Guest pjm Posted 13 November , 2003 Share Posted 13 November , 2003 Verbal family history has it that my great grandfather served in submarines during the First World War. However, I have no documentary proof. Can anyone help with advice as to where I start looking to confirm or not this part of the family tree? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Hussar Posted 18 November , 2003 Share Posted 18 November , 2003 The PRO/NA holds all available records of ratings who enlisted prior to 1924. If his S.C's are their they will show when he joined up, where he trained and which Ship's/Submarines and Shore Bases he was drafted to. A check of the Medal Rolls will show which medals he was entitled to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jolly jack Posted 3 December , 2003 Share Posted 3 December , 2003 The submarine museum at Gosport does hold index cards of all personnel that served in Subs during WW1 & 2 so worth clicking on to their website at www.rnsubmus.co.uk and you will find a link to 'queries'. Give them a try . I did and got quite a bit of info. If he is not amongst their records then that will close that door for you!! Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Lawton Posted 4 December , 2003 Share Posted 4 December , 2003 The only information the submarine museum at Gosport had on my great grandfather was his entry in the remembrance book. So, there's a small chance he may have voluntered to be loaned to the Royal Australian Navy for submarine service, that's what my great grandfather did. Stu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DirtyDick Posted 3 May , 2004 Share Posted 3 May , 2004 If you have his ADM188 (PRO) service papers, they probably won't list submarines, but will list depot ships since they acted as Home for submarine flotillas. A significant length of service aboard different vessels of this type will imply - but not ensure, since many ratings served purely as depot crew - being a submariner. If you have his papers, list the names and dates of postings to ships and I'll get back to you. Also, I wrote a book about WW1 submariners; if you give me his name I might have come across it in my research, or else be able to give you the email of someone who is collating a database of such men from various sources. Cheers Richard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Nigel999 Posted 3 May , 2004 Share Posted 3 May , 2004 In my experience the ADM/188 series copy papers do list the boats served in...At least all the ones I have had cause to get. Curiously, the only original parchment certificate of service I have to a submariner does not list the boats he was in. Just the depot ship. This particular man was killed in H5 in 1918 ..and the notation of this is the only mention of subs on the parchment. Perhaps a security issue? The "service" cards at DOLPHIN are very incomplete...for instance of the 20+ killed in H5 only 4 or 5 have surviving cards. The museum does have a superb archive of photos though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
healdav Posted 3 May , 2004 Share Posted 3 May , 2004 If my memory serves me corrctly, RN ratings were "appointed to HMS... (depot ship) for service in submarines of XX flotilla". So, sometimes you will find a submarine mentioned and sometimes not. The reason for this was that in the early days men could be swapped around between boats as convenient. A man posted to the depot ship tself would not have the mention 'for service in submarines'. I think this was a little bit hit and miss, but that was the idea. This sort of thing can still happen as a man can be appointed to 'spare crew' and serve on (now gone) POLARIS submarines and now the TRIDENT. The spare crew is a stand by to cover sickness,etc. and also allows on-shore training of replacements. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perce620 Posted 4 May , 2004 Share Posted 4 May , 2004 My Dad and I have a few medal groups and service docs to submariners and their subs are shown on the service sheets. I have the address for the naval records dept if anyone wants it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DirtyDick Posted 4 May , 2004 Share Posted 4 May , 2004 I think it depends on the diligence and comprehensiveness of the form filling on the ADM188 rather than official policy to mark submarine service. Many have subs' names (class letter and one or two digits) wedged in after depot ship in an ad hoc manner, but some none at all. One such record encountered belonged to a signaller who spent the best part of 1915-17 aboard submarine depot ships (although spent 1916 at Dolphin, which was by this time largely a training flotilla). Signallers were in short supply, especially in the Sub. Service, and it seems highly unlikely that he never once went on patrol with a boat whilst aboard these vessels: he was young and a junior rank rather than an PO who could be an instructor aboard a depot ship. Also, signallers often did not receive the same training as Submarine Service applicants, and consequently in the early part of the War were considered 'outsiders' who could just as easily be posted to a battleship next time around, so maybe there was felt no need to record his service aboard individual boats. There is no Sub Service Card for him at the RNSM and his ADM188 lists no submarines, but it seems highly likely that he was a submariner for at least a part of the War. Cheers Richard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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