GREATWAR-L Archives

Archiver > GREATWAR > 2001-10 > 1002351020


From: Iain Kerr <>
Subject: Re: [WW1] Need help with obtaining records
Date: Sat, 06 Oct 2001 07:50:20 +0100
In-Reply-To: <01bb01c14d98$e0a8a140$33d1fea9@uz2277>


At 22:25 05/10/01 +1000, Elaine Jefferson wrote:
>Hi to all on the list.
>My name is Elaine JEFFERSON and I live in MELBOURNE, VICTORIA and I would
>like to post some questions to you. I have some family that served in the
>WW 1 and were killed whilst on duty in France etc. I have their names,
>ranks and dates of deaths from the Those Killed In The Great War CD which
>are held at local Genealogy Society.
>I have wondered how do I get hold of their records and what sort of money
>am I looking at and where from. Do I have to contact the PRO for this.
>As you can see I am a newie at this type of research and would appreciate
>help of any kind.
>I hasten to add my family were born & bred in SUSSEX and the family name
>is NEWNHAM.
>
>With many thanks for any help
>Elaine Jefferson in Melbourne
>

Elaine,

The answers are to be found at the Public Record Office, Kew. The only
costs will be those involved in getting there or of employing a researcher
to do the searching for you.

Assuming that you are referring to men who served in the British Army:

The British armed services personnel records for those serving in 1914 up
to 1921 are currently being released from the Ministry of Defence to the
Public Record Office, Ruskin Avenue, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 4DU, United
Kingdom; (Telephone: General Enquiries, ++44 (0) 208 876 3444; Records
Information, ++44 (0) 208 392 5200; Fax: ++44 (020) 8878 8905). There they
are being microfilmed to occupy a number of new archives. This is a major
project that is forecast to take a number of years to complete from the
start of the work in 1997. The original documents cannot be viewed due to
their fragile condition. It will be some years before all surviving
information from these documents will be available remotely due to the
complexity of the information and volume. The records are available in the
PRO microfilm reading room as follows:
British Army commissioned officers whose service ended in 1920 or before
(in WO 339) and Territorial Force officers (in WO 374);

British Army Other Ranks, whose service ended in 1920 or before, may be in
the so-called "burnt" records for surnames beginning with A, B, C, D, E, F,
N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y and Z. These are in WO 363 - First
World War Soldiers' Documents. The year 2001 will see release of those
beginning K, L and M. In 2002 those starting H, I and J will be released.
The programme concludes in Summer 2003 with the letter G. It was announced
in November 2000 that the filming of these documents is to be accelerated
with a new target completion date for the project of 30 April 2002. Revised
target completion dates for remaining surname letters will be announced by
the PRO as soon as they have been agreed with the contractor.


You should note that there is some risk that the official archives of more
recent British Army personnel records are incomplete. It is reported that
up to half of the original pre-World War II British Army soldier's personal
records were badly damaged by fire and water following a 1940 German
bombing raid on the Hayes Record Office during World War II. Those that
survived are often incomplete and in a poor condition.

World War I Medal Rolls

If the serviceman or woman survived World War I and served long enough
overseas to qualify for campaign medals, then they should be found in the
Medal Rolls held at the PRO Kew. The rolls record service (campaign) medal
and honours and awards; the lists are kept in class WO 329. These rolls
however give little or no personal information being confined to the unit,
service number, theatres of war in which the individual served, and the
medals awarded. Those who served in France and Flanders between 5 Aug and
22 Nov 1914 received the 1914 Star (the "Old Contemptibles" medal). Those
who served in any war zones between 5 Aug 1914 and 31 Dec 1915 were awarded
the 1914-15 Star. All British and imperial servicemen and women who served
outside the UK between 1914 and 1920 were given the British War Medal and
British forces over the same period also received the Victory Medal. [The
three medals 1914 or 1914/15 Star, the War Medal and the Victory Medal
became known as "Pip, Squeak and Wilfred" to old soldiers.]



All of these records are open for personal search by the enquirer or a
nominated agent. Details of the PRO can be found at their web site URL:
http://www.pro.gov.uk/ The PRO do not have an on-line searchable archive,
but they do now have searchable indexes to the main archives. The PRO do
not usually undertake any research for personal or postal
enquirers. However they now offer a copying service and the PRO maintain
a list of independent researchers, with a useful search facility. The
address is: http://www.pro.gov.uk/readers/irlist/default.htm

Yours aye,

Iain Kerr in Windsor, Berkshire, United Kingdom
Web Page at: http://home.clara.net/iainkerr/index.htm
RootsWeb Sponsor and Listowner for the WORLDWAR2 Mailing List.

This thread: