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I am relatively competent in looking for ancestors but military is something I am not sure about.
Question -
How do you obtain copies of WW1 military records?
I have got some basic stuff but like to see his service records, if possible.
Thanks in advance from a military novice
Jayne
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WW1 army records for soldiers whose service terminated during or shortly after WW1 had their records stored together, including pre-WW1soldiers/militia who were reactivated/activated for WW1. The building caught fire, and 70% of the records were destroyed. This doesn't apply to WW1 soldiers who continued serving well into the 1920s and later - their records are treated as modern, and must be applied for.
WW1 pension records do survive.
Essentially, every WW1 soldier got at least one campaign medal - most get 2, and some got 3, and maybe got bravery medals too. The campaign medals, and sometimes the others, are recorded on medal cards - these should state when a soldier entered a theatre of war, and which theatre (but they don't always). They do give the guy's unit and service #, which can be useful in searching.
Ancestry has these 3 classes of records - with images.
A service record might have some medical details - it will have a very brief chronology of his movement between units - when he was TOS (taken on strength) of one unit, and SOS (struck off strength of another unit.. These units can be Field Ambulance Coys, CCSs (Casualty Clearing Stations), and Hospitals if he got wounded or sick.
His service record will have no details of what he actually did, but you can see what his unit did at various sites, e.g.,
http://www.1914-1918.net/index.html
So, as an example, my wife's gt uncle was in the 1/5 bn DLI:
http://www.1914-1918.net/dli.htm
which initially was one of 4 battalions in the 150th brigade - one of 3 bdes in the 50th div. In the spring of 1918, manpower shortage forced most bdes to have.just 3 bns, so his bn was moved to 151 bde, but still in 50th div.
Divisional components (except maybe their artillery) stuck together, and operated as one big unit, so what the 1/5 bn DLI did is found under the division:
http://www.1914-1918.net/50div.htm
The unit (bn in this case) war diaries detail what the unit did on a day by day basis - Ancestry has these too - search the card catalog for war diaries, and then the individual search screen for unit or regiment or something like that as Durham Light Infantry, and subunit as 5th battalion. My g uncle's unit's war diaries run to abt 230 pages - took me close to 4hrs to download. My grandad was in another unit in 50th div - his unit's war diaries run to over 400 pages - I only got 20% of these as my free w/e at Ancestry timed out with 6hrs-worth of records left.
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Ancestry do hold Service/**Pension records for various Sydney James Smith.
To identify which, if any, are relevant, please tell us
When he was born
Where he was born
The name of his likely next of kin - this often be his wife, father or mother.
** Pensions tended to be given if a service man sustained an injury or contracted an illness. Causes could be as a direct result of enemy action, being kicked by a horse, straining muscles while unloading a train or, as was the case with a known relative, contracting Malaria or other long term infection. There are no doubt many more - those are the ones I've read.
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Thank you both so much!
I do know that my gt uncle died in Leeds in 1919. He hailed from Worcestershire but rumour has it he was kicked by a horse but he is still classed as a Ww1 death.
Sydney was born in 1889 in Eckington, Worcestershire. His next of kin was William Frederick and Fanny Smith. I know he didn't marry.
Thank you
Regards
Jayne :-)
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This man? Entry from CWGC
http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/364093/SMITH,%20S%20J
SMITH, S J
Rank: Lance Corporal
Service No:17844
Date of Death: 08/05/1919
Age:29
Regiment/Service: Worcestershire Regiment
Grave Reference: E. 3. 28.
Cemetery: ECKINGTON CEMETERY
Additional Information:
Son of William and Fanny Smith, of School Lane, Eckington.
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From Ancestry
UK, WWI Service Medal and Award Rolls, 1914-1920
Name: Sydney Smith
Military Year: 1914-1920
Rank: Lance Corporal
Medal Awarded: British War Medal and Victory Medal
Regiment or Corps: Worcestershire Regiment
Regimental Number: 17844
Previous Units: 1st Worcs. Rgt 17844 Pte
Can't find anything else - perhaps someone else can?
You can work out rough years for when he was conscripted or volunteered by his medals
http://www.1914-1918.net/soldiers/themedals.html
The Worcs Regimental diaries are on Ancestry, and also the National Archives. They are unlikely to mention Sydney, However it might give you an idea were he may have served.
There are plenty of mentions of the Worcestershires on the Internet.
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The Worcestershire Regiment
Battalions of the Regular Army
1st Battalion
August 1914 : in Cairo. Returned to England, landing at Liverpool 16 October 1914.
16 October 1914 : came under command of 24th Brigade in 8th Division. Moved to Hursley Park (Winchester).
Landed at Le Havre 6 November 1914.
http://www.1914-1918.net/worcester.htm
Since he never got the 1914-15 Star, he never went to France pre-1916. He could have enlisted pre-1916, but still be in training in the UK before being sent out later as a replacement.
http://www.1914-1918.net/8div.htm
http://www.1914-1918.net/23div.htm
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Do you have this? A photo of his headstone
http://twgpp.org/information.php?id=1309087
It's possible to down load a 'proof' copy, or to order a 'clean' version for a donation off £3.50.
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Dear all
I am so grateful for your help! Have been unwell today so have only just seen all this extra information . :-D
Thanks again this site has fantastic helpful members!
Jayne
<3
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If you know which regiment he served in the next step would be the regimental diaries. This would give you a good overview on what his regiment went through.
They are in the main, kept at Kew, some are held at the Imperial War Museum. And some are still held within regimental archives.
And as an added bit of info, a lady from Kew was on tv earlier this year and she stated that in fact it is around 75% of all WW1 records were destroyed in WW2 when the building they were stored in was bombed by the Lufftwaffe.
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