ANZAC soldier

[somtree]

Can anyone help me identify some clues on a medal card that may show that a soldier served in Australia in WW1 please?
Have been looking really hard for army info on my Grandfather, George Theodore Ford, born 1891 in London.
There are a few possible medal cards but no clue which (if any) is his. All I know is that he went to Australia just before WW1 and joined the ANZAC there. He was experienced with horses and motors. He rode a camel across Australia as well.
I have looked at the Australian war memorial sites but they do not keep service records of soldiers who returned to U.K. after the war.
I really want to give my mother some information about him, it would make her so happy.

[Arranroots]

Hi Somtree

Was he born in Bermondsey and was his father Thomas William FORD?

I searched here and that was the most likely one: http://mappingouranzacs.naa.gov.au/search.aspx


A 

[somtree]

Unfortunately not the right George Ford. I do not think he will be listed on that site because the service records came back to the UK with soldiers who returned to UK.
His mother, Maria Esther Ford would have been his next of kin. He was born in Blackfriars, Southwark, London.

[ennael]

do you have any idea where in Australia he went to ?.
Did he have a wife and what was his mothers' maiden name?.
What was his fathers' name?
I am interested in your comments that the service records were returned to U.K, where did you get that information from?, if they were shouldn't they be kept at the U.K Archives. I would think that he would still be recorded in Australian records and there is no corresponding enlistment that matches him. As you claim he was  an ANZAC he may have enlisted from N.Z. I can see no corresponding enlistment in N.Z.
http://www.archway.archives.govt.nz/
What makes you think he was an ANZAC?
What Australian "War Memorial" sites have you searched?.
Leanne

[rockytrain]

Somtree,

Go to the National Archives of Australia website and open the Namesearch address.
Enter family name Ford - there are 424 Fords.
Refine with George - there ar 47 possiblilities of first or second name George.
The page will show name, POB (place of birth) and NOK (next of kin).

Trawl through these three pages and you will find a number approx. 5 or so that have given their place of birth as England.  You can open their service records and check to see if it there is any further info that might suggest it is your GF.

Just remembered that many chose to enlist under other names and aliases, so don't be put off by a first scroll through.

I don't know Sngland well enough to know if Bromley, Lingfield, Shapwick or other such names are within cooee of London. 

Good hunting.

Regards,

Geoff

[somtree]

Thank you,  have already spent many hours on that site.
Either his records are not here because he returned to England before the end of the war or he used a false name. Not sure why he may have done this but very difficult to find him if this is the case.

[ennael]

could you try and answer the questions I have asked in reply 3 as these will help listers to search for George.
Thankyou,
Leanne

[somtree]

Hi, thanks for your help. I was told by the national archives of Australia that returning soldiers had their records returned to UK.  I have not been able to track them down, even paid for a private researcher. I assume that they were destroyed in WW2.
His mothers maiden name was Veal (Veale). His father (Edward Ford) died before WW1 in 1902.
I only know what he told my mother, no reason to disbelieve. He had photos but they have been lost, he died in 1946. As far as I know he was not married until 1935 but he could have married in Australia just before the war started, (there was a family rumour of a dancing partner!). The only other information that I have was that he had a short acting career before leaving for Australia. I am searching through passenger records again to try and establish the port that he sailed to. Will investigate N.Z. now you suggest it.

[DeeBoneham]

Just a thought do they Aussies have a census done every 10 years like in the UK.  Perhaps if you put something on the Australia area someone would go do a look up in Sydney, Melbourne etc as he may be listed on one of those....  They may be able to find out about marriages as well...
By the way are we sure he didnt just get posted as an individual rather than as part of a unit to Australia... He might have been doing an exchange posting type thing in which case he wouldnt be listed in the Australian records. 
Dee