stevem49 Posted 14 August , 2014 Share Posted 14 August , 2014 Must add my congrats to the ICRC - I had a email yesterday from someone searching for his Great Uncle. No number but they thought he had served in N&D. Within an hour I had found him on the N&D roll, checked the POW records, which confirmed his address in UK and date of birth. So from nothing to lots of information in no time at all. I actually think they should make a small charge but will not argue over a free service! Steve PS - would be nice to search by Regiment Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 14 August , 2014 Share Posted 14 August , 2014 Nice website. But non conclusive in the case of my great-uncle. Erich Steinke, born 19.10.1894, German Army IR49, PoW in France from 1916 until 1920. 60 named Steinke, 3 with forename Erich but not my man........... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bts1970 Posted 14 August , 2014 Share Posted 14 August , 2014 Egbert Hang in there, I found a number of my interests after looking away from the immediate returns to my search entry. Will you have the same problems as we have regards searches (Dixon being found in Dickson for example). Hope he turns up Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Thompson Posted 15 August , 2014 Share Posted 15 August , 2014 I would like to place on public viewing my sincere and eternal gratitude to Seaforths who helped a mere muddle fella out with the repatriation lists. Cheers Roger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coldstreamer Posted 15 August , 2014 Share Posted 15 August , 2014 For the one I couldn't find I emailed them for help, got a quick reply and found the soldier I was looking for Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdjknox Posted 15 August , 2014 Share Posted 15 August , 2014 What a great resource, enjoyed finding out more information about my Great Uncle Jack Craven Hough Y & L including he was in Block III Minden 1 Camp. He had a Granatverletzung which that clever Mr Google translates as a Garnet Injury. What is that I wonder? Garnet bit like a stone or a rock could that be a shrapnel injury? Clever Mr Google doesn't help with an explanation of a garnet injury besides to some basketball star called Garnet. Any ideas? My sister is a GP but to late at night to ring her! I should have put up a photo for the next bit but cannot remember how to do it. I couldn't find one of the documents from the index card struggling with one of the digits but having decided that it is an 8 as this worked for another of the documents I struggled with. PA 5475 OK PA 5582 this is the one I cannot find any reference entry to my man Hough PA 5826 this took a bit of sorting out by just trying the numbers until I could work out it is an 8 PA 7206 OK Thanks Forum for pointing out these Red Cross records were available. Steve Knox Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stebie9173 Posted 15 August , 2014 Share Posted 15 August , 2014 Granate (with an "e") is Grenade which may make a bit more sense... Steve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdjknox Posted 15 August , 2014 Share Posted 15 August , 2014 Hi All, Not sure is I have done this correctly but it is supposed to be the index card for Jack Hough referring to my recent post Steve Knox Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdjknox Posted 15 August , 2014 Share Posted 15 August , 2014 Stebie 9173, I like your grenade translation, thanks for taking the trouble to reply. Puts you above the clever Mr Google translation in my view! Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stebie9173 Posted 15 August , 2014 Share Posted 15 August , 2014 PA/5582: John C Haugh, 5 from the bottom? http://grandeguerre.icrc.org/en/List/3284777/1562/5582/ Steve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdjknox Posted 15 August , 2014 Share Posted 15 August , 2014 Steve, You are quite correct a mix up over Haugh when it should be Hough. Thanks again Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeatherC Posted 16 August , 2014 Share Posted 16 August , 2014 Great resource. I'm trying to find Guardsman (Private) Frederick William Gardiner, 2nd Grenadiers, army number probably 26519 but have drawn a frustrating blank trawling through all the spellings filed under Gardner. Any ideas anyone? And I found him! Not sure if I missed him before or the record has been uploaded since. As I said before all varieties of the spelling of this surname are indexed under "Gardner" with the correct spelling then given in the card itself. There's no "header card" for Grenadier Guards so his card is tucked in between Gloucesters and Gordon Highlanders and simply says "4 G.G." (looks like he had changed Battalion!) so easily missed. Only other document linked to it is a list of prisoners at Gardelegen, but enough info to prove it's the right man, which is great. What I really want to find is his repatriation record as he died not too long after the war and I wanted to see if he was repatriated sick. I assume the only option is to trawl through the records manually? I did start this but after about two hours had found nothing and realised how easy it is to miss a single line so gave up... While trawling through every Gardiner/Gardener/Gardner entry I did note lots of inconsistencies with the way Units are grouped and filed - especially with Scottish Regiments and anything with "Fusiliers" in the title! Plus there were "strays" like a Staffs man in with the Somerset LI, so as others have said above it is most definitely worth scrolling through the whole of the surname you are looking for just to be sure. Still an amazing resource and hats off to the ICRC for making it free! