WW1 pension cards

[JayG]

Back in Nov 2012 The Western Front Association announced it had saved 6.5 million war pension record cards that the MOD no longer wanted to manage and preserve. You can see the article here http://www.westernfrontassociation.com/great-war-current-news/pension-records.html

There is a further article from March 2013 here http://www.westernfrontassociation.com/about-the-wfa/175-pension-records/2960-great-war-pension-record-cards-and-ledgers-deeper-understanding.html

The WFA are now offering manual lookups (for a fee) of the records, I presume until they have been digitised and made available online. The form to complete and further information is here http://www.westernfrontassociation.com/about-the-wfa/175-pension-records/2961-pension-record-cards-manual-lookup-request.html

I haven't seen any posts about this so I doubt anyone on here has made use of the lookup service. I think I might send off and see what information there is on my great grandfather as we have always been lead to believe his son, my grandfather received a dependants pension.

[annswabey]

I haven't used the WFA service but obtained a card for my Grandad from the MOD some years ago which was part of the same records now held by WFA. I knew he had an Army pension but didn't know which regiment he served with and his WW1 service records hadn't survived. It was useful for me as it confirmed his regiment and number.

[Sue from Southend]

It looks very interesting. My father always said that his father had received a very small pension after being invalided out of the Army with early TB (which eventually killed him) I've yet to find proof of this though and thought this thread might have the answer - but no, the records for London are missing, presumed destroyed :( I guess I'll never know now!

[JayG]

That is a shame Sue, but you never know something might turn up, one day!

Pleased to here the information was useful Ann.

[JayG]

Whilst looking for something else I spotted this

http://www.westernfrontassociation.com/latest-news/december-2017/the-scanning-of-pension-records-is-underway/

Here's hoping they will be on Ancestry and not Fold3!

[kiterunner]

I bet it will be Fold3, Jay, but hopefully they will continue to offer free access every once in a while.