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Archiver > GREATWAR > 2000-11 > 0973144904


From: Iain Kerr <>
Subject: Re: [WW1] Re:Records at Kew a question for Iain
Date: Thu, 02 Nov 2000 06:01:44 +0000
References: <200011012251.eA1MpU524386@lists3.rootsweb.com>
In-Reply-To: <3A00A2D8.9800EEEE@cwcom.net>


At 23:10 01/11/00, S. Deane wrote:
>Hello Iain,
>I did find a relatives papers at Kew but it was only his most recent
>service details
>in the First World War. On his papers it said he had already served 12
>years in the
>R.H.R.F.A. If these papers had served would they have been with his First
>World War
>service at Kew. I do know there are other places to look, but was just
>curious to
>know if they should have been there.

Sharon,

That sounds as if he had either broken service or was recalled to the
colours as a pre-war regular soldier with a reserve service liability.

I decode the acronym "R.H.R.F.A." as The Royal Horse Artillery and Royal
Field Artillery - an awkward expansion of that period for what we now know
of as the Royal Artillery.

His pre-war records should be found at the PRO in WO 97 Soldiers' Documents
(Attestation and Discharge Papers). WO 97 is the main series of personnel
records for long service soldiers. These survive for most men who served
between 1750 and 1882 and who did not die in service and were discharged to
pension (that is to say either those who completed full service, say 20+
years, or were discharged medically). However, for those discharged
between the years 1882-1913, the documents were listed alphabetically for
all soldiers who had survived an Army career, and not just those discharged
to pension. These documents are a wonderful supply of information about
the soldier and contain a mass of detail on his career.

Yours aye,

Iain Kerr
In Windsor, Berkshire
Web Page at: http://home.clara.net/iainkerr/index.htm
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