Searching for a Newfoundland service record

Discussion in 'Canadian' started by Dylan_M, Jun 1, 2020.

  1. Dylan_M

    Dylan_M New Member

    My great grandfather went over seas during WW2 in 1940 and never came home or was heard from again. The problem is I don’t know who to contact to get a service record. I’m from Newfoundland, Canada. Newfoundland didn’t join Canada until 1949, before that it was a dominion of the British Empire. So would the government of Canada have a copy of it or the British ministry of defence? I’ve tried to do some research myself to find anything about him, but it seems like he vanished into thin air. The most I could find was a website with a list of servicemen from Newfoundland and it says he went over with the overseas forestry unit but after his service number it said forces. But either than that it seems like he vanished with out a trace.
     
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  2. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    I've edited " Newfoundland " into the thread title.
    I hope the members can help out.
     
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  3. vitellino

    vitellino Senior Member

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  4. Chris C

    Chris C Canadian

    Hi Dylan,

    I wonder if communicating with the fellow who runs this website might be helpful? As in, maybe he knows where your great grandfather's service records would be located.


    Although this blurb on the Library and Archives Canada website is discouraging.

    "Many Newfoundlanders enlisted with the British Forces, including the 59th Heavy (Newfoundland) Regiment, the 57th (Newfoundland) Field Artillery Regiment and the 166th (Newfoundland) Field Regiment, which were units in the Royal Artillery. Records are held in the United Kingdom at the Ministry of Defence.

    Service files have not survived for the Newfoundland Overseas Forestry Unit, which was a civilian organization paid for by the British government."​

    Requests for Military Service Files - Library and Archives Canada

    Chris
     
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  5. Richelieu

    Richelieu Well-Known Member

    Last edited: Jun 1, 2020
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  6. Dylan_M

    Dylan_M New Member

    Thanks for the help so far everyone! I contacted the man who runs the NOFU Nominal Roll Surname Listing website and he said the ministry of defence would have service records of Newfoundlanders who served. Although the post about the forestry unit ones not surviving is a bit discouraging. My Great-grandfathers name was Thomas Hunt. He was born on September 9th 1905 and was from Little Catalina, Newfoundland. I had spoken to my aunt about it before and she said my grandmother, his daughter, didn’t speak of him much because she was around 5 years old when he went over seas in 1940. This is a picture of him that my aunt sent me, from what I was told he sent a few letters home but then stopped writing. Unfortunately, that’s about as much information on him that I could gather. 6986EAB3-0D81-49F6-B246-079E1180C176.jpeg
     
  7. Chris C

    Chris C Canadian

    Hi Dylan,

    Thanks for sharing those details. I hope you can find out more.

    Regards,
    Chris
     
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  8. klambie

    klambie Senior Member

    What service number have you found? Could answer the Canada/UK records question, I would guess it's not Canadian.
     
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  9. Richelieu

    Richelieu Well-Known Member

    Disembarkation lists including NOFU are held by TNA and available via Ancestry:

    Duchess of Richmond, St. John to Liverpool arrived 12/2/40 - BT 26/1187/123

    Duchess of Richmond, arrived Liverpool 18/7/40 - BT 26/1189/3
    Scythia, arrived Liverpool 25/7/40 - BT 26/1189/1
    Mendoza, arrived Liverpool 28/7/41 - BT 26/1194/43

    The later three crossings presumably carried the men from the second group, those on ‘duration’ contracts.

    I have found a file for Mendoza which provides an indication of the condition that at least 227 NOFU personnel travelled under. “Third class space on this ship is suitable for men of seafaring type only and we have tentatively offered to accommodate Lumbermen from Newfoundland”.
     
    Last edited: Jun 5, 2020
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  10. travers1940

    travers1940 Well-Known Member

    This man appears to be in the uniform of a rank & file member of the RAF. As we can't see rank stripes on his arm, and just the edge of what is probably the standard eagle rectangular patch worn by all RAF rankers, he could be a rank lower than corporal. No aircrew wings are shown above his breast pocket, so either not qualified air crew, and if air crew at all is in training. I can't see a country patch on his shoulder so this maybe suggests serving as a British citizen in the RAF rather than the RCAF ?

    If the forestry link checks out, maybe he transferred to the RAF once in the UK, in which case his service papers are at the Ministry of Defence:
    Request records of deceased service personnel
    This site says that a death cert is required if he would not have reached his 116th birthday when you apply, but as you are so just 14 months or so from that may be they will send something.

    I have looked at CWGC for airforce deaths of a Thomas Hunt & three are shown:

    This man is too old & has family in UK
    Leading Aircraftman HUNT, THOMAS HAROLD
    Service Number 849827
    Died 14/05/1943
    Aged 42
    993 Balloon Sqdn.
    Royal Air Force (Auxiliary Air Force)
    Son of Thomas and Gertrude Emma Hunt, of Birmingham; husband of Eleanor Alice Hunt, of Acocks Green, Birmingham.

