Tracing Dad's RA war service

Discussion in 'Royal Artillery' started by daisy1942, Feb 13, 2019.

  1. daisy1942

    daisy1942 Junior Member

    Suggestions please!
    Dad joined the royal Artillery in Glasgow and is listed on his marriage certificate(Dec 1940) as "Gunner RA now on War Service". At that time his name was Dominic Cunningham Casey.
    As he did not return post war his first wife had him presumed dead and her marriage annulled.
    In fact, Dad had changed his name (Dominic Michael Stringer) and remarried. Technically my husband is his next of kin but obviously surnames do not match.

    I should dearly like to access Dad's service records as I believe he was at Singapore with the RA but should like to prove it. I do not have a service number. Just to add to the confusion there is a possibility he signed up under his brother's name!

    Any ideas how to tackle this?
     
  2. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

  3. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    Would this be him

    England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007
    Name: Dominic Michael Stringer
    Death Age: 67
    Birth Date: 14 Apr 1919
    Registration Date: Nov 1986
    Registration district: Tower Hamlets
    Inferred County: Greater London
    Volume: 14
    Page: 1132

    Dominic Michael stringer
    Death: Nov 1986 - London, London, England
    F: (Name Unknown)
    M: Evelyn Genevieve Agard

    TD
     
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  4. Tony56

    Tony56 Member Patron

    Hi Daisy, what was his brother's name?
     
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  5. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    Daisy - just for information - you do not need a service number to obtain service records, having said that in this case it might prove useful, if you read the link for the forms that CL1 has provided the main evidence the MOD is a death certificate, which in this case again might not be in the same name as the records are, hence the need to give them [MOD] a call on the number given and ask them for their help.

    In the case that he may of joined up using his brothers name, what details do you have that his brother would NOT be called up, I assume that his brother may have medical reasons that he cant be called up or perhaps a reserved occupation?? - seems you have some family history mysteries to solve

    TD
     
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  6. daisy1942

    daisy1942 Junior Member

    Thank you all for the suggestions!

    Many of you will recognise the name Dominic Michael Stringer from previous posts - it seems he started life as Dominic Cunningham Casey.
    Dominic Cunningham Casey was born 14.4.1922. He had 3 older brothers James b.1912, John Patrick b, 1914 They both survived to adulthood, but the 3rd brother Thomas McGurk McPherson Casey survived only a few months b. Dec 1919 died June 1920. Dominic;s mother died when he was about 8 and I believe he may have been brought up as part of his cousins family Thomas Burt b.1923 as the present time I am not sure if Thomas had brothers. This give 4 possible names for him to have signed up under.

    As both brothers survived the war. John Patrick was a dock worker and so might have been considered a reserve occupation. James death cert say he was a retired Welder so he too may have had a reserved occupation. Thomas Burt joined the merchant navy (date unknown) however he died on board SS San Florentino Oct. 1941.

    Technically, Dominic Cunningham Casey was declared believed dead in 1951, or at least his wife petitioned for the dissolution of her marriage to Dominic Cunningham Casey on the grounds of his presumed death! however the death certificate details above are correct for Dominic Michael Stringer. do I produce two death certificates?!

    I have to admit that writing this it sounds too ludicrous to be true and I can just imagine what the MOD is likely to make of the whole story!
     
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  7. Tony56

    Tony56 Member Patron

  8. daisy1942

    daisy1942 Junior Member

    Sadly, what has happened is that every time a new piece of information has come to light I have added to the threads on various forums. Now I am about 95% sure that Dominic Casey and Dominic Stringer are one and the same. Although that makes life easier in some ways - it still leaves me with questions about what on earth he got up to and how did he manage it!
     
  9. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

    Panel from Tower Hill Memorial
    Fireman BURT, THOMAS
    Died 02/10/1941

    Aged 18

    S.S. San Florentino (London)
    Merchant Navy

    Son of James and Margaret Burt, of Possilpark, Glasgow.
    upload_2019-2-13_22-57-2.png
     
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  10. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    Daisy

    Can you provide record evidence of the details above - I have checked and cannot find a birth for Dominic Cunningham Casey in 1922 [England & Wales] also with that date of birth no one of that name appears in the 1939 register in England & Wales.

