Find Ancestors

l have searching and searching for the service reocord for a WW1 solder who died on the Somme and is buried at Collincamp Cemetery Belgium. l can find jis medal card but no luck any where for his enlistment papers or service record.
His name is Stephen Swatton, he served with the royal sussex regiment he died 23/9/1916 and his service number is G/17975. He was born 1881 wickham berkshire thank you

there is nothing on fmp, maybe the records were destroyed in ww2 bombing
maddie

Only 30% of WW1 records survive. As Maddie said, many were destroyed.

Is this him in 1901? If so, his brother George's WW1 record is on Ancestry:

1901 England Census
about Stephen Swatton
Name: Stephen Swatton
Age: 19
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1882
Relation: Son
Mother's Name: Elizabeth Swatton
Gender: Male
Where born: Wickham, Berkshire, England

Civil parish: Shaw cum Donnington
Ecclesiastical parish: St Mary
Town: Donnington
County/Island: Berkshire
Country: England

Street Address:

Occupation:

Condition as to marriage:

Education:

Employment status: View image

Registration district: Newbury
Sub-registration district: Speen
ED, institution, or vessel: 11
Neighbors: View others on page
Household schedule number: 73
Piece: 1122
Folio: 122
Page Number: 10
Household Members: Name Age
Elizabeth Swatton 55
Annie Swatton 28
George Swatton 22
Edward Swatton 19
Stephen Swatton 19
Alfred Swatton 15

yes thats him

you could try here

http://www.forces-war-records.co.uk

If you are interested The War Graves Photographic Project have photographed his headstone, you can obtain copies from them, but the do ask for a donation. See link for details etc.


link for details etc

http://twgpp.org/information.php?id=2801985


Swatton, S
Cemetery: Euston Road Cemetery

Country: France

Area: Somme

Rank: Private

Official Number: G/17975

Unit: 13th Bn. Royal Sussex Regiment.

Force: Army

Nationality: British

Details:
23rd September 1916. III. I. 3.


There is also this site and it free, you have to apply for the photo

http://www.britishwargraves.co.uk/page11.htm



George

Chloe, do you have access to Ancestry? If not, PM me your email address and I will send you the images.

think l have tried forces war records but l will check again
Thanks george of westbury we have visited his grave and laid flowers we where the first to go there since the war it was very moving

Forces war records will have details, but they are not his service records, these can only be found on Ancestry, if they have survived, it seems they have not, which is a shame.

Also what is strange only a very few service records of soldiers who died in WW1 can be found, personally i have only ever found one.

George

thank you so much for helping potty lt will make interesting reading

Have sent Chloe George Swatton's WW1 images.

George, I think I have been quite lucky in finding WW1 records for my father's family. Of 4 brothers who served, I have found records for two, including one who died. That one included a list of all the family members made out by my grandmother, I presume for some memorial.

Soldiers Died in the Great War 1914-1919 - soldier details (FMP)
Name: Stephen SWATTON
Rank: PRIVATE
Initials: S
Birthplace: Wickham, Berks
Residence:
Enlisted: Hastings
Regiment, Corps etc.: Royal Sussex Regiment

Battalion etc.: 13th Battalion.
Raised at Bexhill 20.11.14 by Lieut. Col. C. Lowther, M.P. and committee. Subsequent record same as 11th Bn. to May 1918, then 23.5.18 reduced to training cadre. 17.6.18 to 118th Bde. 39th Div. 14.8.18 disbanded and personnel to 1/4th Bn.

Number: G/17975
Date died: 23 September 1916
How died: Killed in action
Theatre of war: British Expeditionary Force

Chris :)

thank you chris more info the better

Chloe


I have to say that I have not yet found service records for a serviceman who died in WW1.

I know others have ............... but I have not, and I have assumed in the past that records for men who died were removed from the "active" file.


If they are not on ancestry, then I do not think they can be found anywhere, as I am under the impression that ancestry has digitised all the existing records for WW1 men,

There are plenty of surviving service records for men who died, on Ancestry.

Ancestry has all WW1 Army records for "other ranks" but not officers.

was plain ann ...................

I know others who say that service records for men who died are on Ancestry .............


I merely say that I myself have never found any, and I have looked for "lots", both for myself and for others.


.......... so it would be very unfair of me to tell anyone that you "will" find those records on ancestry.

Sylvia

It would be unfair to tell anyone that ANY WW1 service record will be found on Ancestry, as so many were destroyed.

I've looked for thousands of WW1 records on Ancestry and on film at the National Archives before they were digitised and can only say that there are many service records for those who died. Don't know quite why people keep saying that there aren't.......

I say what I said because I've never found any service man who is known dead that I have been looking for

I've found death records, I've found where buried, etc etc. I've found medal cards, BUT i have not found service records on ancestry

Now, I maybe am just plain unlucky, but that is MY experience.


That's why I normally say in full ..................

Only about 30% of WW1service records survived WW2, and many of those that have survived are badly damaged and / or incomplete. I myself have never found any records for dead servicemen, and have assumed that they were moved from the active file after death. I do know that other people have found them, but I have not.


On this thread, others had already told Chloe that there was only a small percentage of surviving records, and I did not wish to repeat that again.



As I said, as I have never found them myself, I can only say that, with the addition that "others say they have".


I don't quite know why you are being so in disagreement with me ......... I might even say disagreeable ................ it seems to me as though you are deliberately misunderstanding what I've written, and are determined that you must be right and I must be wrong.


very strange!

I'm not being disagreeable - just trying to put the record straight! Just because you haven't found records for any man who died, doesn't mean that they don't exist! I am right in that they do exist. Just think your statement might be misleading to inexperienced people, that's all.

I have to add my experience to what Sylvia is saying.
My grandmother´s brother was killed in action 24.8.1914. I have his info from the Commonwealth Graves site & I have his medal, but his service record is not on Ancestry. Nor are those of his two older brothers who survived, but have found a record for his younger brother.
I just assumed that the ones I was looking for were among the ones which had been destroyed.