searching for a lost UK grandfather who was signalman in ww2

Discussion in 'Searching for Someone & Military Genealogy' started by KayEL, Jul 8, 2015.

  1. KayEL

    KayEL New Member

    I just wondered if anyone can help me in this forum.

    I am searching for my grandfather.

    The information I have :
    He was in the Corps Signals
    Section - 4
    Division - 49
    His service number was: 14218856

    The information I have says he was in the home forces.

    Although according to the numbers I was looking through, which have been posted, he would be in the General Service Corps.
    So I am not sure.

    His name was John Leslie Thomson.

    Maybe someone can offer some help in how I could find more information on him, whether he was killed or survived the war.

    Thank you.
     
  2. amberdog45

    amberdog45 Senior Member

    His name didn't appear on the CWGC search engine using his service number. Somebody will be along and will give you the link to obtain his service records.

    Do you know where your grandfather came from and do you have a date or year of birth for him? This might also help.

    Welcome to the site, enjoy your search.
     
  3. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    Hi Kay

    Welcome to the forum

    The most important step is to obtain the official service record of the person you are researching and these can be applied for here - https://www.gov.uk/requests-for-personal-data-and-service-records#how-to-apply-for-service-personnel-records

    TD

    edited to add:
    As amberdog has said a search of the CWGC database has no results for that service number, hence it is a good assumption that he survived the war. Also any information on him will help the search, date and place of birth, parents names, marriage information etc etc
     
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  4. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    Welcome to the forum, indeed that is a GSC number.
    He'd have joined that for basic training & whilst there the army would have decided what to do with him.
    Hence your info on him being in Royal Signals is perfectly fine.
     
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  5. Lotus7

    Lotus7 Well-Known Member

    Hi and welcome to the forum Kay
     
  6. KayEL

    KayEL New Member

    Thank you for the help.

    Very much appreciated.

    As you can imagine there is a background story to this.

    My mum was adopted. And this is the information we have on her certificate.

    Unfortunately I do not know his date of birth. He would I gather have been around the same age as my grandmother at the time. She was born in 1916.

    Owen, yes thats what I thought, they would have started him in one place then moved him later. So I was supposing he began with the General Service Corps then moved to Signals.

    I wish I had more information to go on. He and my grandmother were not married and they lost touch during 1944.
     
    amberdog45 likes this.
  7. KayEL

    KayEL New Member

    Without a D.O.B its hard to get any information from personnel records on him.
     
  8. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

    Hello Kay

    call the Service Records office 0141 224 3600 they will be able to offer further advice

    regards
    Clive
     
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  9. amberdog45

    amberdog45 Senior Member

    Hi Kay, are you in Glasgow? Do you believe he was Scottish? I found 3 births in Scotland ranging from 1896-1922. The 1896 one was born in Partick, the 1906 was born in the Gorbals and there was one born in 1922 abroad.

    There is only one death entry in 1985 though that would fit any of these births and that would be the 1906 guy.

    If your in Glasgow I'd nip along and book yourself a session at the family research centre at the Mitchell library.

    If your Mum is still alive she should be able to get help viewing her adoption record via the Council, but from what I've read they only help out if you reside in Glasgow.

    If you can bare with me I'm awaiting a response from this service for a lady in Sunderland who was adopted in Glasgow. I'm expecting them to refuse help as she resides in England. I think they have a lengthy waiting list and I'm not expecting a quick response.

    Adoption records can also be viewed at Registrars House in Edinburgh by appointment. Unfortunately the lady in Sunderland is too ill to travel to use this service.

    Your Mums adoption record should reveal more detail.

    Having said all that he may not have been Scottish at all and even if he was, he may not have spent his final days in Scotland.

    I wonder if his service number might also reveal where he might have enlisted.
     
  10. KayEL

    KayEL New Member

    Hi
    Thank you all once again for the help.

    I will try the number and see if I can get some help, Clive, Thank you.

    Amberdog45 , I am not sure where he is from. I am assuming English, but he could have been Scottish.

    By the time we found my biological grandmother she had just passed away, so not able to ask her any questions.

    I was wondering also what sort of information the service number provides. Little by little I am finding out more.

    We are not in the UK, but Australia.

    But I visit the UK regularly.
     
  11. amberdog45

    amberdog45 Senior Member

    Hi Kay, gonna need a bit more info from you. Was all Johns service number etc on your Mums birth certificate? What year and what area of the U.K. was she born? Did Mums birth certificate reveal any residential addresses for your Gran & Grandad.

    If you feel uncomfortable posting any of this more personal information can you send it either to myself or Tricky by personal message.
     
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  12. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    Kay,

    As amberdog has said any scraps of information, names, dates, places etc etc can help to connect to possible pieces of data into one fact, that other research can then follow on from.

    TD
     

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