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General => Armed Forces => Topic started by: li91mo on Thursday 15 May 08 11:58 BST (UK)
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I am researching Henry O'NEILL or O'NEIL (born 1883 in Oldham, UK but grew up in Bolton, UK). I have very little information on him but do happen to know that he was a sapper in the Royal Engineers. His marriage certificate gives his number as 341541 (although it is hard to read) then there are two illegible words and 'Machinist'.
Could anyone please advise of how I could go about researching him using this information.
Thanks in advance
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long link to TNA (http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/browse-refine.asp?CatID=10&searchType=browserefine&pagenumber=1&query=*&queryType=1)
You could start by searching here for any Medal Index Cards that could be his....Ive had a look and cannot find any to that service number but there are a few to Henry O Neil(l) with different ones.....Thats not to say he didnt serve as you know he did.He may not have gone overseas so no medals.Do you have his medals his service number would be on them.?
He may have been discharged ill or unfit there are pension records online at Ancestry.The Service Records with surname O are not online yet.
Do you have any photos of him?
Ady :)
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Thanks Ady,
I have had a look at the site but cannot be sure if he is any of the entries. We have no photo of him at the moment, but some members of the family are looking and so one might turn up. In fact we don't really have any information on him at all.
Have attached the part of his marriage certificate where it mentions his rank. Maybe someone can decipher it better than I did. On his son's birth certificate his profession is given as Machinist (Iron Foundry) so I assume he was discharged before 1923.
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I agree with the number you have posted i searched for the number before it on the NA site and got a hit Maybe he was moved to another unit and got another number(pretty common) and the first number woudnt be recorded on the Medal Card as he never went overseas with it??
What is the date of the certificate? He may not have served overseas OR the Medal card of his was lost(again happens)
hopefully something will turn up in your family Photos. :)
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The certificate with his regiment number is his marriage certificate from 1919. He would have been around 31 at the start of WW1, we are not sure what he did during the war.
His wife's father died in the second Boer war in 1902 - also in the Royal Engineers. I was wondering whether there could be a connection...
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His trade could be "Lathe Turner and Machinist" ................but I haven't been able to find him either.
Phil
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Having played the numbers game, it is possible that he did not commence service until January 1918 and did not serve overseas.
It is also possible that his full number was WR/341541 and that he was in the Inland Waterways and Docks section of the Royal Engineers.
I'm also inclined to think that the bit I thought read "Lathe" is wrong and that it relates to RE.
Phil
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I read it as Iron Turners Machinist.
Jebber
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Iron turner (whatever that is) would fit as on his son's birth certificate in 1923 his occupation was given at Iron foundry machinist.
Phil,
What makes you think he didn't serve until 1918? It does sound possible that he did not actually go abroad in WW1 as no one in the family has ever mentioned his service (although no one knows much about him at all).
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Checking for MICs at least 10 numbers either way, I found less than 50% on straight numbers and even less with the WR prefix. All those with plain numbers are Pioneers, all those with WR/ are Sappers.
Checking several surviving service records:
341535, 341539, 341555 and 341561 all mobilised/posted mid-January 1918
WR/341535 (formerly 338548) and WR/341540 (formerly 338552) ditto.
By the way WR/341540 was also an iron worker.
Phil