Mac657 Posted 16 November , 2013 Share Posted 16 November , 2013 Hello all, during my research i have found many relatives who have served during WW1. They were all exclusively in the British Army. However, i also have many who i can find no records of at all in any form. I can only assume they would have served in some capacity due to their ages. Apart from dockworkers, and i'm not sure about them ?, none of them would have had any protected occupations. Am i missing a trick somewhere, or is there a reason for this ? I appreciate a lot of records did not survive and i have searched other service records but drawn a blank. This seems odd to me as i would at least expect something somewhere. Or is this common ? Thanks, Mac. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sotonmate Posted 16 November , 2013 Share Posted 16 November , 2013 Quite often a local newspaper will have a line or two on it's locals when they enlist etc. It may be worth seeing what archives exist. A Parish Magazine of the time ? My birth village PMs are in the Winchester Archives of Hampshire County Council and refer to men who went off to serve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alf mcm Posted 16 November , 2013 Share Posted 16 November , 2013 Mac, Your relatives may have emigrated and served in the Canadian http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/cef/index-e.html , Australian http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/SearchScreens/BasicSearch.aspx or New Zealand Armies http://www.archway.archives.govt.nz/ . Regards, Alf McM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ralphjd Posted 16 November , 2013 Share Posted 16 November , 2013 Let us have some names see what our knowledgeable pals can come up with, like nothing better than a challenge this lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mac657 Posted 16 November , 2013 Author Share Posted 16 November , 2013 Ok rjaydee, you asked for it !!!; - James Parr, bn 1897, Bromley, Middlesex. - James Sayer, bn 1889, Reading, Berkshire, - Thomas McNiffe, bn 1894, Sligo, Co Sligo, Ireland, - Reginald Godding, bn 1900, Kidmore end, Oxon. All DOB's are worked out from census forms , not from certificates. I'll be away from the computer tonight so don't be offended if i don't reply. I'll check back tomorrow - good luck !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David_Underdown Posted 16 November , 2013 Share Posted 16 November , 2013 There was no conscription in Ireland, so unless McNiffe volunteered he wouldn't have served. The National Archives are currently working on the digitisation of record series MH 47 - the surviving records of appeals against conscription, only one county was preserved, but fortunately for you it was Middlesex, so it will be worth searching for James Parr when they go online. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinBattle Posted 16 November , 2013 Share Posted 16 November , 2013 Practically every able bodied man (and many women) were drawn into the Great War in some shape or form. Obviously running the Country, trade, shipping, mining, fishing, agriculture, munitions workers etc all still had to go on, so someone had to do it. If your relatives weren't involved in that, then they may not have been medically fit for military service. One other reason would be that they were serving only in the UK, therefore no Medal Index Card would be required, as only for those serving Overseas. Don't forget that there was a Royal Navy and a Royal Flying Corps, so don't think exclusively of Army service only. They may not have been Conscientious Objectors or "draft dodgers"! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mac657 Posted 17 November , 2013 Author Share Posted 17 November , 2013 Gents, a huge thankyou for your replies, some really interesting points raised which i hadn't considered. But a particular thankyou to Alf. Mac, Your relatives may have emigrated and served in the Canadian http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/cef/index-e.html , Australian http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/SearchScreens/BasicSearch.aspx or New Zealand Armies http://www.archway.archives.govt.nz/ . Regards, Alf McM Alf, i was a bit sceptical at first but i took your advice and gave the Canadian records a go.....and would you credit it .......i found a relative !! Vincent (aka John) Haylock, originally from Suffolk, obviously emigrated some time before WW1 and ended up in the 86th MG Bn. I was stunned when i saw this as we have no known links with Canada, so this discovery opens up a whole new route for us.All i need to do now is find out what happened to him. Thanks again all for taking the time to reply. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alf mcm Posted 17 November , 2013 Share Posted 17 November , 2013 Mac, Ancestry has 40 pages of service records for Thomas McNIFF, born Sligo 1883, served in Connaught Rangers. Could be another of your relatives! Regards, Alf MCm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alf mcm Posted 17 November , 2013 Share Posted 17 November , 2013 Mac, Glad you got a result. There's a family tree for Vincent on Ancestry, assuming he was born in Suffolk in 1882. Regards, Alf McM EDIT Just noticed there's more than 1 family tree, and one has photos! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mac657 Posted 17 November , 2013 Author Share Posted 17 November , 2013 Mac, Glad you got a result. There's a family tree for Vincent on Ancestry, assuming he was born in Suffolk in 1882. Regards, Alf McM EDIT Just noticed there's more than 1 family tree, and one has photos! That's the man Alf, his tree ties in with what i have researched already - brilliant ! Just emailed the owner of that tree. