My cousin is researching his father’s service record and has come up with a blank. His father was Lance Corporal Martin Shepherd 13056326, he believes his father was in the Pioneer Corps but is not absolutely sure. Can anything be derived from the sparse info I have given, sorry there is not more info but as with most of that generation his father never talked about his wartime experiences. As is pretty obvious I know nothing about army service . Thank you for any replies. Peter
That number fits . (Royal) Pioneer Corps 13000001 - 14000000 Army Number Block Allocations Where did he get the number from ?
Why not suggest that your cousin sends for his service records - it's the only way as I am sure you know that there is very little out in the public domain. You do not need any military information, so leave out service number. https://www.gov.uk/get-copy-military-service-records/apply-for-someone-elses-records
The army number would have stayed with him during his time in the army, unless he became an officer, despite any subsequent transfers to other corps or regiments. This is probably not relevant to your cousins father, but early in WW2 the Pioneer Corps (1939-40 known as Auxiliary Military Pioneer Corps) were one of the few British army units open to enemy aliens such as jewish refugees from Germany. Many transfered later in the war to other units, and often had anglicised their names. This book about these men will I'm sure have some background about the Pioneer Corps. King's Most Loyal Enemy Aliens: Germans Who Fought for Britain in the Second World War|NOOK Book Pre-lockdown service records took several months to arrive from the mod, so may be worth applying now to get an early place in the post-lockdown queue.
Where did he get the number from ? Owen, he got the service number and rank from his mother and fathers wedding certificate.