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General => Armed Forces => World War One => Topic started by: heywyre on Thursday 14 July 05 14:27 BST (UK)
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I am trying to find out how I can obtain any service records for my husband's grandfather. I know he served as a Bombardier RFA in WW1 and his regimental # might be 625476
Any suggestions?
Judy
BC Canada
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Hi Judy
I can't answer your question - but here is a site that may be of interest and may give you some idea of where your husband's granddad was during the war
http://www.1914-1918.net/rfa.htm
Annie
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judy,walter will be turning in his grave calling him royal artillery.
walter william green
gunner
625476
honourable artillery company
his medals are in the online MICs
also check the gallantry awards,because he was decorated for bravery.
his unit was a very austere one,
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OK Judy
The L.C. says we're wrong - calling him Royal Artillery - so to make up for it - here you go!! :D
http://www.hac.uk.com/regimental_frame.htm
http://www.regiments.org/regiments/uk/art-eng-sig/HAC.htm
Annie
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annie whos the LC,mack
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Lieut. Colonel ::) ::) ::)
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Got this super site -
so I'm giving it to everybody with an interest in the Artillery ::) ::)
http://www.ra39-45.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/page3.html
Annie
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judy,heres the info i found.
gunner
walter.william green
625476
H.A.C
his majesty has graceously approved the award of the military medal to the following,for bravery in the field
625538.corporal p.m keen,from hampstead
625525.bombadier a.s chalis,from forest gate
625476.gunner w.w green,from coleshill
625461.gunner h.hammond,from addlethorpe
his military medal was gazetted on 14-5-19
his service medals are in WO372/8
it looks like the whole gun tam were decorated,if walter was from the area described,then hes your man,bernard
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Judy !
Took me all day to find this :P :P
I have a cheat sheet - and it still took me all day !!!! hope you don't have it already....
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/details-result.asp?Edoc_Id=2599265&queryType=1&resultcount=2
Regards
Annie
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Sorry Annie :-[ but I did already have it. I found it last night after you gave me the instructions on how to get around the site.
However, there is no way I can be sure it is the right Walter William GREEN
Judy
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Hi Judy!!
That's OK I'll let you off !! ::) can you post it ? so the guys that know that stuff - can tell you if it's the right one - ( I know I spent a few bob before I got it right ....... ) :P :P
I know Mack has been working on it for you - so with a bit of luck he'll tell you the next steps soon .... !!
Annie
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Sure thing - here it is:
Medal card of Green, Walter W
Corps Regiment No Rank
Honourable Artillery 625476 Gunner
Company Artillery
Royal Field Artillery 279462 Gunner
1914-1920
Catalogue reference - WO372/8
Dept - Records created or inherited by the War Office, Armed Forces, Judge Advocate General and related bodies
Series - War Office: Service Medal and Award Rolls Index, First World War
Piece - Gibson A - Hannas J M M
Image contains - 1 medal card of many for this collection
That's all she wrote ;D - Judy
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Judy
That's got to be it - 'cos that's the number Mack said it was.... :D
Good girl - you did it !! and it didn't cost you an arm and a leg!!
I don't know if you have any newspaper clippings but maybe that's the next step - try and find out if there are any pieces in the local papers - Mack said it was in the Gazette - you'll have to wait till he replies to find out how far along he is .... ooh this is getting exciting huh??
Annie
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Not necessarily Annie because that's the number I gave Mack in the first place that I got from one of the medal cards. It says Walter William Green on it but I am unsure as to whether it is the right Walter
His birth certificate said he was a Lt. Bombardier RFA
The information Mack found was as follows:
judy,heres the info i found.
gunner
walter.william green
625476
H.A.C
his majesty has graceously approved the award of the military medal to the following,for bravery in the field
625538.corporal p.m keen,from hampstead
625525.bombadier a.s chalis,from forest gate
625476.gunner w.w green,from coleshill
625461.gunner h.hammond,from addlethorpe
his military medal was gazetted on 14-5-19
his service medals are in WO372/8
it looks like the whole gun tam were decorated,if walter was from the area described,then hes your man,bernard
But that doesn't mean it's him. It says he was in Coleshill but that would only have been where he was at the time
Oh woe is me :'(
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So - Coleshill doesn't mean anything to you??
Do you know where the family were by any chance ?
