Ministry of Defence Fiasco

[ansteynomad]

Thank you Mark.

I discovered the General Registry Office three years ago..
I sent off for my father's death certificate.
It shows he had had an operation in Coventry and was sent to Lanherne, a recovery hospital in Dawlish, Devon. Hundreds of miles away.
Then I had to find out if his sister had claimed his body of whether there was a funeral in Devon.
I rang all the cemeteries and eventually found him.

He was actually cremated.
I owe it to him in order to carry out one last respect I owe him.
The death certificate quotes a lung problem.

That sounds like the Coventry Hospital Saturday Fund convalescent home, which was still going in the 80s when I was working for the Fund's solicitors.

[Rena]

My late OH was in H.M.Forces for twelve years.  After his death I discovered he had a quite large leather bound book in which he was supposed to enter all his postings to various countries and also to enter his promotions.

All the pages were blank.  He had been too busy working and enjoying life with his pals.

[Marianthompson47]

Yes, it was a convalescent  home.
I feel so guilty I didn't try and look for him when I was younger.
😔😓

And now, having to deal with the MOD who have a scrap of his past ....


It

Thank you Mark.

I discovered the General Registry Office three years ago..
I sent off for my father's death certificate.
It shows he had had an operation in Coventry and was sent to Lanherne, a recovery hospital in Dawlish, Devon. Hundreds of miles away.
Then I had to find out if his sister had claimed his body of whether there was a funeral in Devon.
I rang all the cemeteries and eventually found him.

He was actually cremated.
I owe it to him in order to carry out one last respect I owe him.
The death certificate quotes a lung problem.

That sounds like the Coventry Hospital Saturday Fund convalescent home, which was still going in the 80s when I was working for the Fund's solicitors.

[BushInn1746]

Thank you Mark.

My parents separated when I was 12. My mother and my siblings.remaining in Brussels, and father returning to England.  I wrote to him on many occasions but then life took its toll and writing stopped.

I know very little if anything at all about his life, other than he was a piano teacher.

It's only now, in my 70ies that I found the interest in his past, because he was out of my life for many years.

Two years ago, after much research, I managed to find out where he was buried, far away from his home. And we visited twice.

I have nothing of his but a Bible, given to him in Ayr, Scotland in 1956.

Hello

If the Service record is currently not available for some reason or other and you want to go back on your Father's line.

If your parents married, have you applied and been able to obtain a Copy of their Marriage Certificate or a Copy of the Marriage Entry from the Register?

Depending on the country where they married, his Father may be given, or more?

If they married in Brussels (from A.I.) so may be the current information gathered ...

"A Brussels marriage certificate provides rich family history, listing the bride's & groom's full names, ages, occupations, residences, and birthplaces, plus names, occupations, and residences of their parents, details on any previous spouses, and witnesses' names and occupations, acting as a key genealogical source to trace family lines back further. You can access these records through the State Archives of Belgium or by requesting them from the municipal administration where the marriage occurred, keeping in mind privacy rules for newer records (75 years)."

Mark

[Marianthompson47]

Thank you Mark

Yes, my parents were married in Anderlechf (Brussels) and I have asked for a copy of their marriage certificate which lists all details you mentioned.

I also have acquired about 500 sheets of information regarding my family from the "Archives de l'Etat" as my mother, grandmother and great aunt were German.
Lots of personal letters too from My German grandfather writing from prison in Belgium. He was incarcerated because he was German.

He was extradiated from Germany because he refused to divorce my grandmother who was Jewish and my grandfather worked for the German government.

It's very complicated.

But to come back to my father, I have just received yet another email from the MOD informing me that they acknowledge my request for an internal review!? With a reference number and warn me it could take months!  I don't know what on  earth they are talking about!?

They are NOT addressing the fact that they told me they have found records and acknowledged receipt of my payment...

I give up...

[dobfarm]

Being WW2 time in your fathers history !  there were lots of records covered by the 100 years rule, Its a bit like the 1939 register where people who had been called up or regulars in the forces had their names censored - crossed out with black markers.

[Marianthompson47]

Indeed, we asked the MOD for my father in law's war records.

Of the three pages of information that were sent to us, only one line was visible.

All the rest was crossed out in thick black ink.... I don't know why they even bothered.

[BushInn1746]

 ...

My German grandfather writing from prison in Belgium. He was incarcerated because he was German.

He was extradiated from Germany because he refused to divorce my grandmother who was Jewish and my grandfather worked for the German government.

It's very complicated.

Indeed, we asked the MOD for my father in law's war records.

Of the three pages of information that were sent to us, only one line was visible.

All the rest was crossed out in thick black ink.... I don't know why they even bothered.

Hello

They photocopied the record, redacted the copy and sent a photocopy of that.

It sounds as though the British wanted your man, who had been on the inside of the other side!

 ---------------------

Sometimes a requester can ask their Member of Parliament to write to the Minister of the Department and get more released (already mentioned on here).

Mark

[BushInn1746]

Hello

1) They have proven to you the record exists.

They are conducting a Review (keep the letters and copies safe).

The Review
2) The Review is usually by the Department (the MoD) and wait for the Outcome of their Review.

If you change address or contact information, keep them in the loop.

But you probably won't hear much more until their Review Decision.

Information Commissioner
3) After the Review and if still disatisfied they may advise you of your right to Appeal to the Information Tribunal (it used to be free 20 years ago).

The Freedom of Information Act seems to have different Section numbers to appeal under.

If you employ or get advice only from a Solicitor (in FoI Act Law) obviously you will have to meet, your own costs there for that advice, fees etc., that you get.

Make sure you keep all the original copies you have been sent.

It might be that it won't go to a Tribunal Hearing, that the ICO might get the Department to release it.

https://ico.org.uk/

Sections of the FoI Act
There are different Sections of the Freedom of Information Act under which to Appeal and it might well be worth getting some advice before filling out the Appeal Form.


Added:
Had a look this evening and our FoI Act Appeal Section number got changed to Section 57 and we got no more new information.


Added:
I just wonder if they wriggle out of some on a technicality. Regarding another file, it was the cost to find the file, (not shelved & no database for those files).

Mark


Further thought added:
I wrote to my M.P., during the MoD Review stage and he wrote to the Minister and managed to get photocopies of the main parts.

I think the M.P. put more pressure on them to be fairer to me. (Already suggested on this thread).