My paternal grandfather was, in many ways, not a good man. An alcoholic and wife beater, for starters. Still, he's mine and I want to know more about him. He and his brothers in Salford, Lancs all joined up in 1914 and were assigned to the British Army Service Corps. In 1916 he came home on leave. A family blowup prompted him to take his three younger children away from their mother and park them with his mother. He then emigrated to Canada with his oldest son and joined the Canadian Army. I have his attestation papers for that. In them, he swore he had never served in another country's armed forces. The Canadian officials apparently ignored the fact that he had a piece of shot in one eye. You don't get that being the town postman. He also listed his mother as his wife. So I wonder how he managed to leave the British Army and emigrate from England. Could a British soldier just quit in the middle of a war? Did he go AWOL? Did he and his son need to get passports to be accepted into Canada? I understand much of the British records from WWI were destroyed in WWII bombing. I have searched the British medal rolls records but found no definitive answer there. And I don't know where else to look. I'd be grateful for any suggestions.

Hi Patricia I am always a little wary when I see that sort of statement about a man or woman who are not around to defend themselves, I don't know if you are on his side (ie you descend from his Canadian side) or from his wife Evelyns side left in England If you are going on family stories passed down they can often be slanted somewhat, only you will have that knowledge and I don't mean to question its veracity Re Joseph Wolstenholme ANDREW As to his Army service, how sure are you that he did serve in the ASC? The fact he signs up in Canada stating no former service does suggest he has gone AWOL from the British Army but you do wonder why he used his full name and didn't try and hide under a false name Could he have been discharged from the Army perhaps? ill health or gunshot wound ? (many accidents occurred in the UK) The reason you can't find a medal card is perhaps that he was not entitled to any (eg didn't serve abroad) or he was barred from his entitlement as he had skipped to Canada Civil crimes or going AWOL could bar his entitlement Guns were used by many people in the pre war period so him having a gun wound of some sort would not necessarily draw that much attention For passports try <http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/looking-for-person/passport.htm> You are correct in that approximately two thirds of service records were lost in WW2 so there is more chance they were destroyed than not Nivard Ovington in Cornwall (UK) On 26/11/2012 07:52, Patricia Andrew wrote: > My paternal grandfather was, in many ways, not a good man. An alcoholic > and wife beater, for starters. > Still, he's mine and I want to know more about him. > > He and his brothers in Salford, Lancs all joined up in 1914 and were > assigned to the British Army Service Corps. > > In 1916 he came home on leave. A family blowup prompted him to take his > three younger children away from their mother and park them with his mother. > He then emigrated to Canada with his oldest son and joined the Canadian > Army. > > I have his attestation papers for that. In them, he swore he had never > served in another country's armed forces. > The Canadian officials apparently ignored the fact that he had a piece > of shot in one eye. > You don't get that being the town postman. > He also listed his mother as his wife. > > So I wonder how he managed to leave the British Army and emigrate from > England. Could a British soldier just quit in the middle of a war? > Did he go AWOL? Did he and his son need to get passports to be accepted > into Canada? > > I understand much of the British records from WWI were destroyed in WWII > bombing. > I have searched the British medal rolls records but found no definitive > answer there. > And I don't know where else to look. > > I'd be grateful for any suggestions.