Ww2 Records, Any tips?

[Chris_Pallet]

Hiya,
Have you found a reliable website etc that has good ww2 records?
Obviously don't mind paying etc if it has been successful for you, I just don't want to sign up pay for nothing....

Mums done some searching but just cannot find anything on grandad.
He was always coy about talking about the war so didn't know too much information.

Found these pics tonight of him in the suez canal, Egypt and Israel. 1946

 

[baldkev]

Nope, but im watching with interest.... i guess you'll need as much info as poss, when he joined up ( roughly ) , which regiment he was in, where he went and when he demobbed etc...

 

[Sachakins]

Give this a try, it may give you an indication of possible start point

https://www.myheritage.com/research...7_gge0rp7l9LQq_qfUDeZ0hj5qe8TDPoaAn4YEALw_wcB

 

[Jacob]

I found a lot about WW1 uncle who died on the Somme.
You might need his full name, date + place of birth/death, regiment, any details of his life such as school, places of work, all addresses, others in the family, and so on. Google away - you never know quite which bits of info will pick him up nor where they will take you next.
Stuff gets updated - you may find it later if not straightaway. A lot was updated pre 2018 centenary and I found all sorts of details which non of the family had been aware of.

 

[Linus]

If you have the necessary details i.e. service no., rank, name then you can get the military records of relatives from the site below. This is only for service records.
https://www.gov.uk/get-copy-military-service-records

 

[skeetstar]

Have a look on arrse. There's a section way down the forum lists about military history of military families. The knowledge on there is encyclopaedic. That said there doesn't look to be much in the way of badges etc to work Om, but you never know...

 

[whatknot]

No site no matter what they promise will have WW2 records, all records post 1920 are still with the MOD, you can send for them its £30 and a long wait, RAF records can now be ordered and paid for online, but Navy & Army are by cheque and order forms as posted above, RAF are quite quick, Navy and Army are a long wait at present

Army are taking about 18 months

Depending on when the service man or woman died, you will need to be the next of kin and be able to supply a death cert unless they died in service

 

[whatknot]

PS there are moves afoot to move the WW2 records to the National Archives over the next ten years and no doubt one of the big companies will bid for the contract of scanning and making them available online but that is a long way off as yet

 

[whatknot]

Surviving WW1 records are available on Ancestry & Findmypast both have their own transcriptions so can bring up different results

Roughly two thirds of WW1 service records were lost in WW2, so chances of finding a mans complete record are slim

The medal index cards are the most complete set of records available for WW1, those and the medal rolls are often the only surviving record

I found a lot about WW1 uncle who died on the Somme.
You might need his full name, date + place of birth/death, regiment, any details of his life such as school, places of work, all addresses, others in the family, and so on. Google away - you never know quite which bits of info will pick him up nor where they will take you next.
Stuff gets updated - you may find it later if not straightaway. A lot was updated pre 2018 centenary and I found all sorts of details which non of the family had been aware of.

 

[Richard_C]

You might find something on National Archives but by a backwards route if you have details of which unit he was in and when. I knew from a few scant notes my father's squadron in the RAF and the months he was on operational flights (as a pilot in a Baltimore) in Italy.

National Archive has scanned squadron records, and every CO did a daily report which named targets, aircraft numbers, times and crews plus any notable events. By looking thorugh the monthly reports I was able to see (but not search, its pdf of handwritten reports) every one of the operations he flew - all 81. So I couldn't find him via him, I could via his squadron.

I wonder if there are similar records for the army? You do need a starting point though, but maybe if you narrow it down a bit you can find something.

 

[whatknot]

About the only comparable records would be the war diaries but you need to know what unit he served in

You might find something on National Archives but by a backwards route if you have details of which unit he was in and when. I knew from a few scant notes my father's squadron in the RAF and the months he was on operational flights (as a pilot in a Baltimore) in Italy.

National Archive has scanned squadron records, and every CO did a daily report which named targets, aircraft numbers, times and crews plus any notable events. By looking thorugh the monthly reports I was able to see (but not search, its pdf of handwritten reports) every one of the operations he flew - all 81. So I couldn't find him via him, I could via his squadron.

I wonder if there are similar records for the army? You do need a starting point though, but maybe if you narrow it down a bit you can find something.