Genealogy Chat

I have not been able to find records for my grandfather we know he served in the later part of the war in Russia, and the Caucasus, with a gut feeling that he was in the Royal engineers, are the records anywhere near complete? I searched on Ancestry and have tried to find other sources of information but am getting nowhere any suggestions?

Monica, I believe all surviving records have been transcribed onto Ancestry. Sadly about 70% were destroyed during WW2 so you might not find them.
Why not post details on here so others can double-check for you?
Jan

I only mamaged to find the Medal Card for my grandfather but that was only due to the fact that Nan wrote his service number on the back of a photo.

So I thought that finding one out of a possible three (Service, Pension and Medal Cards) was good going given that only about 30% survive

As brummiejan and GlitterBaby have said many of the service records were lost in a fire during WW2.

There are other ways of researching and you may be lucky....Not that I was for my maternal GGrandfather :-(

This link takes you to the very helpful National Archive research guides....Look under 'Army personnel'

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/looking-for-person/default.htm

The NA also have some useful podcasts...

http://media.nationalarchives.gov.uk/

Good luck
Chris

Almost everyone got at least one medal from WW1, so he will have a medal card.
However, if he's not got a fairly unique name, determining which card is his can be problematic. If you have access to his medal(s), his service # will be engraved on them, often on the rim.

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/medal-index-cards-ww1.htm

(sometimes you can find on above, then transfer service number to same index on Ancestry, and get a result, and find they have mistranscribed surname!)

Chris :)

Whilst abt 70% of service records where destroyed due to bombing in WW2 thats not the case with Medal cards as they where stored at a separate location

Roy

The details as far as I know them, Name John Rodgers, DOB, 28 October 1898, born in Newcastle under Lyme, Staffordshire, the address I have for him in 1901 is # 14, Waterloo Buildings and in 1911 # 25 Waterloo Buildings, I don't have a service number, may have one if my cousin in England finds anything in the family papers but I am not optimistic.
Jan I assume you are from Birmingham? I lived there as a child.
Monica

Another question, what part of the military do/did the Royal Engineers beong to, we do have or my cousin has a picture of him taken in front of a tent in mountains somewhere.

The Corps of Royal Engineers is a branch of the ARMY

GOOGLE for info about their role (there is a clue in their name)

You are right, I am from Birmingham - how did you guess! :-D :-D
If you have no luck elsewhere, maybe you need to find some WW1 enthusiasts. Did a google search and found this, just click on the link:

http://www.militarian.com/forum/

Jan

If he was born October 1898 he would only be 15 in 1914 did he join at the latter end of WW1 If so then he may have still been serving after 1920 which will mean that his service records will still be held by the MOD

see http://www.veterans-uk.info/service_records/army.html

also http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/AboutDefence/WhatWeDo/Personnel/ServiceRecords/

Roy

Edit, As a side issue I saw a programme the other night where it was reported that over 250,000 underage boys served in ww1 the youngest being 14 yrs old

This a quote from my mother's family history '
He was too young to be actively enagaged in World War 1, but he was finally called up and joined the army. By the time he had he had finished training the war was practically over and he was never involved in any actual fighting. He was however sent to Russia where the white Russians were fighting the communists and spent time in Constantinople'
thanks Porkie Pie for the suggestion i'll check that out.
Monica

Just to be nosy, where did you live in Birmingham?
Jan :-)

Now we are talking ancient history, as a young child I lived at 1026 Alcester Rd S, the area was referred to as 'the Maypole' my dad was a doctor and his surgery was attached to the house we lived in, it's now a medical centre of some sort, then we moved to Moseley Village, of course it wasn't then a village, and lived at 34 Amesbury Rd, then came to Canada, its amazing how the addresses have always stuck in my head. I can't remember the addresses of where I lived here 25 years ago !
How about you?
Monica

Well, considering how big Brum is, you weren't too far away! I know the area well, in fact I was born Silver St. Kings Heath (next door to Moseley), and still live in South Birmingham.
Small world eh?
Where are you in Canada? Do you know my cousins? (heh heh). :-D :-D :-D
Jan

We are in Southern Ontario, in Mississauga

My relatives are in London, Toronto & Niagara-on-the-Lake - also next door, by Canadian standards!
jan