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Ask the Expert – lost forever?

BT Jones asks a  question about how to search around war records that have been destroyed by fire.

“How do I find my father’s records? He was in the East Surrey Regiment in 1916. I cannot find any records because of records being lost fire. I only have hs name and regiment – on this information only is there anyway of find his record?”

Our expert, Paul Nixon, replies:

“Once the record’s gone, it’s gone, and about 60% of First World War records do not survive - this as a result of a bombing raid on London’s Docklands in 1940. However, it may be possible to tell when he enlisted by looking at his number. Visit http://armyservicenumbers.blogspot.com for more information on army regimental numbers.”