GREATWAR-L Archives

Archiver > GREATWAR > 2002-01 > 1009950462


From: Iain Kerr <>
Subject: Re: [WW1] Soldier's information
Date: Wed, 02 Jan 2002 05:47:42 +0000
In-Reply-To: <026001c192b1$50f9cf20$88c489ca@trudy-lane>


At 06:44 PM 01/01/02 +0800, Trudy Lane wrote:
>Hello Iain
>
>My apologies, I thought there was a general address for all.
>
>The soldiers details are
>
>Francis Hamilton
>enlisted 28 August 1871 - Liverpool, Lancaster -
>Born Sheffield, York - abt. 1852
>Soldiers number 1530 - (married in 1878 - Pte in the 18th Hussars)
>
>The absent voters list for Colchester is also a mystery they record
>
>Frank Claud Hamilton, 9494 Pte, 1st Battalion, Kings Royal Rifle Corps
>Living 16 James St (Spring 1919) and
>
>Francis Claude, 85735 Sapper, 34 Signal Company Royal Engineers
>Living 34 Vineyard St (Spring 1919)
>
>The mystery on the two absent voters is that my GGrandfather lived mostly in
>Colchester after marrying my GGrandmother (an Orrin) who was also born and
>raised in Colchester. They lived at 16 James St, Colchester and some of the
>children were born at Vineyard St where my GGrandmother's family seemed to
>mostly live. I am trying to establish who these two absent voters are?
>
>7113 CSM Ernest Francis Hamilton - born 1878 (son of Francis)
>Enlisted Colchester, Essex
>KIA 25 September 1915 (Black Watch - 8th battalion)
>Married Annie Gertrude Shelton 26 December 1903 - trying to trace the family
>of GUncle Ernest's - so I thought knowing his movement in England would not
>only provide me with the information on his military background but also
>where he was when the children were born.
>
>Hoping this can help Iain - please let me know
>
>Thanking you
>Trudy

Trudy,

The records retained for soldiers of the British Army varied in quality and
quantity over the centuries. In addition the retention of records, that
were largely about the soldier and not his family, before 1882 depended on
his length of service - only the records of men serving the 20+ years to
gain a pension survived and were archived.

The Public Record Office, Ruskin Avenue, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 4DU,
United Kingdom; (Telephone: General Enquiries, ++44 (020) 8876 3444;
Records Information, ++44 (020) 8392 5200; Fax: ++44 (020) 8878 8905) hold
the War Office archives which include many of the British Army's personnel
records before 1914. Details of the PRO can be found at their web site
URL: http://www.pro.gov.uk/

The PRO do not have an on-line searchable archive, but they do now have
searchable indexes to the main archives. The PRO will not usually
undertake research for personal or postal enquirers. However the PRO now
offer a copying service and other elements of their Enquiry Service at URL:
http://www.pro.gov.uk/contacts/enquiry.htm


The WO 97 Soldiers' Documents (Attestation and Discharge Papers) archive is
the main series of personnel records for long service soldiers. These
survive for most men who served between 1750 and 1882 and who did not die
in service and were discharged to pension (that is to say either those who
completed full service, say 20+ years, or were discharged
medically). However, for those discharged between the years 1882-1913, the
documents were listed alphabetically for all soldiers who had survived an
Army career, and not just those discharged to pension. These documents are
a wonderful supply of information about the soldier and contain a mass of
detail on his career.

So provided Francis Hamilton served until after 1882, his documents should
be found in the WO 97 archive at the PRO.

As to the service papers of CSM Ernest Francis Hamilton, if they have
survived, they are still held by the MOD but will be in the last batch of
Great War soldier's records to be transferred to microfilm and released to
the PRO in May 2002. They will be found in archive WO 363 - First World
War Soldiers' Documents. If you cannot wait then, you can apply to:
Ministry of Defence Records Office CS(R)2, Bourne Avenue, Hayes, Middlesex
UB3 1RF, United Kingdom. {Telephone ++44 (0) 208 573 3831}. They will
send you an application form that will require a search fee of £25 per
person being enquired after. Payment of the search fee does not guarantee a
successful result.

You should note that there is some risk that the official archives of the
British Army personnel records between 1914 and 1940 are incomplete. This
is because up to half of the original pre-World War II British Army
soldier's personal records were destroyed or badly damaged following a
World War II German fire-bombing raid on the War Office documents
repository at Hayes in 1940. Those that survived are often in a poor
condition having been damaged by both fire and water.

Wishing you a Good New Year in 2002.

Yours aye,

Iain Kerr in Windsor, Berkshire, United Kingdom
Web Page at: http://home.clara.net/iainkerr/index.htm
RootsWeb Sponsor and Listowner for the WORLDWAR2 Mailing List.

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