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Thompson Posted 16 August , 2014 Share Posted 16 August , 2014 Steve Knox, there is a repatriation record for him,the reference number R52126 is the file. He arrived in Hull on 23/11/1918 onboard the SS Stockport, list number X89635, unfortunately I'm not as clever as Stebie and can't post the page here sorry. Cheers Roger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdjknox Posted 16 August , 2014 Share Posted 16 August , 2014 Roger, Thanks very much for taking the trouble to let me know about the repatriation record. I have just telephoned my 86 year old mother, niece of Jack Hough to tell her about the information from last night. Better speak to her again when I have found this record, she will be so pleased as Jack's later life, spoilt by his experiences of WW1 we guess, was not what it should have been and she thinks by showing interest and researching him that it shows family support even though he is long gone. I see the reference R52126 was on the Red Cross Index Card but didn't know what it was. I don't understand how you obtained the details of the repatriation, is it from another record system or from the Red Cross records? Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevem49 Posted 17 August , 2014 Share Posted 17 August , 2014 To the right of the index card there is another search and you put the number (R52126) in there and search again. You then get all of the papers on the man. Steve M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Thompson Posted 17 August , 2014 Share Posted 17 August , 2014 Hi Steve, It was a forum member Seaforths that posted that there where repatriation records as well as death in POW. It took some working out, I have not yet found my wifes granddads repat details as there was not a "R" number on his index card so I'm afraid its the long haul for me. So glad the information is of use to you, more than likely he would then go to Ripon or Clipstone for demob. Cheers Roger, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottwhyte Posted 17 August , 2014 Share Posted 17 August , 2014 I've managed to find cards for Cecil Whyte...but a mystery has presented itself. On his card at the top a line reads: F.s.D. A53271. The choices on the search engines are of course PA, R and P, but not A. Can anyone tell me what these references mean? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdjknox Posted 17 August , 2014 Share Posted 17 August , 2014 Steve M and Roger, Thanks for the guidance, I have found the records. The mention of Ripon or Clipstone has set me thinking. Were these the only POW demob centres in the country? I have searched the forum before this post and seen lots of references but nothing to answer my question. Now I have further information on my relative still more impressed by this Red Cross site. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seaforths Posted 18 August , 2014 Share Posted 18 August , 2014 I've managed to find cards for Cecil Whyte...but a mystery has presented itself. On his card at the top a line reads: F.s.D. A53271. The choices on the search engines are of course PA, R and P, but not A. Can anyone tell me what these references mean? Someone has very kindly posted an explanation of the 'A' references here on this thread (post number 3): http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=215900&hl= Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottwhyte Posted 18 August , 2014 Share Posted 18 August , 2014 Here is another twist: On Cecil whyte's card reference A 53171 is crossed out and RAF 182 is written below. Does any one have an idea what that might refer to? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delta Posted 18 August , 2014 Share Posted 18 August , 2014 Have just found one of the First Tank Crews - Robert Coffey - whose MIC states was captured on 11 Apr 17. The ICRC records states 3 May 1917 at Bullecourt and also records the injuries. Not sure which record to believe but think I might follow the ICRC....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jules57 Posted 30 August , 2014 Share Posted 30 August , 2014 Hi I am not sure that this is actually going to be a live topic but having recently copied an old photo album I thought it might be of interest to people looking for relatives etc. There was a Red Cross Hospital in Kingston Road, Kingston upon Thames and the album was of the soldiers and nurses there with portraits, close ups and also group photos as the soldiers had been treated and or as they were recovering. I am told that as the wounded were still servicemen they had to wear specific blue uniforms with red and white lapels/ collars. As all the images are black and white I would be interested in seeing any coloured outfit the hospitalised would have worn when recovering. Thanks Julian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seaforths Posted 30 August , 2014 Share Posted 30 August , 2014 Steve M and Roger, Thanks for the guidance, I have found the records. The mention of Ripon or Clipstone has set me thinking. Were these the only POW demob centres in the country? I have searched the forum before this post and seen lots of references but nothing to answer my question. Now I have further information on my relative still more impressed by this Red Cross site. Steve I think there must have been a number of demob units. My granddad was demobbed at Gospie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David_Underdown Posted 1 September , 2014 Author Share Posted 1 September , 2014 Julian, Google "hospital blues" and you should find some pictures Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_Baker Posted 1 September , 2014 Share Posted 1 September , 2014 As far as I can tell there were no demobilisation centres specifically for returned POWs. The men I have seen were processed through the normal Dispersal Units. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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