Searching for fathers war records.British Paratrooper

Hi All,

I'm pretty new to this so you'll have to bear with me!!

I'm trying to find my fathers WW2 service history, I've done the usual form filling for the MOD but they can find no files. I don't have his service number but supplied all other requested info ie, full name, DOB & any other info I thought might be helpful. Unfortunately they just keep requesting his service number, which obviously I don't have & can't find. I would have thought that full name & DOB should have been enough to go on but not knowing their search system, clearly not! Any suggestions to advance this search would be gratefully received.

Cheers,

Nick

 

I'm surprised they can't find him with a date of birth and full name - unless it is a common name?

Oh, and welcome to the forum!

 

Hi Paul, certainly NOT a common name 'Nichan Sharpley Soultanian', that's exactly what I thought, if they can't find him with a name like that, will his service number help at all!

 

Welcome to the Forum Nick.

Do you know anything at all about his Service; what Branch of Service would be a start.

Brian

 

Nick,
Hello and welcome to the forum.

It certainly does appear strange not to be able to find the record.

I take it that the information about him being in the service came from a family member?

I would canvass all family members and try to obtain as much information as possible regarding which service, kind of job, rank etc etc.

The more information you can glean the more help can be given to your jigsaw puzzle.

Regards
Tom

 

Hello Nick

Is your father posted on the Geni web site?
If that is him I assume your are from Australia ?

As the good folk on here suggest you need to dig out all family memories to assist you.Once you have his unit or more detail im sure the experts here will be able to add more info in the mix.

regards
Clive

 

Nick,

If Clive's observations are correct I think it fair to assume that if your father enlisted in one the Australian services, his records will be down under.

That being the case there would not be any any records in the UK.

This could well be just one reason for the lack of records.

I hope that the family members can come up with information for you.

Regards
Tom

 

A quick check of the ww2nominal roll for Australian servicemen produces no hits for the surname Soultanian - if it is spelt right, and there is a belief that he served in an Australian unit during WW2, then maybe he served under a different name. It happened a fair bit due to various reasons.

I also checked the National Archives of Australia and the surname doesn't get any hits. Their military files are very complete, but their immigration info is still being catalogued. If he served in WW2, but not in the Aussie forces, then he must have emigrated to Australia post-war - in which case, hopefully the NAA will load details of his arrival up sooner or later.

The CWGC shows no-one with that surname as having ever died in Commonwealth service.

The gazette gives a few hits for the surname:

01JAN1944- Kaid Gregory Soultanian, Trans-Jordan Frontier Force. (received an Order of the British Empire - Officer (Military) - OBE(M) ?)

09JAN1940 - Naturalisation of Soultanian, Gregory Setrak (and his three daughters); Palestine; Assistant Paymaster Trans-Jordan Frontier Force; Headquarters, Trans-Jordan Frontier Force, Zerka, Trans-Jordan, 1 September, 1939. Is this the same guy who got the OBE? and Kaid is probably a title rather than his name (so Gregory Setrak became Kaid Gregory ??)

1923 - 1926 - legal matters for SOULTANIAN, Paul Vahe (Vane ?)

 

Hi Guys thanks for the replies, my father was born in the UK in 1921 (Lincolnshire), his parents moved to Greece (don't know when exactly) but he grew up there & spoke fluent greek. When war broke out he enlisted in the British army (in Greece), once again don't know exactly when he enlisted. He was involved in the battle of Crete & was captured & escaped with a New Zealand officer. He trained as a paratrooper at RAF Ringway (Manchester). He was involved in the North Africa campaign & also at Salerno. He was also attached to the British Military Mission, 1st Greek Brigade, Ind Group at one point, certainly in Feb '42. We also believe he may have been involved in Greek resistance ops due to his being fluent in Greek, translating for NZ & Australian forces. He survived the war & had to return to Greece to be demobbed, once again not sure when but before '49.

