General Chat

Wow! Thankyou everyone. Maybe one of them (except the married one) could be my grandfather.

I know my grandfather was in hospital for a very long time. The family story is that he was given up for dead, and a medic ( ? ) saw he was still alive. He was released from hospital with lots of schrapnel in various parts of his body, mostly his legs. The doctors kept at him to have the schrapnel removed and eventually persuaded him to do this in 1954..... and he died soon afterwards, of a blood clot. Grandfather had always told the doctors that the schrapnel wasn't bothering him, he'd rather they left it alone. He was right.

I tried a few years ago (writing to the only British address I could find) for his records, also wrote to the Cameronians in Hamilton Lanarkshire, got no response from either!

The maddening thing, my uncle had lots of information about his father's war service. My uncle died 4 years ago, he had promised & promised over the years to send me some information, but never did. His second wife (who is .. how shall I put this?... not a very nice person...) refuses to share anything with anyone in the family. She won't even give my cousins photographs of their father, and has given nothing to my uncle's twin sister. :-(

Scozz, I will be out for most of the morning, but I'll continue looking over the next couple of days.

You should be able to do a search on the URL's provided. I believe that there is a small charge for the search,

The following is from FMP

About World War One British Army Medal Index Cards

Did your ancestor fight for King and Country during the Great War? Discover your ancestor’s medal index card. The collection includes the 4.5 million campaign medal index cards and silver war badge cards of soldiers. It is the most comprehensive list of individuals who fought in World War One. Search for free by your ancestor’s name, service number or rank.

Each record includes a partial transcription of the original Medal Index Card. The detail in each transcript can vary but most will include:
•Name
•Soldier number(s) *Rank *Corps
•URL address to the original image on The National Archives’ site
•Archival reference number

Click on the image link to visit The National Archives website, where for a small fee, you can purchase and download an image of the original index card that is kept at The National Archives based in Kew, London.

Discover more about the World War One British Army Medal Index Cards

The index cards were created by the Army Medal Office in Droitwich. Each card details a soldier’s medal entitlement. Some of the cards have additional annotations about awarded medals. Other ranks were automatically sent their medals, but officers had to claim their medals.

The records remind us of the vast impact of the Great War and that it was a world war. The call to arms went out across the British Empire. The collection includes some records for the Imperial units, but most of the index cards are for British soldiers.

Available in the collection are cards, which include medal entitlement for the General Service Medal awarded to men who took part in operations on the North West Frontier in 1919.

Multiple regimental numbers

While exploring the World War One Medal Index Cards, you may discover that your ancestor had more than one regimental (or soldier) number. Regimental numbers are extremely complex, but understanding these can help you unlock a soldier’s service history.

A regimental number was far from unique. Most regiments issued regimental numbers from multiple series and if your ancestor was in the Territorial Force, you may find that he has two numbers: his original number and a new number, which would have been issued to him when the Territorial Force was re-numbered in 1917. For detailed information on regimental numbers visit Paul Nixon’s blog: Army Service Numbers 1881-1918.

You can apply to the Western Front Association for Army pension information on your man. Sounds as though he may have had a pension, although there's still a charge, even if he didn't. At least it would tell you his regiment and Regimental number, if they have anything on him, enabling further research, via the War Diaries

There are lots of surviving WW1 service records for men who were killed, by the way, Sylvia. Please don't give people the wrong impression - just because you haven't found any doesn't mean they don't exist, so mentioning that you don't happen to have found any doesn't help

Or try the PIN series on the National Archives website, although there's only a very small number of files

Allan ................

I think they have different records

ancestry has only just got the UK, WWI Service Medal and Award Rolls, 1914-1920, but they've had the others fro some time




I've just looked at the Pension records, but don't see a possible Robert Adams candidate ................ there are only 8 such records

Knowing my luck, I'll look at 90 records for Robert Adam & they'll be someone else, but many of them might be grandfather's cousins :-D

There are generations of Robert Gibson Adam, my grandfather, his son and grandson, his uncle (the oldest son) and his grandfather; greatgrandfather was David, but his brother was Robert Gibson Adam! Goes back to my 3xgreat grandparents, David Adam & Elizabeth Gibson, but I've got further back than them.

What a pity the War Records didn't list middle names. And...... I've often found the surname ADAM listed as ADAMS, just to make things easier.

:-)

As the Cameronians have not existed since 1968 it perhaps not surprising that you did not receive any response. However, just in case you pursue this further you may find this link helpful at some point:

http://www.cameronians.org/index.html

Imber

The Cameronians have (or did have) a small museum in Hamilton Lanarkshire, mainly (so I understand) info on the Scottish/Hamilton Rifles.

That's who I contacted, via a website, and got no response.

:-(

Scozz,

I've now been through all the Robert Adam's and those with just the initial R Adam; the two Sylvia and I posted are the only ones I could see that may fit your man.

I haven't yet checked on Adams :-(

nor have I :-)

As an aside.....has anyone ever C&P their ancestors military number into EBay?....I ask because I used to help a medal seller with his numbers....he liked to sell the medals with the name of the person....

just a thought and another avenue to explore, along with the London Gazette which has military listings.

Susanwiv,

As an aside, and in jest, I hope that my Army Number never comes up :-0

I spent 14 years in the T&AVR from the late 1960's, until the early 1980's.

If my Efficiency Medal comes up for sale, I'll be having a serious discussion with OH :-|