    Where does all this information come from, records or family hearsay?
    TD
     
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  11. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    UK, Merchant Seamen Deaths, 1939 -1953
    Name: Thomas Burt
    Age: 18
    Birth Date: abt 1923
    Birth Place: Glasgow, Scotland
    Death Date: 2 Oct 1941
    Death Place: At Sea
    Mother: Margaret
    45947_0004-01215.jpg

    I would guess from the above that his father had died before Oct 1941, as it only mentions his mother as nok

    TD
     
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  12. daisy1942

    daisy1942 Junior Member

    Hi TD and Tricky
    Dominic Casey was born in Glasgow to john Patrick Casey and Martha Burt. I have a birth cert which gives 14.4.1922.

    TD where did you get the death record for Thomas? Thank you so much for posting it!
     
  13. gmyles

    gmyles Senior Member

    Hi

    I have found him on Scotlands People.

    Its says he married Elizabeth Smith in 1941 in Possilpark, Glasgow. But you have said the marriage certificate states it was in Dec 40. Maybe the Registrar was closed for xmas and NY and not process until early Jan 41.

    It also has his birth details, but you already this as you have his birth certificate.

    He's not coming up on the RA Attestations Database on FMP which is unusual as it has people who joined the RA all the way up to 1942.

    Hope this helps

    Gus
     
  14. daisy1942

    daisy1942 Junior Member

    Hi Gus,

    Yes, he married on 20/12/1940. The wedding cert quite clearly states RA Gunner now on war service. If it is not showing up it is very puzzling - perhaps there is yet another cousin whose name he used to sign up!
     
  15. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    Then obviously your search needs to be based on Scottish records which are mainly available as Gus shows under the website "Scotlands People" - searching other genealogy web sites initially will not provide the answers you need to create a solid base of facts, as they are based on England/Wales/Ireland


    Ancestry database:
    TD
     
  16. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    Daisy

    If he signed up as Dominic Cunningham Casey, then his records would presumably be still under this name. If speak to the MOD records in Glasgow [number as above I believe] then they may be able to help you. If you need to apply then if they do not find any records and cheque you may send will not be cashed - it would only be cashed if records are found/copied/sent.


    Theres some similarity in those birth dates which could be more than a coincidence

    TD
     
  17. daisy1942

    daisy1942 Junior Member

    TD,
    All the information in my opening post has been verified from Scotlands People. For a very long time we had two potential dates of birth for Dominic Michael Stringer.], 1919 or 1922.
    I had a breakthrough over the New Year, where a lady contacted me about Dominic Cunninham Casey (her uncle). DC Casey had disappeared in WW2 some 12-15 months before DM Stringer appeared in my records. When we compared notes there were names, dates schools and stories in common - so many that we felt it was likely they were one and the same person. Dad went back to Glasgow in the mid 1950's and this lady said her missing uncle turned up mid 1950's. We have discovered that DC Casey had a daughter who is my husband's half sister. If we can trace her or her daughter and get DNA tests done we will have conclusive proof one way or the other. At present we think it is around an 80-90% chance they are one and the same.
     
  18. Tullybrone

    Tullybrone Senior Member

    PART QUOTE ONLY -

    Would he be recorded on RA database if he was transferred in - either with pre War TA service in another arm of service or if he was conscripted to a unit that was converted to RA?

    Steve
     
  19. Tony56

    Tony56 Member Patron

    Daisy, 1919 or 1922, what does his actual birth certificate say? Why not post a copy.
     
  20. daisy1942

    daisy1942 Junior Member

    Tony,

    Never did figure out how to post an image on here! Not very technically minded!
    However this is transcript:
    Dominic Cunningham Casey 14.4.1922 4.45 am at 51 Muse Lane, Glasgow, Father John Patrick Casey (shipyard labourer), mother Martha Casey (maiden name Burt) married 21 January 1909 Milton Father was informant and birth registered 2 May 1922 Glasgow
     

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