military records

Discussion in 'Searching for Someone & Military Genealogy' started by Oldleg, Jul 8, 2018.

  1. Oldleg

    Oldleg Well-Known Member

    Can anyone tell me where I contact within the MOD to get a copy of someones military records? If anyone can tell me any contact details i.e email address, postal address and telephone number that would be great.
     
  2. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

  3. gmyles

    gmyles Senior Member

    Hi everyone.

    As this is the number one question we ever get asked. Is there a way we can make this question/answer most prominent on the homepage. Or maybe a FAQ post perhaps.

    Gus
     
  4. dbf

    dbf Moderatrix MOD

  5. gmyles

    gmyles Senior Member

    It's not that the information isn't already available. It is clearly not sufficiently prominent for new inquirers to spot it when they arrive at the homepage for the first time.

    Could it be stuck at the top of the homepage perhaps?

    Gus
     
  6. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    Hi Gus

    One of the other problems is that you can take a horse to water ..................................................

    We have well known members on here who would still ask the same question no matter how many places you posted that information, what I'm saying is that often new membrs start posting without going through any process of

    ..how can I find information for myself ... this question must have been asked before therefore - aha I'll use the search facility - something else may of us forget to use.

    So I guess at that end of the day its up to members to point the new ones in the right direction to get them started

    TD
     
    Last edited: Jul 8, 2018
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  7. 4jonboy

    4jonboy Daughter of a 56 Recce

    Agreed TD. Keep up the good work:)

    Although how many times have we come across new members who don't take any notice of endless posts by us all to APPLY FOR THE bl*ody RECORDS FROM THE MOD. Sometimes they won't be helped and I feel like we waste our time bothering. :reallymad:(rant over-it's been one of those days).
     
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  8. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

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  9. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    Time for a nice cup of relaxing tea then :)

    TD
     
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  10. dbf

    dbf Moderatrix MOD

    Under each sub-forum the most helpful/illustrative threads have been pinned/made a 'sticky' - i.e. they don't drop down the respective lists when new threads are posted. That means that when someone goes to Searching for Someone & Military Genealogy they should be able to quickly find the basics. (Recently we had a thread about there being too many pinned threads but the mods do try hard - within the forum's format - to maintain a balance of up-to-date and relevant examples as well as to respond to requests by members.)

    Creating a homepage for such tips and how-to's would mean that only Mods (most likely just von Poop) would be able to maintain it, thus depriving the membership of the opportunity to contribute/update, especially those who are more informed than the Mod team in their respective areas.

    To give a personal example: I had a how-to thread for Gds research; choc-full of links, tips and sources. Unfortunately it was a constant battle to keep it relevant and correct. It fell victim to procedural changes, software updates, broken links (internal and external), etc etc etc. Sometimes it's just simpler/quicker for a person to ask on a new thread and get a reply or be referred to a previous thread. (And, if needed, merging is always a easy fix.)
     
  11. gmyles

    gmyles Senior Member

    TD

    You are right that you can't lead a horse to water .....

    But, if the mountain will not come to Muhammad.....

    Right now, the answer to probably the most frequently asked question, can be found within a post entitled "WW2 Service Records Address", which is the Fourteenth Post down inside the "Searching for Someone & Military Genealogy" sub-group. The twenty third link as you scroll down on the homepage.

    That's a lot of navigating to find the number one answer. And I found it because I knew what I was looking for. A luxury that most new arrivals don't have.

    Maybe by bringing the 'research' menu higher up the home page, 'newbies' might just find what they are looking for and not resort to endlessly making posts looking for information about getting veterans service records from the MOD.

    And maybe moving the post to the "Service Records" sub-group, renaming it "How to get a veteran's service records" (or similar) and pinning it to the top might also help too.

    Just a thought.

    Gus
     
  12. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    Hi Gus

    As we often post to a new member giving them a welcome and saying 'good luck' etc with your research it is hardly an effort on our part to either suggest they obtain service records (I sometimes just copy & paste :blush: naughty I know) adding the link to the MOD, which I have on a favourites bookmark ( so a couple of clicks) or - I would do the same post of welcome that could include the link to the thread you mention.

    If we are intent on telling them they need Service Records, why then leave them to try and find the link in some thread, in some sub section, better I think to put it right there in front of them

    Either way the new member has the details right there in front of them to use (or not) as they wish to start them off on their journey

    TD
     
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  13. dbf

    dbf Moderatrix MOD

    We need first to think about how someone initially finds the forum. That'd usually be through conducting online searches using relevant keywords, i.e. generally not by finding the forum first and then trying to navigate around it.

    This particular sub-forum - Searching for someone & Military Genealogy - is already one of the most 'landed on' for folks starting off their research, though individual unit subs - RA, RE, etc are also popular. It already has pinned threads about applications to MOD. It's impossible to know how many have taken advantage of that info but recently I've noticed an increase in new members who've already applied to MOD before registering here.

    As for Service Records, that was split off from Military Genealogy to work as an area for interpretation once records have been received: help which we're collectively quite good at; the pinned threads there being a source of reference for related FAQs. (It seems to work fine as is, itself rapidly becoming a substantial source of example Records.)
     
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  14. Oldleg

    Oldleg Well-Known Member

    Thanks for the answers guys. I will follow the suggestions. I do agree that those who know find it easy but for those who don't know that much of how to do things such as that I do agree taht may be a simple pointer on the home page may help. Cheers anyway lads.
     
  15. Oldleg

    Oldleg Well-Known Member

    I have been looking at the guide lines on the MOD's site and I don't think the info I am after is in the file. I am after the cause of death for a certain soldier. Can anyone suggest where I can go to find out?
     
  16. 4jonboy

    4jonboy Daughter of a 56 Recce

    If you know the unit he was in, you could get the war diaries for the months around the date he died. If he was an Officer his name would be mentioned and maybe the cause of death. Other soldiers are not usually mentioned in the war diaries but you never know, you could get lucky; it has been known.

    Have you looked at local newspapers in the town where he lived? Often small local newspapers give much more detail on deaths of serving soldiers abroad.

    Another alternative is to put his name up here and ask the forum members;)

    Fingers xxx'd, it's worth a try. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

    Lesley
     
  17. Oldleg

    Oldleg Well-Known Member

    Lesley, I have not tried the local papers but that is a good idea. Thanks mate. The soldier's name s already on this forum and there is nothing. The war diary does not mention anything about deaths on the day of his death as he was only a trooper.
     
  18. Tony56

    Tony56 Member Patron

    There are people around here who have access to local papers so if you can post his name, number, regiment, date of death, or a link to CWGC it is worth a go.
     
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  19. Oldleg

    Oldleg Well-Known Member

    Cheers mate.
     
  20. Oldleg

    Oldleg Well-Known Member

    Trooper STANLEY LEONARD GORDON UPTON who died on August 30th 1944 is already mentioned in a thread. I asked if anyone had info on how he died and since then, nothing has come up. He is the one I am interested in.
     

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