    This man is too young & comes from another area of Canada
    Pilot Officer (Pilot) HUNT, THOMAS JOHN
    Service Number J/88262
    Died 21/11/1944
    Aged 30
    426 Sqdn.
    Royal Canadian Air Force
    Son of Richard and Lucy Hunt, of Port Arthur, Ontario, Canada; husband of Gladys Mary Hunt, of Port Arthur.

    Leaving this man who has no known grave, but also no family details given
    Leading Aircraftman HUNT, THOMAS BERTRAM
    Service Number 988478
    Died 17/03/1941
    Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve


    This could be a red herring, but took a quick look on ancestry online trees and found this similar record with the same d.o.b. The originator of the tree has linked him to a record on the 1945 Census of Canada which I don't have access to.

    Joseph Thomas HUNT (known as Thomas) born 9 Sep 1905 Little Catalina, Newfoundland, married in 1925 to Athena REID

    Apologies if this is your online tree !

    Travers
     
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  11. Dylan_M

    Dylan_M New Member

    Travers do you have a link to the Canadian census with that information? His wife’s name was Athena Reid and they did marry in 1925. Also I was kind of wondering about his uniform. To me it did look like an RAF uniform, I noticed it because other pictures I seen of the NOFU, they wore regular blazers with a NOFU pin around the collar, but I thought maybe I was grasping at straws.
     
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  12. travers1940

    travers1940 Well-Known Member

    This is a link to the translation of the 1945 Newfoundland Census entry for the Hunt family on the Grand Banks genealogy site:
    45-catalina-tb-n.shtml

    The original census book is on both ancestry world wide & the FamilySearch websites. Sadly this census book was bound together wrongly & I can only see the L/H side of the entry for the youngest children on page 36, with what is probably their R/H page opposite L/H page 34 !

    Page 35 which has the entry for Thomas & Athena has not been filmed & following logic I looked at the R/H of page 33, but it does not seem to be them.

    The good news is that absent service men & their units/service seem to be listed with their families, so the fact that Thomas is listed is no indication he is in Canada at that time.

    The ancestry online tree where I noticed it has not located the actual page for Joseph Thomas either, so must have just used the index. It lists nothing for Joseph Thomas after this census.

    Several burials here in Catalina have Newfoundland Forestry Corps mentioned after the mans name, maybe there are memories in some of their families about Thomas.
    The Anglican Cemetery, Catalina, Trinity Bay
     
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  13. vitellino

    vitellino Senior Member

    Hello Dylan,

    You say that he sent letters home but then stopped writing.

    What was the date on the last letter?

    If I were you I would contact the Commonwealth War Graves Commission via their website and ask what information they have on this casualty.

    Vitellino
     
  14. travers1940

    travers1940 Well-Known Member

  15. SarahLou

    SarahLou New Member


    Hi there, I strongly believe we are looking for the same person. I recognized the photo you shared from my grandmothers album when I was looking for info. Same name and info you posted, my dad confirmed it is his fathers father? please reply if you see this
     
  16. SarahLou

    SarahLou New Member

    From what I was told he was a woodworker/lumberman
     
  17. Tullybrone

    Tullybrone Senior Member

    Hi,

    As Dylan hasn’t signed into the forum for almost a year I have sent him a message to alert him to your post. Hopefully he will return to make contact with you.

    Steve
     
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  18. travers1940

    travers1940 Well-Known Member

    Hi Sarah Lou

    Have kept an interest in this thread & can add the following hoping it's helpful.

    If he stayed in the UK after leaving the RAF he may be this man:

    Name: Thomas Hunt
    Death Age: 76
    Birth Date: 9 Sep 1905
    Registration Date: Jul 1982
    [Aug 1982]
    [Sep 1982]
    Registration Quarter:
    Jul-Aug-Sep
    Registration District: North Shropshire
    Inferred County: Shropshire
    Volume: 30
    Page: 0116

    There are other Thomas Hunts & Joseph Thomas Hunts dying in Eng & Wales with the same exact or approximate birth year, but none show an exact dob match.

    He does not seem to have left a will that I could use to cross check.
    I can't find this Thomas on the England & Wales 1939 Register, so its poss he was then in the forces, not enumerated or moved to Uk after this year, of if your Thomas was in Newfoundland.

    You can order the death cert I mentioned on line at (cost £6.50 if available online or £ 11 I think if it needs posting).
    General Register Office - Online Ordering Service - Login


    When Dylan originally enquired he would have needed Thomas's death cert to send off for his RAF record, which may give his demob destination/method. But as Thomas would now be over 116 years old the requirement for a death cert is waived. RAF certs can be ordered and paid for online.
    Get a copy of military service records

    Best wishes

    Travers
     
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  19. SarahLou

    SarahLou New Member


    Amazing, I also put in an access to information request with Canadian government/military but the demographics I had were scant. I’m really hoping or wondering if maybe we have more “half” family overseas ! Will look at the info you sent and watch this threat intently !
     

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