Post war my parents travelled all over the world with work, retired in New Zealand then moved to Australia in '95 where father passed away in '96. My mother died in 2007 & there are no other family members still alive that would have any details of fathers service history, that I can trace.

Like most people he never really spoke about the war & we were certainly not encouraged to enquire!

CL1, yes that's him on Geni.

Dave this last entry in your post '1923 - 1926 - legal matters for SOULTANIAN, Paul Vahe' is my grand father, where can I find that info?

Once again, thanks to all for your help.

 

hello Nick

Would he have used his full name on enlistment? or shortened it?
Have you tried the authorities in Greece to gain info bearing in mind he had to be demobbed there.
I assume you may have seen this link below gives a bit of detail re the 1st Greek brigade
Greek I Brigade

Im sure with the info you have given above it will assist the experts on this site to possibly add more detail.
regards
Clive

 

I'm glad my info was of some help, I thought the bloke of the same surname serving with the Trans-Jordan FF might have led somewhere, instead it was the "legal matters" reference.

If I'm reading the London Gazette correctly, your grandfather was declared bankrupt in 1923 and released from the provisions in 1926. I simply opened the site - Advanced Search - and entered your surname only into the search field towards the bottom of the page. You can then open the PDF files and read the data. It seemed so uncommon that it was pointless to try to narrow the search in any other way. If you knew his service number (which has already been described as a problem) then that can be a good term to use as a search item instead.

SOULTANIAN, Paul Vahe, of Caistor, Lincolnshire.
MOTOR ENGINEER.
Court—LINCOLN and HORNCASTLE.
No. of Matter—50 of 1923.
Trustee's Name, Address - and Description—
Brogden, Frederick Charles, 10, Bank-street,
Lincoln, Official Receiver.
Date of Release—Sept. 24, 1926.


Oh, and you family coming into Australia via NZ in 1995 explains why there isn't a hit on the NAA for your surname. Either they aren't bothering with people coming in from NZ or they haven't got around to it...

 

Thanks Dave, you've now sent me off at another tangent as well!!

 

Nick,
It sounds like a really good untold story is beginning to unravel itself.

I wish you well with your research and hope that you keep the forum posted as the more information you post the more responses you will receive.

Regards
Tom

 

Badger 2

Fascinating stuff !

Good luck with your research

Regards

Ron

 

Hi Guys, haven't got any further I'm afraid, still waiting for replies to emails from other family members!! Am going to try attaching a few pictures of my father during the war, any info re uniform etc greatly appreciated.

NSS on left


NSS 2nd from left in both pictures, above picture dated November '41 & seems to show a Greek flag

 

Hi All,

Have got absolutely nowhere with this search! MOD have never heard of him, so they say! Professional researcher has also hit a brick wall, just like he didn't exist!

Have found more war time pictures that my late aunt had in a album, that I saw on a recent trip to the UK.

One has this medal ribbon shown, to me it looks like an Africa Star ribbon but with what could possibly be a greek figure in the centre? Does anyone have any theories or info on it?

Cheers

Nick

 

Badger 2 -- that is the Africa Star with 8th Army clasp indicating he served with 8th Army - AFTER Monty took over in August '42.....there was a Greek bde at El Alamein and they turned up again at the Gothic Line - in Northern Italy - September '44 when they were given the honour of capturing Rimini - much to the disgust of the Canadian 1st bde of 1st Cdn Division who had been fighting to do just that ...

The 1st para div served in North Africa and were awarded the same Africa Star but with a clasp of the number 1 indicating service with 1st army - they then moved to Italy and thus would have the Italy Star - as would the Greek bde at Rimini ...

Cheers

 

I notice a device hanging from the breast pocket button of his shirt in a few shots. I don't know much about them, but the only similar thing I have seen is a service policeman's badge.

Is there another explanation of what that thing is??

 

Have you tried ringing manning and records in Glasgow to see what they say?

He may have used an english name when he signed up. Unless you have a paybook or similiar official document with his name in it could be hard to trace him.