Annie ::)
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Walter and his family were originally from Pitstone, Bucks. They flowed over into Herts and thats when where he and his new bride ended up (Bushey to be exact) in 1920 after they got married in Steyning, Sussex (February 14th to be exact). Their daughter, Joyce, was born in October of that same year and a brother, Leslie Frank, 3 years later. I don't know if there were anymore children of the marriage but Joyce and Leslie were both born in Watford
Judy
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hiya judy,the medal card that annie found,was his other card,he has two,i cant find any more on him,the local papers from where he was living at the time should have mention of him because hes a gallantry medal winner,is there no hint of a place in his papers that may narrow it down,mack
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I really don't have any papers other than his birth and marriage certificates
He was born in Pitstone, Bucks, married in Steyning, Sussex in 1920 and then returned to Watford/Bushey area of Herts and remained there until at least the 1940's because he was a witness to his daughter's wedding in 1945.
If he was in the Coleshill area during WW1 - only he would know that.
I guess my next plan of attack is to try and find any newspapers that would have been printed around the Pitstone area back then to see if he is mentioned
Judy
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judy,coleshill is in bucks,its near amersham,mack
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judy heres a bit more for you.
enlisted on 30-11-16,served as a gunner with the siege battery HAC,from 25-4-17 till 1919.
awarded the MM for work as a dispatch rider during the strenuous two weeks at the end of march 1918
hes mentioned in this book. the HAC in the great war,by g.gould walker,hes on pages 384 and 554.
hes also mentioned in this work. london gunners,story of the HAC siege battery in action.page 124
this is what it says about him.
on 1st april 1918,at the junction of the bresle rd and the albert-amiens rd a shell burst behind a lorry killing 2 men,riding behind was w.w green on his motor bike,the shell landing between him and the lorry,but he escaped unharmed.
on page 126 it says-
three MMs were awarded during the strenuous fortnight between 21march-5th april,1918,w.w green rode up to lavieville grimy and exhausted after 36hrs continuous dispatch work,only stopping to chat for a few minutes then off he went again.mack
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Wow - thanks Mack
I thought Coleshill was in Warwick? But if it is in Bucks then all the more reason to believe it is the right WW Green - horray !!
Thanks for the info - isn't it interesting to read about such history years ago? especially when it involves someone related to you even more
Judy
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judy,it is in warwickshire but thats another one,the HAC were territorials so they had to be localish,their museum is here.
the honourable artillery company museum
armoury house
city rd
london
ec1 2bq
if you write to them and explain that you dont live round the corner ;D so you cannot visit the museum,give them his details,ime sure they will help,now ya on a roll,mack
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Thanks Mack - will do !! thanks for all the help
Yes, I am on a roll here and would really like to find out more about Walter William. You see, he is my husband's maternal grandfather that he never knew. My husband was adopted at 3 weeks old and his family immigrated to Canada when he was 5. Some 50 years later, he found out he was adopted, quite by accident, and its been a search ever since (6 years now).
What is interesting is that his adoptive father was a gunner in WW2 and he also went into the Armed Forces in Canada for a few years. Guess it was in his blood eh?
Thanks again - I'm off to the races !!
Judy
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judy,you have both his army numbers,you dont need to pay to look at his MIC because you have all the details,his medal entitlement was the war medal and victory medal and of course,his MM,just hope the museum has a piccy,mack
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Hi Judy
That is great!! - good for you!
Did you say you had a copy of the Gazette ? If you PM me with your email I'll send it!!
Annie
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Wouldn't that be great if they did have a picture? We don't even have one picture of anyone in the family and that would be an awesome surprise for my hubbie
Judy
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:( sorry to say anymore searching for Walter William will have to wait. I got in touch with the National Archives and they want 75 pounds to determine if it is the right one I am looking for. I don't mind paying the price if it is his papers/records, but I am not about to pay that sum to receive someone else's relative
Guess I will have to wait a long while until I can go to England myself (which is definitely not in the foreseeable future)
Woe is me !!
Judy
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Judy
I thought you were going to get in touch with the Museum??
They should have a lot of material there .. ::)
Don't give up - try them!!
Annie
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Yes, sorry, that is where I tried and it will cost me 75 quid :-[
Mack said he would "call in a favour" and try to find out more for me
Thanks for your reply
Judy