WW1 Service Record Help

[millymcb]

I am moving this to Armed Forces WW1 to see if the experts there have anything more to offer

Milly

[km1971]

As you have his 7 digit army number you can apply to the MOD for his post 1920 service. You could be lucky and have copies of his previous service. Details of applying are in the sticky section above. You should ask for a copy of his full record.

You may need to supply a copy of his death certificate.

Ken

[RRTB]

Death certificate is a requirement for certain. I had to acquire one for my father's WW2 records a couple of years ago. They aren't hard to obtain though and only cost a small amount - £15 or thereabouts.

RRTB

[Jebber]

Death certificate is a requirement for certain. I had to acquire one for my father's WW2 records a couple of years ago. They aren't hard to obtain though and only cost a small amount - £15 or thereabouts.

RRTB

That must have been a long while ago, the  cost has been £30 for some time.

Jebber

[RRTB]

Hi Jebber. Actually no, it wasn't ages ago! The Death Certificate cost about £15-18 from the City Hall in 2013. The request for the service records was £30 as stated on the MoD request form though.

Maybe there are different charges levied by different councils for the certificate?


RRTB

[km1971]

Death certificate is a requirement for certain. I had to acquire one for my father's WW2 records a couple of years ago.

Sorry, you are wrong. The subject of this question was born in 1900, making him 116. The oldest man alive in the UK today was 111 last June. Also, the last UK WW1 soldier died in 2009. So even the people running the MOD service should know that a death certificate is not required.

Ken

[RRTB]

I don't want to appear argumentative as I would agree with your comment, Ken, but this is copied straight from the MoD website:

Where the consent of the immediate next of kin has been given for its release to a third party, the 25 year threshold will not apply allowing the release of all the information available under the publication scheme at any time, subject to the payment of an administration fee of £30 per record and the provision of a death certificate (except where death was in service).

Also on the Part 2 of the application forms:

You must include:
a.
  The Application Part 1 (general enquirers form)
or
 if you are the immediate next of kin or applying with the
consent of the Application Part 1 (next of kin form).
b.
  A copy
 of the serviceman’s/woman’s Death
Certificate if he/she died following
 discharge from the service. 
c.
  If you are NOT
 the spouse or civil partner of the subject at
 the time of death (or parent if there was no
spouse or civil partner), you must include an adminis
tration payment [Cheque for £30 (Sterling) per record
requested] made payable to ‘
The MOD Accounting Officer
’

As I said, I agree that it should be pretty darn obvious that the person is no longer alive after 116 years! However, it would probably be better to send a copy rather than not send one and thus delay things or possibly have the application returned to sender since there is no provision made in the instructions for people over a particular age, ie centenarians.

RRTB

[km1971]

The key factor is if it is a Next of Kin applying. Others now have restricted access until 25 years following the subjects death. I have ordered a number of records on behalf of NoK without a death certificate if the date of birth was more that 115 years previous, and have received them once it is pointed out that the person cannot be alive.

[RRTB]

Ah, that could well be the issue. My line of thinking was "send it anyway" as it can't do any harm, doesn't cost *that* much and saves any further 'proving the case through age', but I can certainly see why you said it wasn't completely necessary.

My apologies to the OP for having slightly diverted the subject.

RRTB