GREATWAR-L Archives

From: "Ken Wilson-Wheeler" <>
Subject: Re: [WW1] New Subscriber
Date: Wed, 1 Nov 2000 07:46:00 -0000
References: <000e01c04378$24c1efc0$40c866c3@LMS>

John,
As far as I am aware there is no list of deserters.

You should, however, be able to find his service record in the Public Record
Office at Kew (London). I would suggest that you start by looking at the
medal rolls (in series ADM171) for both names. This will identify anyone by
the name of Forrest, JF and Love, WJ and will give you service numbers for
them. You can then proceed to the service records themselves using the
service numbers and eliminate any one who was clearly not your father until
you find him. When you find him his service record will show the word "Run"
if he did desert. You may, of course, find a service record for him under
both names as he could have deserted and then subsequently re-enlisted under
his new name. It is possible that he was not necessarily "regular" RN but a
reservist (either RNR or RNVR): They were doing the obligatory annual
training "stint" in late July but were not released (on Winston Churchill's
orders) due the worsening political situation and seeming inevitability of
war. He would, thus, have still been aboard ship on the day war was
declared.

Hope this helps and you find his service record(s). As a collector of
medals to the WW1 I would be interested to hear of your findings.
Ken.

----- Original Message -----
From: "John Love" <>
To: <>
Sent: 31 October 2000 20:18
Subject: [WW1] New Subscriber


> Hi, I'm another new entrant hoping for some advice. To summarise, my
first
> question is: is there a list of RN Deserters?
>
> Please bear with the story! I've spent some time researching my father's
> line (mainly Tyneside) to establish why he changed his identity from
William
> James Frederick FORREST b. 4 Aug 1882, North Shields, NBL, (a naval
family)
> to William James LOVE, b. 4 Aug 1887. He told many stories but gave
little
> hard fact and, when faced with his true identity late in life, maintained
> that it was his grandmother's maiden name ... not true. I've tracked his
> LOVE identity backwards, to the early 1930's, and his FORREST identity
> forward, to the 1910's. So was it the Great War? His stories included:
> That he was on a ship in Scapa Flow on the day war was declared, his
> birthday; he was on a ship at Gallipoli; he was on a merchant ship
sailing
> regularly to Germany immediately after the war.
>
> I reckon that, if the DHSS could catch up with him, then he was not a
major
> wanted criminal! But did he desert? He was always 'touchy' about
details,
> which we put down to bad experiences, but would not explain a change of
> identity.
>
> I realise that I have almost nowhere to start to research his service
> record, with even two names to choose from. That is, even if there is a
> service record to find!
>
> Anything will be gratefully received.
>
> John LOVE in Salisbury, Eng.
>
> ______________________________

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• Re: [WW1] New Subscriber by "Ken Wilson-Wheeler" <>