Plus one can also check at the National Archives of Australia www.naa.gov.au/ Cathy Dunn At 05:50 PM 16/03/2006 +1100, you wrote: >Chris > >The "records office burnt down" sounds like a furphy since there are over >million records at http://www.ww2roll.gov.au/ > >More probable is that he enlisted under an alias. > >Anthony Staunton > > > > > >-----Original Message----- >From: chris tillett [mailto:ch_till@yahoo.com.au] >Sent: Thursday, 16 March 2006 4:41 PM >To: AUS-MILITARY-L@rootsweb.com >Subject: [AUS-MIL] How to prove service WW2 > >Hi all, > I m trying to track WW2 records for > Victor Kenneth CHARMAN born 2/11/1921 > who enlisted in Bathurst. > Apparently the records office burnt down and the family can not trace any >service records for this man. Surely he would have had service medals >allocated. > Anyone have any wonderful ideas on how to achieve this? > They believe he served in the Aus Army, the family has a picture of him >(in uniform) and his mates on return to Aus. > Cheers > Chris > > > > >==== AUS-MILITARY Mailing List ==== >AUS-MILITARY is set so that, by default, replies go to the list. Please >check your replies before sending, to make sure that is what you know is >happening.

Hi Chris & list, You wrote:- >> I m trying to track WW2 records for >> Victor Kenneth CHARMAN born 2/11/1921 >> who enlisted in Bathurst. >> Apparently the records office burnt down and the family can not trace >> any >>service records for this man. Surely he would have had service medals >>allocated. >> Anyone have any wonderful ideas on how to achieve this? >> They believe he served in the Aus Army, the family has a picture of him >>(in uniform) and his mates on return to Aus. >> Is it safe to assume that it was the Australian Army he served in.? Could it be the British Armed Services?. Did I see on the list some time ago that records were destroyed during the Blitz and the remaining records, such as medal cards are damaged by smoke & water so that they are very fragile.Maybe the family lore has a ring of truth to some degree. Even assuming that he enlisted in Bathurst as early as 1941 he is a good age. Maybe he did enlist under an assumed name and age in which case you may have little chance of finding him unless you have some of his papers or a letter from that period with a Unit postmark or his Serial number on the inside of a kitchen cabinet (as I found).People on this list are great at finding the obscure so post a scan of the photo and you might get lucky IDing the uniform or patches.Worth a try if you have that wall and can't find him on the ww2roll. Don't forget to try different spelling when searching the index in case it was mistranscribed and try the RAAF as well as the navy in case he moved between them(may never have been known to happen but that brick wall has to come down.) Regards Rob Dubbo >> >> >> >> >>==== AUS-MILITARY Mailing List ==== >>AUS-MILITARY is set so that, by default, replies go to the list. Please >>check your replies before sending, to make sure that is what you know is >>happening. > > > ==== AUS-MILITARY Mailing List ==== > Anzac Research > http://anzacresearch.tripod.com/index.htm > > > > > -- > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG Free Edition. > Version: 7.1.385 / Virus Database: 268.2.4/282 - Release Date: 3/15/2006 > >

Hi All: Some British & American Army Records have been lost: British WWI Army records, about 60% of soldiers' (other ranks) records were lost by bombing in 1940, see: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/RdLeaflet.asp?sLeafletID=18 But the British WWI Campaign Medal Roll index is avaliable online. American Army & Air Force Records were lost in a 1973 fire at St Louis, Missouri (NARA, NPC). Some alternate sources are avaliable, see: http://www.archives.gov/st-louis/military-personnel/fire-1973.html But NOT British WWII records as suggested below, or Australian records (as far as I am aware) as suggested earlier Yours, John Wilson > Could it be the British Armed Services?. Did I see on the list some time ago > that records were destroyed during the Blitz and the remaining records, > such as medal cards are damaged by smoke & water so that they are > very fragile.