Hoping for help to find army regiment

[smclaughlan]

Hello, this is a bit of a strange query but after months of stubbornly trying to figure it out myself i’ve finally become desperate enough to try ask for help lol.

My grandfather is in his 70s and for years has been wanting to get his father’s army medals and a hat i believe he left him in his will. However to apply for this we need to know his Dad’s service number but my grandfather can’t remember much and doesn’t speak to his siblings. So to find this out i first have to apply for his Dad’s war records online which includes his service number. I already know the basic info (his full name, birth date, discharge date etc) except his army regiment.

It’s suspected he was in the Seaforth Highlanders but nobody can confirm it. His Dad was from East Lothian in Scotland and served in WWII from 1939 right up to the end of the war in 1945. All i know is the random facts my Grandfather can tell me about his Dad’s time in the army, that he served in Burma and India and a small island on the channels…Had Essex on one of his medals?…and was first put on an artillery unit.

(Strangely enough my Grandfather remembers HIS Grandfathers army regiment so theres a chance my Grandfathers Dad was in the same regiment as his Dad but i don’t know if it was common for a son to join the same regiment as his father in those days?)

I’m not sure if any of this is relevant or just useless but i’d be really grateful for any responses at all… anyones opinions or just guesses on army regiments that sounds fitting to any of those small pieces of info. I apologise if this all confusing and that it isn’t much to go off on

[Jebber]

Welcome to Rootschat,

I'm sorry no one seems to have responded to your query. I'm afraid I'm not going to be much help.

If the medals and hat were left to your grandfather in a will, they will already have been issued. You would be better trying to locate his Father's will and check if the medals  were actually mentioned.

WW2 medals are generally not engraved around the rim like those of WW1, those that are engraved have usually been done by the recipient.

Unless he enlisted as a regular before the war, he probably had little choice of the Regiment he was sent to. In war time you tended to go where you were most needed.

[mackers]

Hello, this is a bit of a strange query but after months of stubbornly trying to figure it out myself i’ve finally become desperate enough to try ask for help lol.

My grandfather is in his 70s and for years has been wanting to get his father’s army medals and a hat i believe he left him in his will. However to apply for this we need to know his Dad’s service number but my grandfather can’t remember much and doesn’t speak to his siblings. So to find this out i first have to apply for his Dad’s war records online which includes his service number. I already know the basic info (his full name, birth date, discharge date etc) except his army regiment.

It’s suspected he was in the Seaforth Highlanders but nobody can confirm it. His Dad was from East Lothian in Scotland and served in WWII from 1939 right up to the end of the war in 1945. All i know is the random facts my Grandfather can tell me about his Dad’s time in the army, that he served in Burma and India and a small island on the channels…Had Essex on one of his medals?…and was first put on an artillery unit.

(Strangely enough my Grandfather remembers HIS Grandfathers army regiment so theres a chance my Grandfathers Dad was in the same regiment as his Dad but i don’t know if it was common for a son to join the same regiment as his father in those days?)

I’m not sure if any of this is relevant or just useless but i’d be really grateful for any responses at all… anyones opinions or just guesses on army regiments that sounds fitting to any of those small pieces of info. I apologise if this all confusing and that it isn’t much to go off on

What was his full name?

[Andy J2022]

If your great grandfather was in the 1st Battalion the Seaforth Highlanders then he might well have served in Burma, as the Battalion was in India and Burma throughout the war, once they had re-deployed from Shanghai where they were stationed at the start of the war. If that was the case he would have been awarded the Burma Star. You could try contacting the Burma Star Association as they maintain a very useful database of soldiers who served there.
I have no idea what the Essex reference might be linked to, other than the fact that the 1st Battalion the Essex Regiment also served in India  from March 1942 although they didn't go to Burma unitl near the end of the campaign there.

[smclaughlan]

Welcome to Rootschat,

I'm sorry no one seems to have responded to your query. I'm afraid I'm not going to be much help.

If the medals and hat were left to your grandfather in a will, they will already have been issued. You would be better trying to locate his Father's will and check if the medals  were actually mentioned.

WW2 medals are generally not engraved around the rim like those of WW1, those that are engraved have usually been done by the recipient.

Unless he enlisted as a regular before the war, he probably had little choice of the Regiment he was sent to. In war time you tended to go where you were most needed.

Hello, thank you for your response. I will try to find his will as you suggest and just hope i find something useful. Thanks again !

[smclaughlan]

If your great grandfather was in the 1st Battalion the Seaforth Highlanders then he might well have served in Burma, as the Battalion was in India and Burma throughout the war, once they had re-deployed from Shanghai where they were stationed at the start of the war. If that was the case he would have been awarded the Burma Star. You could try contacting the Burma Star Association as they maintain a very useful database of soldiers who served there.
I have no idea what the Essex reference might be linked to, other than the fact that the 1st Battalion the Essex Regiment also served in India  from March 1942 although they didn't go to Burma unitl near the end of the campaign there.

Thank you for the reply, your message actually made me remember my Grandfather mentioning the Burma star in a conversation once so i’m going to ask him and see if it jogs his memory, and i will try to contact the association. Thank you for the link also, a picture on the website showing the uniform looks identical to the one my Great Grandfather is wearing in a photograph that i have of him. Thank you again

[smclaughlan]

Hello, this is a bit of a strange query but after months of stubbornly trying to figure it out myself i’ve finally become desperate enough to try ask for help lol.

My grandfather is in his 70s and for years has been wanting to get his father’s army medals and a hat i believe he left him in his will. However to apply for this we need to know his Dad’s service number but my grandfather can’t remember much and doesn’t speak to his siblings. So to find this out i first have to apply for his Dad’s war records online which includes his service number. I already know the basic info (his full name, birth date, discharge date etc) except his army regiment.

It’s suspected he was in the Seaforth Highlanders but nobody can confirm it. His Dad was from East Lothian in Scotland and served in WWII from 1939 right up to the end of the war in 1945. All i know is the random facts my Grandfather can tell me about his Dad’s time in the army, that he served in Burma and India and a small island on the channels…Had Essex on one of his medals?…and was first put on an artillery unit.

(Strangely enough my Grandfather remembers HIS Grandfathers army regiment so theres a chance my Grandfathers Dad was in the same regiment as his Dad but i don’t know if it was common for a son to join the same regiment as his father in those days?)

I’m not sure if any of this is relevant or just useless but i’d be really grateful for any responses at all… anyones opinions or just guesses on army regiments that sounds fitting to any of those small pieces of info. I apologise if this all confusing and that it isn’t much to go off on

What was his full name?

His name was John McLauchlan or possibly McLaughlan