Hi all I'm not really used to forums. I am looking on behalf of my grandfather who is looking for information on his dad, we know he joined in October 1894 into the East Lancashire Regiment with a service no 4844 and left in 1914, he re joined in1917 and this is all the info we have. My pops is working on gathering info as he didn't really know his dad that well and we are really struggling. Does anyone have any advice? Seems all searches ae done post ww1 an with the newer service numbers. Thanks
Do you know what battalion(s) of the East Lancs he was in. If you do, the National Archives have digitized all the WW1 war diaries and they should all be online to download by the end of this year.
Hi, You may find his pre WW1 papers on Find My Past-perhaps even his WW1 papers if they survived. If he served overseas in WW1 his Medal Index Card should be on Ancestry. You could consider posting similar request on Great War Forum. Good Luck Steve Y
Thanks a lot guys, I'll check into both. It's difficult as this is the only info we have and we don't really know what names or anything he used. Not a clue about his battalion. It's all in the mist
I have found his first engagement documents! Am over the moon however I can't find anything at all on his re enlistment?
Hi, Well Done! I would definitely try Great War Forum as there are members there with an interest in ELR. Steve Y
Hi & welcome, Just to point out that service #s, per se, weren't introduced until 1920 - the 4844 you quote rather being a regimental # which thus had the annoying habit of changing every time an OR (officers not being given one) changed regiments or being completely revised for the TF in 1917. Small wonder, then, that someone had the good sense to get rid of the clumsy old system that had gotten out of hand ! The website I'd most recommend for WW1 research hand-holding is Chris Baker's The Long, Long Trail - perhaps followed by Cyndi's List as a good general resource pointing to further such sites if TLLT's onward links prove inadequate. Chris, should you need any further assurance BTW, also founded the aforementioned Great War Forum. Steve