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sepoy Posted 17 November , 2013 Share Posted 17 November , 2013 Mac You should bear in mind that a large number of those in the Armed Services, during WW1, did not serve outside the UK and whose service papers were destroyed during the Blitz in 1940. For example,my Grandfather Kenneth Gordon, served in the North Somerset Yeomanry, and also in the Somerset Light Infantry, within England and Ireland. Accordingly, he was not entitled to any Campaign Medals, and as his Service Papers failed to survive, I cannot find any official WW1 documentation to indicate that he served. Other than being told by my Mother that he served, the only evidence found confirming his Regiments are the two attached photographs. There is a possibility that his WW2 Home Guard records, still held by the Ministry of Defence, may give a little more information, but I have yet to apply for them. It is always worth checking with other Family Members, just in case photographs, paperwork, or Family knowledge has survived. Sepoy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mac657 Posted 17 November , 2013 Author Share Posted 17 November , 2013 Sepoy, thank you, i had never considered that aspect and to be honest never knew that was the case regarding 'non-overseas' personnel. I take it from your post that those who did 'home service' would have been classified as Home Guard then ? Mac Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aradgick Posted 17 November , 2013 Share Posted 17 November , 2013 Mac, Just checked the Canadian Passenger lists on ancestry. J. Haylock arrived at Montreal, from Liverpool, on 26th May 1905, heading for Jarvis, Ontario. "British Bonus Allowed" is stamped against his entry, showing he was emigrating. Many young men were encouraged to do this at the beginning of the 20th Century, a land of opportunity and freedom. Andrewr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sepoy Posted 17 November , 2013 Share Posted 17 November , 2013 Sepoy, thank you, i had never considered that aspect and to be honest never knew that was the case regarding 'non-overseas' personnel. I take it from your post that those who did 'home service' would have been classified as Home Guard then ? Mac My Grandfather went on to serve in the Surrey Home Guard during WW2.(sorry I have amended my original posting) There are no individual records for those who simply served in the UK during WW1, although Local newspapers and publications such as the National Roll of the Great War may be worth checking. Unfortunately, the only Home Guard records so far released cover Durham, but due to the number of papers found belonging to young Home Guard Volunteers, it may be a while before a full release happens. Because of the number of WW1 Veterans serving in the Home Guard during WW2, their HG Service Papers may become a major source of WW1 information when they eventually become available. Sepoy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithmroberts Posted 17 November , 2013 Share Posted 17 November , 2013 men who served only in the UK are as said above very hard to find. Some local rolls of honour may include them, but each was drawn up in a different way, school, chirch, town, in the just the same as names on war memorials had different criteria. if any exist for the area where your relatives were living, it might be worth a look. Keith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mac657 Posted 17 November , 2013 Author Share Posted 17 November , 2013 Mac, Just checked the Canadian Passenger lists on ancestry. J. Haylock arrived at Montreal, from Liverpool, on 26th May 1905, heading for Jarvis, Ontario. "British Bonus Allowed" is stamped against his entry, showing he was emigrating. Many young men were encouraged to do this at the beginning of the 20th Century, a land of opportunity and freedom. Andrewr Ah thanks Andrew, according to the 1921 Canadian census he arrived in 1903, no wonder i couldn't find him ! There is also an interesting nominal roll/passenger list of his unit returning to Canada in 1919 on there as well. I've just seen some photos from the WW1 period of Vincent for the first time, brilliant stuff ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin kenf48 Posted 17 November , 2013 Admin Share Posted 17 November , 2013 Was Reginald Godding old enough to serve overseas? At the time of the Armistice soldiers' in training' were simply sent home causing some unrest at the front. Incidentally my paternal grandfather had three brothers, all were in the boot and shoe trade, he and a younger brother, who was killed, enlisted under the Derby Scheme; one served at home in the Royal Defence Corps and one apparently did no military service. Source Absent Voter List and Town's Roll of Honour. On the other hand my maternal grandfather also had four brothers, all were coal miners from South Wales, he and one brother served overseas, the other two apparently did not enlist. Not a scientific sample and I don't know how representative. but interesting only half of them of military age on both sides of the family enlisted. Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ralphjd Posted 17 November , 2013 Share Posted 17 November , 2013 What did I tell you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HERITAGE PLUS Posted 11 January , 2014 Share Posted 11 January , 2014 I don't know if this coincidental but in 1921 Sligoman Pte. Martin Moffat VC married Annie McNiff, without an 'e', a local girl. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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