again at the tiny letter with my sadly inefficient eye sight I think it says
"138ME Company Middle East Forces"

Can you post a photo or a scan of that bit?
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