WW1 Army records - Genealogists' Forum

Jennifer Eccles · #1 02-03-12, 07:54

I am wondering if there is any kind soul who knows their way around WW1 army records and indeed anything Military regards WW1. I am struggling with Grandads records and reading his War diary he changed his regimental number at some point too which makes matter even more complicated. The problem i am having is that After believing he joined fairly late on in the war (1917) my mum then recalled some conflict or other that he may have joined much earlier.. but the only record i have been able to find is on Ancestry, which is his army WW1 medal rolls index card, sadly though the correspondance section is blank. can anyone help?( I do have more indepth details of course )

kiterunner · #2 02-03-12, 08:17

It could be that the medal rolls index card is the only record that has survived, as a lot of the WW1 army records were destroyed in WW2. Or if he stayed in the army for a few years after WW1, his records could still be with the MOD.

If you post up the info you have, or PM it to me, I'll see if I can find anything else.

Jennifer Eccles · #3 02-03-12, 10:07

Yes sadly i thought this may be the case, we may never know exactly when Grandad did indeed go to war.
Anyway, thanks for you offer, here are his details:

Reginald Wright b1896, staffs
living in Crewe Cheshire 1914.

Joined Cheshire reg as private
moved to East lancs reg as Seargant.
two regement numbers ( which do not tally with move to new reg)

31451 and 32877
the first number is lited in ancestry for medal rolls index, but grandad wrote in his diary the other number.. will check dates.

Now, the confusion is, we always believed he joined in 1917, he was an apprentice grocer before the war (Co op in Crewe). but recently it's come to light, he may have been a cadet? before this, possibly 1914. He would have been 17 -18 years old. so too old to be a cadet surely?
he was definately in France in 1917 as this is when he started writing a diary in the trenches.
anyway, as i said i will dig out the diary and see what else i can gleam from it.
Thanks again.

Jennifer Eccles · #4 02-03-12, 10:09

Sorry forgot to say, the move to the East Lancs with a promotion to Seargant was due to heavy losses in the East Lancs and new non comissioned ranks needed to make up the troops so he was drafted from the Cheshires who had faired much better.

kiterunner · #5 02-03-12, 10:41

I can't find anything, sorry. And apparently the Crewe Absent Voters' List hasn't survived, though I'm not sure whether he would have been on it or not. I don't suppose he got married during the war, by any chance? If so then there might be some details of his service no etc on his marriage cert.

Jennifer Eccles · #6 02-03-12, 11:10

Nope he got married when he got back from the war. Oh well, thanks so much for looking anyway, just one of those things i guess, darned wars!.
Thanks again x