tracing granddads

[glynwilley]

i am trying to trace my granddads who both served in the armed forces , i know ernest leonard back served in the wellington signallers and then the RE service number 510029 but i cannot find the wellington signallers anywhere , he was awarded the victory medal so served somewhere 

alfred willey served in the royal marines light infantry he has 2 service numbers i think he re enlisted  14983/9502 but i understand the faam no longer supplies service records for former marines im just keen to know where they both served and what medals and clasps the were awarded besides the victory medal if any 

ADM-159-76-9502.pdf ernestback.pdf ADM-159-156-14983.pdf

[alf mcm]

Welcome to the forum.

Alfred Willey's war-time service record is availab;le on Findmypast  https://search.findmypast.co.uk/record?id=GBM%2FADM159%2F156%2F0%2F0276&parentid=GBM%2FADM159%2F45770%2F1

Regards,

Alf McM

[horatio2]

Alfred enlisted in 1898 on a 12-year Continuous Service (CS) engagement which he completed as Plymouth/9502 in 1910. He then, briefly, joined the Royal Fleet Reserve (RFR) for three months before re-enlisting in the RMLI as Plymouth/14983. He served through WW1 to discharge as a pensioner in 1921.

In WW1 he served in the Royal Naval Division (RND) for almost two years, from December 1914 until November 1916. He served with the RND right through the Gallipoli campaign (GSW back, May 1915) and then transferred to the BEF in France.

He was drafted home to HQ Plymouth Division for all of 1917. After which he was drafted to serve as a gunner in Defensively Armed Merchant Ships (DAMS), borne on the books of HMS PRESIDENT III until July 1919.

His 1914-15 Star was issued to him at R.M. Barracks, Plymouth in July 1920. Victory & British War Medals were claimed and issued to him (Self) after discharge in 1921. Medals were issued in the rank of Lance Corporal.

FAAM have two attestation packs of papers for Alfred, which will give more details of his RND service and will also explain why his disciplinary record was so poor in 1902-03 (“Indifferent” Character), as well as 2nd Class for Conduct and four periods sentenced to Cells for a total of 26 days. (FAAM papers usually include all a man’s Conduct Record Sheets.) Worth applying for these documents but FAAM may still not be providing a service, so let us know what reply you get so that others can be advised.

Edited 13 July , 2021 by horatio2

[horatio2]

For his time in HMS ENDYMION in 1914 see her log books here :-  http://www.naval-history.net/OWShips-WW1-05-HMS_Endymion.htm

[RaySearching]

1 hour ago, glynwilley said:

i know ernest leonard back served in the wellington signallers and then the RE service number 510029 but i cannot find the wellington signallers anywhere

 

 

Ernest served as a driver with the Royal Engineers,  later based at Wellingborough Signal Service Depot     (Well Sig Dp RE - as MIC)

He was awarded the pair VM and BWM so did not enter the theatre of war before 1st Jan 1916

Awarded the silver war badge No B1219339

 Ernest has a western front pension doc he was discharge from duty on the 18/3/1919 with the disability's malaria and deafness and an additional disability which  I cannot interpret 

 

Ray

[clk]

Hi,

The 510029 RE service number falls within the block allocated to the Wessex Division Signal Company when the TF were renumbered in 1917 - link.

Regards
Chris

[Matlock1418]

2 hours ago, RaySearching said:

Ernest has a western front pension doc he was discharge from duty on the 18/3/1919 with the disability's malaria and deafness and an additional disability which  I cannot interpret

Glyn,

Welcome to GWF

For Dvr. Ernest Leonard BACK, 510029, RE,  From a WFA/Fold3 Pension Ledger Index Card [which appears to be being referred to above] - the third condition was Hysteria and was Attrib[utable] - Pension started on 19-3-10 [i.e. the day after his discharge on 18-3-19] - on the reverse of this PLIC his level of disability was recorded as 30% [so far as employability was concerned] for which he got a pension of 12/- per week awarded until at least 3.5.23.  His address was given as 1 Victoria Street, Parr Street, Exeter.  Unfortunately the main pension file will have long been deliberately destroyed once the claim came to an end.

A corresponding Pension Index Card shows this claim and an additional [seeming probably earlier] RE Corps No. of 3090 - you can also see this on the top of his MIC which might perhaps be useful for further exploration of his earlier service [?] - he had been a Territorial and his renumbering has been explained above.

:-) M

[RaySearching]

4 minutes ago, Matlock1418 said:

Hysteria

Hysteria ! I can see it now, Thanks

[glynwilley]

many many thanks for all the help now i can get my teeth into it all at least , i will drop an email to the general manager asking about records it sound like they would be an amazing look into my fraternal granddad , his son (my dad) followed in his footsteps joining the marines in 1945 served in malaya but we never knew granddad was in them from the start

 

 

[glynwilley]

 i have just heard  back from the fleet air arm museum , here is what was said maybe admin can repost it where everyone can see what was said.......................

Thank you for your email enquiry

Unfortunately, our collections team are currently working on large-scale collections move project and now closed to research enquiries for the foreseeable future.

They do hope to be able to offer some level of research service in the future but at the moment I do not know when this will be or what form it will take.

 If you have further queries regarding visiting, please do contact me again.

Kind regards

 Rachael

 

 

[glynwilley]

Back page of leaflet - where else to look[2797].txt

this is also from faam

[horatio2]

1 hour ago, glynwilley said:

 i have just heard  back from the fleet air arm museum , here is what was said maybe admin can repost it where everyone can see what was said.......................

Thank you for your email enquiry

Unfortunately, our collections team are currently working on large-scale collections move project and now closed to research enquiries for the foreseeable future. They do hope to be able to offer some level of research service in the future but at the moment I do not know when this will be or what form it will take.

As bad as, if not worse than, I feared. Two years and seven months (and counting with no end in sight) of zero service from NMRN who lay down the rules for FAAM. With nearly 700,000 original WW1 naval records at FAAM locked away from the public, this is a disgrace.

[glynwilley]

has anyone had dealings with the rn disclosure unit ?  faam suggested them

[horatio2]

They only deal (broadly speaking) with records that have not yet been released into the public domain. They have no WW1 records.

https://www.gov.uk/get-copy-military-service-records/apply-for-someone-elses-records

[glynwilley]

In WW1 he served in the Royal Naval Division (RND) for almost two years, from December 1914 until November 1916. He served with the RND right through the Gallipoli campaign (GSW back, May 1915) and then transferred to the BEF in France.

showing my ignorance here but what does the GSW back may 1915 mean?  the only meaning i know is gun shot wound from my field first aid training many moons ago , 

[Michelle Young]

GSW is gun shot wound presumably received  May 1915. 

[glynwilley]

would that have been in gallipoli