On Tue, 14 Nov 2006 11:45:15 +1300, "Dave" <[email protected]> wrote: >Could someone please advise me how to get to my fathers service record. >He served with the ROYAL ARMY MEDICAL CORPS during the first World War >His name was David Baxter Robertson If he was discharged after 1921-ish, then his service Record will have been retained by the Ministry of Defence, and can only be obtained by (or with the permission of) his next of kin. See http://www.veteransagency.mod.uk/service_recs/service_recs.htm http://www.veteransagency.mod.uk/service_recs/service%20_recs_army.htm http://www.veteransagency.mod.uk/contact_us/contact_us_faqserpens.htm If he was discharged before 1921, and didn't join up again (eg in the Home Guard in WW2), then his Service Record might be stored at the National Archives at Kew. For Other Ranks (ie not officers), only about 30%-40% of WW1 Service Records have survived, and they are stored on microfilm in the Burnt and Unburnt Documents collections. See <http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pathways/firstworldwar/service_records/sr_soldiers.htm> and <http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/RdLeaflet.asp?sLeafletID=18> A WW1 OR's Service Record is a goldmine of information, but there are problems with their survival rate and with their legibility, especially with the Burnt Documents, which are often charred at the edges. To search for it, you could visit or get someone to look through the microfilms at the National Archives, or order the films through the LDS. If he served overseas in WW1, then he will almost certainly have been awarded a campaign medal. A card index system was used to record the issue of these campaign medals, and these Medal Index Cards were first put on microfiche, and have recently been scanned and entered into a database. You can search the database at <http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/browse-refine.asp?CatID=10&searchType=browserefine&pagenumber=1&query=*&queryType=1> and there are guidance notes at http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/medals.asp Unfortunately, since there are about 6-7 million cards, it is very likely that you fill find several MICs for a particular name. Also there is no standard way of entering a name, eg John Albert Smith might be recorded as John A Smith, J A Smith, or John Albert Smith, and so several searches will have to be made. You can download an image of his Medal Index Card from the database for £3.50, and this may give you information about his service over and above his medal entitlement. Note that each download usually consists of a sheet of six MICs for men who have names near to each other alphabetically. It's usually best to pay for and download each MIC separately to avoid paying for the same sheet more than once. The MIC will give the reference number of his Medal Rolls, and depending on what the MIC says, it may be worth having a look at them. At the moment, these are only available from the National Archives. Do you know where he was educated, or what part of the city he lived in? Forrest -- Forrest Anderson, Edinburgh, Scotland. E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.military-researcher.com Forrestdale Research - Military Genealogical Researcher