Hi Mike, I hope you don't mind me butting in, but are all Great War soldiers service papers published on Ancestry. I am looking for my grandfather's service records. He was with the South Staffs and was wounded in 1916. After discharge from hospital in 1917 he was attached to the Notts & Derby T/R until his medical Discharge in December'17. Do I need to subscribe to Ancestry to get to find his papers? Talk to you soon, Bill ----- Original Message ----- From: "Mike Shingleton" <shinglma_64@btopenworld.com> To: "Derrick Parsons" <derrick.parsons@btinternet.com> Cc: <GREATWAR@rootsweb.com> Sent: Saturday, August 04, 2007 1:10 PM Subject: Re: [GREATWAR] Missing soldier dilemma > Hello Derrick, > > As Lou had pointed out the papers for Horace John Griffin are amongst > the papers in WO 364 now published on Ancestry. > > They give some indication as to his background and circumstances. He > attested on 07/01/1917 was assigned to the Army Reserve the following > day and mobilised on 26/04/1917. A member of the Army Service Corps > (Its probably Corps not COEDS) he joined the depot at Grove Park on > 04/05/1917 and moved to Camberwell on 03/06/1917. > > Much of the rest of the papers are given up to medical reports > on the Bronchitis with which he was suffering. This led eventually to > his being discharged as physically unfit for service on 11/10/1918. > He was discharged on that date from Battersea Motor Transport Depot. > There is no indication that he ever served overseas and if so that > would explain his absence from the medal index cards. > > His next of kin is given as his mother Laura D Griffin (I can't make > out the middle name) and her address is given as Downgate Post Office, > Stoke Climsland, Cornwall. > > He appears, aged 2, with his mother and father on the 1901 census for > Milton Abbot in Devon. His father's name is given there as Frederick > and in 1901 he was a grocer and draper aged 32. There is a death > registered in the first quarter of 1908 for a Frederick Griffin (aged > 39) in Launceston Registration District (Vol 5c p21). This would > appear to be his father. > > I've only highlighted some of the information from the service record > and would suggest you look over the complete document yourself. I too > am happy to e-mail you a copy. > > Kind regards > > > > Mike Shingleton > > Saturday, August 4, 2007, 9:43:17 AM, you wrote: > >> Good morning list, > >> I wonder if someone can help with a little puzzle. > >> I am researching names on the WW1 memorial in Stoke Climsland and >> have a >> H.Griffin. By a process of deduction, elimination and luck I think >> I've >> identified him as Horace Johns Griffin. I have his death certificate >> and he >> died locally in 1918, aged 19, of pleurisy and TB. On the >> certificate he is >> described as ex-Private, Army Service, COEDs (just about legible. >> Can >> anyone translate this for me?). No 318066 (Engineer). I cannot find >> his >> name mentioned on the WW1 Medal Rolls, CWGC or any records I can >> access via >> the internet. Given that he was only 19 when he died, I presume that >> he >> might not have spent any time abroad. > >> Has anyone any suggestions for where I go next to get some more >> details of >> him? Any idea what COEDs stands for? > >> Many thanks in advance. > >> Derrick Parsons >> >> ------------------------------- >> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >> GREATWAR-request@rootsweb.com with the >> word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of >> the message > > > > -- > Best regards, > Mike mailto:shinglma_64@btopenworld.com > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > GREATWAR-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > > -- > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG Free Edition. > Version: 7.5.476 / Virus Database: 269.11.4/935 - Release Date: > 03/08/2007 17:46 > >

Bill, > are all Great War soldiers service papers published on Ancestry" Simple answer - no. Only some 30% to 40% of records have survived. The vast majority of records of First World War soldiers were destroyed during WW2. Those which survived are fire and water damaged, often fragmentary (in terms of both individual pages and complete records) and are known as 'the burnt records'. They can be found on microfilm under catalogue class WO 363 at the National Archives at Kew in London. There is another set of service records held on microfilm at the National Archives in catalogue class WO 364. These papers are service records which were being used for pensions purposes and being held elsewhere survived the attentions of the Luftwaffe. It is these records which have just appeared online at Ancestry. My understanding is that Ancestry intend to put the 'burnt records' in WO 363 online by the end of 2008. Hope this helps Mike S

As far as I can see not all pension records are online at Ancestry. My grandfather had a pension and his records are not there. Funnily, the records are there for a gt uncle who only served for 11 days. He surely didn't receive a pension. He was 'fit' on the 19th and medically 'unfit' on the 29th! This probably sounds silly but, what exactly does 'embodied' mean in the promotions, reductions and casualties column. Kind regards Judith K ----- Original Message ----- From: "Mike Shingleton" <shinglma_64@btopenworld.com> To: "William longmore" <w.longmore@btinternet.com> Cc: <greatwar@rootsweb.com> Sent: Saturday, August 04, 2007 10:44 PM Subject: Re: [GREATWAR] Missing soldier dilemma > Bill, > >> are all Great War soldiers service papers published on Ancestry" > > Simple answer - no. Only some 30% to 40% of records have survived. > The vast majority of records of First World War soldiers were > destroyed during WW2. Those which survived are fire and water > damaged, often fragmentary (in terms of both individual pages and > complete records) and are known as 'the burnt records'. They can be > found on microfilm under catalogue class WO 363 at the National > Archives at Kew in London. > > There is another set of service records held on microfilm at the > National Archives in catalogue class WO 364. These papers are service > records which were being used for pensions purposes and being held > elsewhere survived the attentions of the Luftwaffe. > > It is these records which have just appeared online at Ancestry. > > My understanding is that Ancestry intend to put the 'burnt records' > in WO 363 online by the end of 2008. > > Hope this helps > > > > > Mike S > > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > GREATWAR-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message