I have tried many times myself to find my great grandfather in the WWI records, from service records and medal records to pension records, with no success. I'll list below everything we know and all the 'family lore' about him and am wondering if anyone else can try see if they can find him.
His name was Gerard Robert John Wood, born 20 June 1896 in Barrow-In-Furness to William Wood (1865-1930) and Mary Thomasina White (1866-1944). In all of the records I have of him he goes by either Gerard or Gerard Robert John.
At some point he joined the Army, my grandfather reckons in the East Lancashire regiment, and was supposedly gassed he reckons in about 1916 (this is all family memory so this is quite uncertain).
Sometime after then he joined the Royal Army Medical Corps (this we are much more certain in as post war he moved into work as a mental nurse)
He was then supposedly shot in the foot in 1918 (again, a family story so may or may not have happened).
He died on 17 July 1966 and is commemorated on the Newton-le-Willows Garden of Rememberance Wall Plaque, which definitely suggests that he did indeed serve in WWI.
Any help anyone could provide would be most appreciated.
The 1921Census he is Still aged 25 living at Home with his Parents shows him as an Out of Work - Steel Dresser
Rather good Evidence he was employed in an Exempted Occupation during the War in Steel Production Not in Army Service
Why would he Enlist aged 18 in 1914 in the East Lancashire Regt ?
He didn't Live in Lancashire
None of his Brothers Enlisted presume because Steel Exempted Profession
If he was Gassed he would have Discharged on Disability
That would have been a Problem to Enlistment in RAMC in the 1920s
I would suggest he Joined the RAMC in the 1920s to get Work and then Still Nurse in 1939
His 1920s Army Records will be Held in MOD Glasgow with just his Date of Birth and Name to confirm my Theory
