Irish Guards 2nd Battallion help

[bluck]

Hi all,

My Great Grandfather Eugene Sullivan was killed in action in 1915 he was a private (number 7502) and was awarded two medals as i got a copy of the medal card from National Archives online.

I am interested in his service record if it exists. How long would it take to search at kew given the above info and what would it cost if i engage a professional to do it as i am in ireland and there would be obvious costs involved in visiting.

He is listed in the Commonwealth Graves Comission on their online database and is commemorated at Loos memorial.

Rudyard Kiplings accounts of the Battalions movements in his book was very informative and he is in the index as Killed In Action there also.

Thanks in advance for any advice

[ian turner]

Hello Bluck and welcome.

You can have a look at the linked site Long Long Trail (at the top of the page) - it will give you tips on research.

For a Guards regiment there is a good chance of obtaining a service record.

From the Long Long Trail:

If Grandad was the Guards [Grenadier, Coldstream, Scots, Irish or Welsh] you have an excellent chance of finding his service record. The regiments hold copies at their modern London base at Wellington Barracks. Some require payment for the service, others invite a donation. In all cases, you should at first write, asking for a copy of the form that the regimental archivist requires in order to carry out a search. Address your enquiry to the Regimental Archivist, X Guards (substituting the name of the regiment you are interested in), Wellington Barracks, London. It will be helpful if you can include certain information, and if for example you do not know his number or even which Guards regiment he served with, first look him up in the medal rolls. There are also some service records of Guardsmen in the main collections at the National Archives.

Ian

[bluck]

Thanks Ian,

I will heed your advice.

Any idea how long it might take to research myself at Kew?

Cheers

[ian turner]

I am sure there are more experienced pals here who could better answer, but you should allow all day there.

On arrival you have to obtain a reader's card, and have a short intro on how the system works.

You need to look up the NA reference for your man's file, order it at the desk and wait with a pager until your bleeper is buzzed, which means your file is available.

All this dpeends on how busy the day is at Kew. Usually there are many people treading the same path, and it can take quite some time.

That said, it is a while since I was last there. Maybe it has changed?

Ian

[bluck]

Thanks again Ian for the prompt reply, looks like an early start so.

Cheers

[IanA]

If you are deperate to spend large amounts of money, time and effort going to Kew don't let me put you off but, as someone who has researched my Irish Guards grandfather, I really recommend the Wellington Barracks route first. My guess would be that they are likely to have more than Kew and all it will cost you is a donation (voluntary).

Cheers,

Ian

[bluck]

Ian,

I took your advice and sent a letter to Wellington Barracks today,

Thanks for your help

Owen

[IanA]

Good luck.

[bluck]

Good luck.

Hi all,

I have returned from an extended break from the site:) I received my ancestors service record from Wellington Barracks but unfortunately there was no photograph. I have been trying to pin down the exact movements of the 2nd Battalion on the 27th Sept 1915 at the Battle of Loos and in comparison to Rudyard Kiplings book would the unit war diary offer any added info as to the location of the 2nd Batt on that fateful day?

Thanks