Only A Number....

[Suffolk_Cousins]

I am trying to help a neighbour out with his family tree. The trouble is he doesn't know his grandfathers name so I can't look on the census'. All he has is his fathers, John Barnards, military number of 2380535. Is there any way from just having that number that I can find out who his father was? Many Thanks Jo

[Grey Squirrel]

Someone smarter than me will probably post and tell you that that looks like a post-WW1 army number, not a WW1 regimental number, but I am not an expert and stand to be corrected.

The simplest way forward, though, is definitely through genealogy, not military history: buy a copy of the birth certificate (£7 if England & Wales) of the father John Barnard (presumably the friend will have this information): this will give the names of both parents (i.e the grandfather and his wife), including the maiden surname of the mother. You can then progress the research confidently from there.

The birth cert can be obtained fom the local district register office (in which the birth was registered), or else (if district not known) fom the FRC in London, or online using a search of the BMD indexes at www.1837online.com and then by application at the GRO's official website http://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content.

Good luck!

[gericht 1914]

military number of 2380535.

If it's British Army, that number denotes a post 1920 original enlistment in the Royal Corps of Signals. However, some WW1 Canadian numbers were 7 digits and this can be easily checked (free) online.

Dave.