Trying to find out anything about my grandfather Charles Collin he was in the Royal Engineers & lived in Fordham, Cambridgeshire.......can any one help??
Mark welcome im sure one of the members will try to assist if they can have you sent off for his army records? Army Personnel Centre - British Army Website
Welcome to teh forum. clive has already suggested what I was going to. Have you got any photos of him in uniform?
Mark Welcome on board, can you provide more details please, the date 1946 could mean it was a training accident or from wounds sustained earlier.
Mark, Hello and welcome to the forum. Brian (Sapper) is your man, a WW2 RE veteran and a wealth of information. Regards Tom
Hi Guys I have no pic`s of my grandfather (charles collin) & all close family died young i`m now next of kin all i know is he has a war grave in Fordham, Cambridgeshire where he was born. I was told when he came back from France in the war he was ill some say poisoning he died in Newmarket Hospital. I have his death Cert u can hav a look to see if you can work out the cause of death! So really i have no info on him i did send for his replacement medals and he had, 1939-45 star, War Medal 1939-45, Defence Medal & France & Germany Star, so four in total can u work any thing out from that? or is my only hope is to get his service records? Where would the royal engineer`s be based if they came from Cambridgeshire? Please any help would be great. Mark
Mark The death certificate states Hypertension and Peripheral Polyn? I am unsure of the last word a medical person or one of the eagle eyed people who can decipher scrawl better than me. For his service record follw the link on CL1 post , be warned it may take you some time to receive it (up to 6 months) His CWGC is as follows COLLIN, CHARLES Nationality:United Kingdom Rank:Lance Corporal Regiment/Service:Royal Engineers Age:36 Date of Death:09/07/1946 Service No:2124361 Additional information:Son of Ben and Mary Ann Collin, of Fordham; husband of Bertha Eva Collin, of Fordham. Casualty Type:Commonwealth War DeadCemetery:FORDHAM (SS. PETER AND MARY MAGDALENE) CHURCHYARD EXTENSION
Mark, This may explain the illness/injury. Peripheral neuropathy: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia Regards Tom
Mark It could be poison, it could be traunatic stressor just plain shell shock, you need to research what it means even if you can talk to your GP, but remember that we are 60+ years on and terminology changes. Research a bit more through the link Tom provided and see what you can discern, the other question I have is what unit in the Royal engineers was he in? This will give you clues as well, Sapper will tell you through his posts the Royal Engineers did most tasks including Chemical Warfare so the more info you have or can get on him the better your chance of finding out. His record will give you details of unit, joining also hospitals and so forth.
Looks like Hypertension and Peripheral Polyneuritis... EVALUATION OF THERAPY OF PERIPHERAL POLYNEURITIS
Hypertension as you may know is a high blood pressure. This can lead to Heart Failure, Kidney Failure, Cerebral Haemorrhage and Atherosclerosis. I wonder if Peripheral Polyn is Peripheral Polyneuropathy. It comes under a group of disorders effecting the sensory and or motor nerves in the peripheral nervous system. The disorders normally start distally at the toes and finger tips and progress proximally. Most common causes are Diabetes, Alcohol, certain drugs and such infections as HIV. Source: My Med books ...I knew they would come in use one day UPDATE: I just saw the attachment after missing it first post. Peripheral Polyneuritis comes under Peripheral Neuropathy and Polyneuropathy regarding symptoms, causes etc.
So far there is not enough info to be able to help...But do feel free to come back if you can find anything else to go on. The first medical description has all the Hallmarks of Motor Neuron disease, How would I suggest that? I certainly have no medical knowledge at all. Except that it fits what happened to my best mates son A progressive disease. If you can find his pay book, it will tell you where he has been.The trouble with Sappers, is that they cover such a huge range of activities that it is often difficult to tie it down, Assault... Field... Docks... ralways....Chemical...Air landing...The assortment is endless. Sapper
looks like Peripheral polyneuritis to me ( a sufferer) but cannot think how that would be specifically war related, very many causes though. Never thought of it as life threatening either. Any ideas at to when he was demobbed ?