Carla
LostCousins Star
For all those who have known I have been hunting for my Grandfather's WW1 records for years, I just want to shout out "I have found them" ! (I wanted to write that in capital letters 
)
The problem has always been that I was unable to actually prove which records were actually about him. I could find the same names, but never any service record which could have given an address or next of kin. I knew where he had served, and found one or two names in the Medal Index Records which seemed to be possibilities, but still no proof that they were a match. I asked my family about a few of the possibilities, and one in particular that had caught my eye. My grandfather, Joseph Charles Martin, had volunteered under age and his mother had written to the War Office to get him returned home, (so we have been told), but then Joe rejoined when he was old enough. I wasn't sure if he would have the same service number for each time he joined, or a different one? This record had the same service number and two ranks. The problem was one rank was Dvr. Well everyone told me Joe couldn't drive and so this record was put to the side as wrong. Maybe I should have thought about what type of vehicles would have been 'driven' in WW1, and whether you needed a 'driving licence' like today? Too much modern thinking.
Over three years have passed since that record was put to the side. This year I particularly wanted to find his records as I was entering all my family WW1 record details onto commemorative sites. The only one I couldn't add was my grandfather's. It was extraordinarily frustrating. I even asked on this forum, but even though lots of ideas and suggestions were given still the concrete proof of which record matched my grandfather eluded me
. Work took over. Family problems kept me busy. My internet went down. In fact I gave up.
Then on Friday Find My Past advertised another 'free weekend' and I thought " okay just have a peek". I knew that they have been adding a lot of new records this year but hadn't checked any of them. Can you imagine my sheer joy when the first military record I checked, one of the new releases, was a match for my grandfather? I still can feel that excitement now as I write this. In fact I was so shocked that I read it four times, and checked and checked before I literally screamed to my husband that I had found a match! There was the details of next of kin....yes that name matched my great grandfather. There was the details of his address on signing up....yes that matched the address the family was living at in 1914 when Joe's sister was born. Oh good grief this was it
. Not only that but would you believe it, the record matched the one I had put to the side. The very one that stated Dvr. The last piece of proof was that one of the new records showed his WW1 Service Number and his WW2 Service Number. Well I had his WW2 Service Number on the birth certificate of my aunt, born in 1939. It was a match many times over.
So yesterday I spent as much time as I could looking up more records with his WW1 Service Number and have learnt a lot. It seems my grandfather stayed in the army after WW1 ended, but his Medal Index Card states he deserted on the 22nd April 1920. As a consequence his 1914/1915 Star was scrapped, although it appears he was still given the Victory medal and the British War medal. I have no idea why, or what happened, as yet but details show he was still in the army in 1921 and 1933, and again as a TA in 1939. I have sent a request for his service records, and if I am fortunate they will be available and I can find out much more.
Today I feel relieved. Two days before Remembrance Sunday, and a few days before Armistice Day, I found my grandfather's WW1 records. It feels rather poignant, and almost like a conclusion, although the search for more information goes on. This has also been a steep learning curve. Never assume, never give up, and think outside the box.
)The problem has always been that I was unable to actually prove which records were actually about him. I could find the same names, but never any service record which could have given an address or next of kin. I knew where he had served, and found one or two names in the Medal Index Records which seemed to be possibilities, but still no proof that they were a match. I asked my family about a few of the possibilities, and one in particular that had caught my eye. My grandfather, Joseph Charles Martin, had volunteered under age and his mother had written to the War Office to get him returned home, (so we have been told), but then Joe rejoined when he was old enough. I wasn't sure if he would have the same service number for each time he joined, or a different one? This record had the same service number and two ranks. The problem was one rank was Dvr. Well everyone told me Joe couldn't drive and so this record was put to the side as wrong. Maybe I should have thought about what type of vehicles would have been 'driven' in WW1, and whether you needed a 'driving licence' like today? Too much modern thinking.
Over three years have passed since that record was put to the side. This year I particularly wanted to find his records as I was entering all my family WW1 record details onto commemorative sites. The only one I couldn't add was my grandfather's. It was extraordinarily frustrating. I even asked on this forum, but even though lots of ideas and suggestions were given still the concrete proof of which record matched my grandfather eluded me
. Work took over. Family problems kept me busy. My internet went down. In fact I gave up.Then on Friday Find My Past advertised another 'free weekend' and I thought " okay just have a peek". I knew that they have been adding a lot of new records this year but hadn't checked any of them. Can you imagine my sheer joy when the first military record I checked, one of the new releases, was a match for my grandfather? I still can feel that excitement now as I write this. In fact I was so shocked that I read it four times, and checked and checked before I literally screamed to my husband that I had found a match! There was the details of next of kin....yes that name matched my great grandfather. There was the details of his address on signing up....yes that matched the address the family was living at in 1914 when Joe's sister was born. Oh good grief this was it
. Not only that but would you believe it, the record matched the one I had put to the side. The very one that stated Dvr. The last piece of proof was that one of the new records showed his WW1 Service Number and his WW2 Service Number. Well I had his WW2 Service Number on the birth certificate of my aunt, born in 1939. It was a match many times over.So yesterday I spent as much time as I could looking up more records with his WW1 Service Number and have learnt a lot. It seems my grandfather stayed in the army after WW1 ended, but his Medal Index Card states he deserted on the 22nd April 1920. As a consequence his 1914/1915 Star was scrapped, although it appears he was still given the Victory medal and the British War medal. I have no idea why, or what happened, as yet but details show he was still in the army in 1921 and 1933, and again as a TA in 1939. I have sent a request for his service records, and if I am fortunate they will be available and I can find out much more.
Today I feel relieved. Two days before Remembrance Sunday, and a few days before Armistice Day, I found my grandfather's WW1 records. It feels rather poignant, and almost like a conclusion, although the search for more information goes on. This has also been a steep learning curve. Never assume, never give up, and think outside the box.
