Who/Where/When??? Help!!

[Guest Tephra.10]

How would I go about finding out about a particular person??? Trying to find Ernest Abbott Onley aka Frederick Onley - Fred Only - Fred Blunt. (Born 10/10/1887 Islington, London) Supposedly in the Royal Engineers during WW1 based in London due to injury. I've found an Ernest Onley in the NA medal files, (Royal Artillery, clerk and Royal Field Artillery, acting bombardier) but don't know if it's him or not. I understand he may have changed his name as he wanted to 'escape' from his parents.......they didn't get on apparently.

Could anyone suggest ways and means to go about finding Ernest? I'm rather new to this and totally stumped.

Thanks

Barbara

[truthergw]

If you go to the mother site, The Long Long trail, you will find information there to get you started. The forum members will be more than happy to help when you come back looking for specific details. Good luck and beware, it's addictive.

[Guest Tephra.10]

If you go to the mother site, The Long Long trail, you will find information there to get you started. The forum members will be more than happy to help when you come back looking for specific details. Good luck and beware, it's addictive.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hi Tom

Unfortunately, I don't have any other information to go with regarding Ernest, I don't even know which regiment he was with. There are no medals, no service records or books, no photos.....nothing!!!

The only details I could find out from family is that he was supposedly in the Engineers and due to an injury (don't even know if it was war related) he was transfered to a P.O.W. camp outside Birmingham (they think!) as a guard.

How on earth would I find anything out with so little information???

Barbara

[truthergw]

Hi Tom

Unfortunately, I don't have any other information to go with regarding Ernest, I don't even know which regiment he was with.  There are no medals, no service records or books, no photos.....nothing!!! 

The only details I could find out from family is that he was supposedly in the Engineers and due to an injury (don't even know if it was war related) he was transfered to a P.O.W. camp outside Birmingham (they think!) as a guard.

How on earth would I find anything out with so little information???

Barbara

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I am like a babe in arms compared to the majority of forum members, but here goes . I have never done this, but I believe that searching the local paper can yield a lot of information. You can search The National Archives for his medal records. Free to search, pay to download. ( If he served, then he was awarded some medals). I hope he has an unusual name. If found, that will give you the units he served in. If he was transferred due to wounds, he was possibly transferred to the Labour Corps. It will give you dates of transfer from RE to Labour Battalion. You will notice a lot of ifs there, it is a very uncertain business and EVERY rule has exceptions. ( Especially that one). Go to the mother site, it will explain the above, much better and in great detail.

[Sue Light]

You can search The National Archives for his medal records. Free to search, pay to download. ( If he served, then he was awarded some medals).

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Barbara

Unfortunately he won't have been awarded any medals unless he served overseas, and from what you say it seems possible that all his service was in the UK. So a surviving service record at the National Archives might be the only way to confirm his service, and with so many aliases that could prove a long, and possibly expensive search, which could result in nothing. If he married, or had children during the war years, a civil registration certificate might give his service number and unit, and if you have any idea of his home address in 1918, he might appear on an Absent Voters List for the area - if they exist, they are normally at County Record Offices or large libraries.

Sue

[ian turner]

Barbara

There is a medal card for a driver Fred Blunt, Royal Engineers.

Might be worth spending the three odd quid to download, but chances are it might not help you ID him. However it would at least provide a man and a number to further check for his service record.

Ian

[Guest Tephra.10]

Thanks Tom, Sue and Ian........I'll try each and every one of the suggestions...not holding out much hope though. He seems to be a very elusive man with lots of extremely well hidden history. It's going to cost me a fortune just to try and find out his fathers name (not on the birth certificate or anywhere else!!) If it wasn't for the fact he was my Grandfather and I met him, I would say he didn't exist.......Strange, very strange.......Cue music to 'Twilight Zone'!! !!!!

Thanks

Barbara