Military Chat

I am not sure if I have put this in the right section, but I took out a subscription for FOLD 3 because I was hoping to find my Grandfathers RAF records and Army records for a couple of other ancestors, both WW2. Also my other Grandfather was in the Home Guards and the Merchant Navy in WW1, and I havn't been able to find any information about him either.

Would I be right in saying that FOLD 3 only cover WW1. It's not an easy site to navigate round.

I also subscribe to Ancestry, full access, and I have not had any luck there either.

UK WW2 Records are, in the main, still with the MOD. They’d cost £30 to be sent a copy. This includes those for the Home Guard.
Try here for a guide from the National Archives https://tinyurl.com/y7oj9mtj

http://www.veterans-uk.info/service_records/service_records.html For links for other service records.

Merchant Navy Records will be thin on the ground. They would have been given to the sailors directly. Findmypast claims to have some. Those of us with a sub would be happy to have a look.

National Archives guide
https://tinyurl.com/y8a64l4c

Another guide from Royal Museums, Greenwich (Naval Museum)
https://tinyurl.com/ya97emve

Thank you for all that information, that will be very helpful.

My Grandfather who was in the Merchant Navy was John Campbell Lester Lynn, born 3rd January 1900, in Barnhill, Larne, Antrim,N. Ireland, I dont know what other information you would require if someone did have a moment to look for me.

I know he did move to London, and lived there most of his life, but exactly when is one of my puzzles at the moment.

There’s no entry for a J C L Lynn or J C Lynn. Not enough detail on the images for J Lynn to decide if any are relevant


Record set Britain, Merchant Seamen, 1918-1941
Series BT364
First name(s) J
Last name Lynn
Event year 1918-41
Birth year -
Discharge number 918188
Birth place -
Birth county/country -
Card type CR2

2nd initial M. Served as a 2nd engineer. Card stamped by Manchester merchant marine office.
......
s) J
Last name Lynn
Event year 1918-41
Birth year -
Discharge number 634810
Birth place -
Birth county/country
Card type CR2

Sorry, internet connection on a go slow - perhaps someone else can check the J Lynn images, Britain, Merchant Seamen, 1918-1941?

Which site, please?

OK, found it

Born in Sunderland - as per transcription

Erica, Findmypast. It might be worth checking each image. The first one I’d managed to fully post showed the middle initial. It hadn’t been transcribed . May be they’re all stamped Manchester Office, may be not.

As you have access to Ancestry, I assume you've seen the tree on there?

Birth
3 Jan 1900 • Larne, Antrim, Ireland
7 Sources 1 Media
1900

(AGE)

Residence
31 March 1901 • Larne, Antrim, Ireland
Relation to Head of House: Grand Son

1 Source
1901

1

Birth of Brother William Lester Lynn(1909–1909)
5 Feb 1909 • Belfast, Ireland
1909

9

Death of Brother William Lester Lynn(1909–1909)
24 Nov 1909 • Belfast, Ireland
1909

9

Death of Father William Lester Lynn(1866–1913)
6 Jun 1913 • Fulham, London
1913

13

Arrival
13 Dec 1928 • New York, New York, USA
1 Source
1928

28

Arrival
15 Jan 1929 • New York, New York
1 Source
1929

29

Marriage
5th Oct 1929 • Fulham, London
Registry office wedding. Witnesses Mary M Lynn and H Clifford Upson


May (Maisie) Phillips
(1908–2005)

1 Source 1 Media
1929

29

Birth of Daughter Doreen Phillips Lynn(1930–2016)
27 Oct 1930
1930

30

Residence
1933 • Kensington, England
1 Source
1933

33

Residence
1934 • Kensington, England
1 Source
1934

34

Residence
1938 • Ealing, England
1 Source
1938

38

Residence
1939 • Ealing South West, England
Marital Status: Married

2 Sources
1939

39

Residence
1946 • Ealing South West, England
1 Source
1946

46

Residence
1951 • Southall North, England
1 Source
1951

51

Death of Mother Mary Moore White(1876–1958)
2 Oct 1958 • Hampton Court House, Hampton, London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, United Kingdom
1958

58

View
Residence
1964 • Southall, England
1 Source
1964

64

Death
Dec 1977 • London, London, England
1 Source

1939 from FMP

21 Homefarm Road , Ealing M.B., Middlesex, England

John C L Lynn 03 Jan 1900 Male Stoker At Hospital Married 140 1
May Lynn 02 May 1908 Female Paper Tubes Assembler Married 140 2
Doreen P Crosby (Lynn) 27 Oct 1930 Female At School Single 140 3
Sorry, this record is officially closed. Check if you can open a closed record.

If you think of applying for WW2 records, you may be asked to prove your kinship - and to supply death cert(s)

That looks like my tree Erika, or it could belong to one of my cousins. All that information is the correct person.

So you have a probable 9-month span for when he arrived in England

The tree isn't yours - I wouldn't have copied the info if it had been

1939 register is correct. The closed record is my Dad.

After " Detectives" first post today, I did have a look at the links he gave me and yes did see that I would have to prove kinship, we have the certificates, the WW2 records are for my other Grandfather, he was in the RAF, its JCL Lynn we are having trouble with, we know he was in the Merchant Navy from his teens until roughly when he got married in 1929.

Noted- thank you Erika.

He was living in Kensington prior to his marriage, in rented accomodation.

Its where he was from his teens until he got married that we are stuck on, we know he travelled a lot with the Merchant Navy, he went to Australia on one trip, our information is sketchy for this part of his life.

As has been mentioned already, Naval records are routinely handed to the sailor on discharge. So they should have been among his effects, if he hadn't destroyed them

We never found them, so you are propably right, they were destroyed.