New member - researching my great uncle's role on D-DAY

Hi there. I have been trying to get more information on my great-uncle's role on D-Day. All I currently know is that he was in the Royal Engineers and that prior to the landings, he had been training up at Fort George. I have other family members' service numbers but unfortunately not his. The story that I have been told was that his unit went in early on the morning of 6 June. His unit was later at Belsen.

 

Welcome to the forum

apply for his service records
Date of birth and death cert required
You do not require his service number
Dont forget family recollections of wartime service can sometimes be incorrect

How to apply in link below

Get a copy of military service records


Apply for the records of someone who's deceased
You can apply for a copy of someone else’s service records if any of the following are true:

• you were their immediate next of kin when they died, for example their spouse, parent or child
• you have a family or general research interest - you’ll only have access to limited information if they died less than 25 years ago, unless you’ve got consent from their immediate next of kin

You can apply for records if they were in the Royal Navy (including Royal Marines), British Army, Royal Air Force (RAF) or Home Guard.

 

Thanks. I am planning to send off for his records however I don't have a death certificate.

I am trying to find out what RE units trained at Fort George. I believe 17 Field Company did.

 

Link to obtain death cert
General Register Office (GRO) - Official information on births, marriages, civil partnerships and deaths

You need to apply for his records or you will end up going down the wrong path. Without them you are going on family chat and i would add that most family memories always add that their relative ended up at Belsen which many times they didnt
if you added his name here other forum members might be able to add further

 

Info which might help further research in the meantime...

• what was his full name?
• did he survive the war?
• was he an Officer or Other Rank?
• was he ever wounded, taken prisoner, granted an award for gallantry?
  

 

Absolutely agree. The Belsen story always seemed suspicious to me considering everyone's uncle or grandfather was there which is one part of the story I would like to clear up.

 

David Eadie Ritchie, sapper, survived the war. Wasn't wounded or taken prisoner. No gallantry awards.

 

I'm afraid that rules out the most useful public domain sources.

 

Yep. I have been able to find out about other family members through open source and public sources.

I will send off for his records.

 

Good show and when you get them you can pop back here and get further help

 

Will do. Thanks for your help folks.