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General => The Common Room => Topic started by: MonicaL on Sunday 03 October 21 19:50 BST (UK)
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I wonder if someone could give me some advice on how to find and order a birth cert where the birth took place in Germany in the 1960s. Father's unit was based in Germany at that time and family resident at base.
Thanks for any help :)
Monica
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Most births took place in British Military Hospitals but were registered at the garrison where the parent was serving. A number of Records are held at the National Archives at Kew. It would be a good starting point. I know some people who have a military birth certificate and a standard British one.Good luck with your search
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Thank you, Morvenwalker :) I was thinking that contacting the GRO direct might confirm whether one can be ordered through them? Have full details. Sibings' births took place in UK army bases.
Monica
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I seem to remember that all births were registered with the GRO - hence the two birth certificates. Be good to hear how you get on.
Kind Regards
Morvenwalker
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Will let you know :)
Monica
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Findmypast have the British Armed Forces and Overseas Births Index.
Once you have the reference you order from the GRO as usual, only on a different page of the application, just follow the instructions on the GRO website.
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if open the GRO's FAQ's https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/faq.asp#GROIndexReferences there is a pdf https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/images/CG6_1.pdf
Index's go to 1960 on Ancestry https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/birth-marriage-death-armed-forces/
Findmypast Army birth index goes to 1965 on Findmypast and overseas to 2005 https://search.findmypast.co.uk/search-united-kingdom-records-in-birth-marriage-death-and-parish-records/and_civil-births you don't have to delve further just stick the keyword 'overseas' in or if prefer use https://search.findmypast.co.uk/search-world-records/british-armed-forces-and-overseas-births-and-baptisms [see learn/discover more for full coverage]
Order paper copy here https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/app_select.asp
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Hi Jebber and Jon_ni
Following your advice, I think I may have found the birth on the Find My Past index for Army overseas births. Thank you both ;) Now on to order through the GRO...
Monica
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Good luck.
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Good evening,
My son was born in Germany at BMH Rinteln in 1978. To register the birth one had to travel to the British Consulate in Hannover. The birth is recorded in the Consulate register which is then photocopied. This copy/ies is/are then signed in ink by the British Consul and a red ribbon with wax seal attached at the bottom.
As such they cannot be used to obtain passports etc because they are copies. Whether you can obtain further copies I don't know. The original registers will presumably be kept at the relevant Consulate. I don't know if that is what people refer to as a military birth certificate. To obtain a normal British birth certificate the birth would also need to be registered in Britain to generate the neccessary entry in a register here.
We were unable to get a passport for our son because of this. Fortunately he went on a school trip to France and obtained a one year passport from the PO. These are no longer available but he was able to use it to obtain a full passport.
John915
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John915
If you were in the Forces, I’m surprised that you say you couldn’t get a copy of your son’s birth certificate. Friends whose children were born in BMH Rinteln have their births listed in the British Armed Forces and Overseas Births and Baptism Index, those registered at the Consulate are indexed both in the Consular volume and the Armed Forces volume, copies can be obtained from the GRO.
One of my sons was born in Malta and a granddaughter in Hong Kong, both indexed in the Armed Forces volume, neither had any trouble getting copies to apply for passports.
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My uncle was born in Germany in the 1960s with a soldier father. He has a German and a British cert which he can get a copy of from the GRO
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My uncle was born in Germany in the 1960s with a soldier father. He has a German and a British cert which he can get a copy of from the GRO
Most likely if his mother was German?
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John915
If you were in the Forces, I’m surprised that you say you couldn’t get a copy of your son’s birth certificate. Friends whose children were born in BMH Rinteln have their births listed in the British Armed Forces and Overseas Births and Baptism Index, those registered at the Consulate are indexed both in the Consular volume and the Armed Forces volume, copies can be obtained from the GRO.
One of my sons was born in Malta and a granddaughter in Hong Kong, both indexed in the Armed Forces volume, neither had any trouble getting copies to apply for passports.
We had no problem getting copies of the birth certificate. I purchased them when I registered the birth. What we couldn't do was get a passport with them because they are photocopies of the entry in the register. The passport office will not accept copies only originals.
Any copies obtained from GRO will also be photocopies.
John915
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I’m sorry if I appear argumentative, but there is a difference between photocopies and Certified copies.
You only get photocopies from the GRO if you order a cheap PDF copy, Paper ones are Certified copies and that is all you ever get, even when you register a birth or death. I have my original certificate issued when my father registered my birth, that clearly states it is a Certified copy, that was used for my first passport application. When we registered the birth of our eldest son, what the Registrar handed us was a Certified copy.
It is the same with marriage certificates, the one you are given is a Certified copy.
If you need further proof, check out the Government website on how to order a passport, it clearly states if you don’t have your original birth certificate, you need an official copy, it goes on to tell you how to apply for a copy from the GRO.
Addendum
The requirements changed for people born after January 1st 1983.