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Archiver > BOER-WAR > 2003-11 > 1069609749


From: ljw <>
Subject: Re: [BOER-WAR] 11thCoy, 3rd I.Y. -sailing records to South Africa
Date: Sun, 23 Nov 2003 17:49:13 GMT


Dear Carol,
final thought for the day - mine, anyway.
Do you realise that you may be able to get a copy of your
ancestor's Army Service Record from the Public Records
Office? [If his papers survived the years].
The Ministry of Defence Army Records Centre used to hold all
the surviving such personnel files, and are in the middle of a
huge project to transfer them all to a computerised data-base,
which will be in the care of the PRO, as I understand it.
While only the paper records existed, the MoD Army Records
Centre could only conduct searches if the enquirer had a vital
bit of info - the soldier's Regimental Number. With over 40
MILES of fragile paper records to search, and much duplication
of names, the Centre long-ago had to make the Rule - "No
Army Number, no search possible!"
Many would-be searchers who lacked that Number were
disappointed, and discouraged.
However, you ARE lucky enough to have Corporal Schneider's
vital Army Number, - so you may think it worthwhile to check
the Army Rec. Cen. and PRO websites to find out who holds
those Imperial Yeomanry personnel files now in 2003, and then
spend £25 on the search fee.
His "Next Of Kin" Form may give you info about ancestral
relatives you know nothing about at this point. I went looking for
a suddenly-discovered, WW1-casualty, great-uncle "Wal" -
with a surname I'd never heard of - and when I got a copy of his
Army Records, I found he'd had five brothers and three sisters, -
none of whom had been mentioned in the family archives which
had come down to my generation. New avenues for research on
four new family Lines. Lots of fun.
So it might be worth a try, for you, too
Cordially,
Shellback..


---- Original message ----
>Date: Sun, 23 Nov 2003 10:05:35 -0700
>From: Carol Lylyk <>
>Subject: Re: [BOER-WAR] 11thCoy, 3rd I.Y. -sailing records
to South Africa
>To:
>
>Thanks for the suggestions. I will give that a try. I have visited
Kevin Asplin's Military History Site and found it
>very interesting.
>
>Carol Lylyk
>Calgary, Alberta
>Canada

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