John W Posted 22 May , 2003 Share Posted 22 May , 2003 Does anybody know how comprehensive these were for the areas that they covered. I have just purchased the one for Leeds with the idea of using it for part of a research project. JOhn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Hill 60 Posted 22 May , 2003 Share Posted 22 May , 2003 John - From my understanding an entry in the book had to be paid for by the person wanting to have a name included. I think I also read, elsewhere on the Forum, that the information in them wasn't always accurate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John W Posted 22 May , 2003 Author Share Posted 22 May , 2003 From my understanding an entry in the book had to be paid for by the person wanting to have a name included. So basically its a good start but far from comprehensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Morgan Posted 22 May , 2003 Share Posted 22 May , 2003 I also remember reading (and I think it's also been mentioned on this forum) that there are some men who are mentioned in the publication but who couldn't remember having been asked to provide details. Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Strawbridge Posted 23 May , 2003 Share Posted 23 May , 2003 Last year I forked out and bought the full 15 volume set reprint from Naval and Military Press. My understading is as previously mentioned in that people submitted their own entry for inclusion but I don't know if they actually paid a fee with it. I guess so. Each volume is localised to a city and it would seem that you could actually submit entries that were not your own as it seems that family members sent in batches. Because the entries are "submitted" there can be no certainty that they will be accurate. That will depend on the submitters leaning towards telling "porky pies". I suspect that most of the entries will be correct and give an insight as to who and where particular serving people were. Of particular interest is that addresses are given and if you look under the same name but different initials you can build up brothers, sisters and parents who were also serving. It also gives other fields such as factory workers and munition workers. The index is particularly useful but only if you have one or more of the volumes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raster Scanning Posted 23 May , 2003 Share Posted 23 May , 2003 There were 14 volumes in the series, the 15th in the reprint volumes is a very useful index, not made available in the original set. The 14 volumes are. Vol 1 London. Vol 2 London. Vol 3 London. Vol 4 Southampton. Vol 5 Luton. Vol 6 Birmingham. Vol 7 London. Vol 8 Leeds. Vol 9 Bradford. Vol 10 Portsmouth. Vol 11 Manchester. Vol 12 Bedford and Northampton. Vol 13 London. Vol 14 Salford. To quote Norman holding in his excellent little book 'World War 1 Army Ancestry' "This was published by the National Publishing Co, London. A total of 14 volumes appeared, the last in 1922. It is believed the company went into liquidation before the whole work could be completed. The method of obtaining the information is not known but some men whose names appear cannot recall being approached for details. Also a man who is known to have served in several units is listed as having only one posting." "In some volumes the listing is divided into 2 or 3 parts. Each part must be searched, and no hint is given that the volume is divided". "Maximum number of men mentioned about 150-200,000 i.e. about 1 in 20 or 1 in 30. Some entries have been found to be inaccurate". I think it is safe to say these volumes are a useful clue to start your research with, but the information should be treated with caution. Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John W Posted 23 May , 2003 Author Share Posted 23 May , 2003 Fortunatly I am not looking for a specific person only the numbers of people and plotting them with the address as part of a dissertation research project. SO as long as I recognise thet it only contains between 5 and 10% of the total number of people and its not to be treated as gospel I should be OK JOhn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ian Bowbrick Posted 23 May , 2003 Share Posted 23 May , 2003 I always check the index to see if any soldiers I am researching appear because the entries often list battles participated in & I have been lucky in that 3 who appear in the National Roll also have surviving service records in WO 363. BUT In 2 of the 3 cases, the National Roll entries are well and truely beefed up! The last case is very accurate but also very brief. I am in no way attempting to belittle anyones service in the Great War - a classic example was a file I found in WO 363 where a man who had been a baker in the ASC was compulsorily transferred to the MGC in 1917, trained as a machine gunner, was MID, and taken POW on 21 March 1918 during the Kaiserslacht! Remember the National Roll is not an official document - it is compiled from information families, who paid, submitted. Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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