Genealogy Chat

Desperately trying to find information on William Platt 3856807 born 5.1.1920 Bolton Lancashire. According to war record he enlisted 10/5/1938 5th Batallion The Loyal Regiment (TA) then transferred 2nd Batallion Reconnaissance Corps (TA) 30/4/1941.
His discharge date is showing as 1942. (No specific date). I can't find any details for the reason of discharge anywhere. The Loyals don't have any records on him and The Recce corps doesn't exist anymore.
Is there anyone out there who can shed some light on the reason someone might just be discharged during wartime with no reason, or knew him?
I have been working on this ancester for ten months now and still no nearer to finding out if he was killed during or after the war, or if he is still alive.

Remove your email addy before your post get reported

Unless his Army record gives a reason then cant see how you can find what it was.

It may just be he was medically unfit.

Having enlisted in 1938 this was pre WW2 which started in Sept 1939 so he wasnt called up for the war

Susie - people will contact you by direct message on here.

What's your connection to him - might help us trace him if we know more about him, e.g. his parents

is this him

Name: William Platt
Mother's Maiden Surname: Sands
Date of Registration: Jan-Feb-Mar 1920
Registration district: Bolton
Inferred County: Lancashire
Volume Number: 8c
Page Number: 981

there are marriages Bolton reg district after 1942 that could be him but its a bit hit and miss and costly to get certs on the off chance.

Have you tried Search Trees to see if he is in anyones tree

Thank you GlitterBaby - didn't realise I have removed my email address.
Hi Shirley - if he was medically unfit I would expect it to show medically discharged. He also didn't come home to his family as they all thought he was in Burma.

Hi MarieCeleste - He is my Mother-in-Laws elder brother. She is the only one left now and would love to know what happened to her big brother. His parents were William and Agnes Platt. My mother in law remembers waving him off to war and him coming home at least once on leave. She would have been 12 years old and working the year he was discharged and is adamant she never saw him again after his last leave. It is like he disappeared from the face of the earth.

Hi Shirley - yes that is him. That is his birth certificate information which I have got a copy of. I have also found marriages, and deaths of William Platts after the war however it would have made no sense whatsoever that he didn't come home to his parents if he was discharged from the army. During wartime the only way you left the army is medically, or MIA, or KIA. I have just written to the local British Legion and also to the letters page of our local papers to see if anyone can remember serving with him

Have you got his actual service record or just a document that was held by the family?

I did have a copy of his service record - unfortunately I have misplaced it - however these details were taken from it

Where did you get the service record from? Not sure how you could have applied for it as you can't prove his death?

Perhaps there's a reference after the note of his discharge - Kings Regulations followed by a number, giving reason for discharge.

Hi a friend obtained it for me but cant find any other information.There is nothing after it says 'Discharged' unfortunately. He did advise the next step would be kew as the 2nd recce details are held there and that was the last battalion he fought in. I just wondered if anyone on here had ever come across anything like this before

I would question what document your friend got for you,

From the info you have it's hard to tell if it was his actual service record or not but for this mans full service record to be released he or his next of kin would need to apply with proof of his death,
Kew don't hold service records for army personnel from that time period, they are still held by the MOD

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

Roy

Kew has War Diaries, though. although whether it would help in this instance, I don't know.

Thanks for the advice hopefully the British legion and newspapers will bring something up