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Ask the expert – elusive Royal Navy ancestor

Our resident military expert Paul Nixon, pictured below, offers advice on how to solve your military family history mysteries.

From Graham Browster:

‘My grandfather served in WWI – he was 28893 Dvr E Browster RFA and he won several medals which I have. While trying to trace his date of birth I have learnt that he served on HMS Queen Elizabeth and had been in the Royal Navy for several years.

I have not been able to trace him under the name we know him as but I know he was quite good at boxing and used the name ‘Gunboat’. Can you assist please?’

Paul says:

‘Dear Graham,

You’ve done better than I have in managing to dig up information about his Royal Navy service. I searched the Royal Navy ratings’ service records on The National Archives website but came up with a blank.

No service record appears to survive for his time with the RFA during WWI but he has two campaign medal index cards, one of which notes that he arrived in France on 22 July 1915 and was later awarded the Military Medal. The award was gazetted in the London Gazette of 16 August 1917. The card for his Military Medal notes that he served with B battery, 93rd Brigade.

I note that there was an American boxer by the name of Edward ‘Gunboat’ Smith who served with the US Navy but I’ve not found evidence that this man and your grandfather are one and the same person.’

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Ask the expert – Fleet Air Arm

Our resident military expert Paul Nixon, pictured below, offers advice on how to solve your military family history mysteries.

From Anthony Hood:

‘My father served in the Fleet Air Arm during WWII. How can I get a copy of his service record?’

Paul says:

‘The Fleet Air Arm is the air force of the Royal Navy and The National Archives website has some useful information.

To obtain a service record you’ll need to visit the Veterans UK website and follow the instructions. Note, however, that prior to 1972 all Royal Navy personnel were given their service record when they discharged and that the only information held on Royal Navy personnel who served prior to 1972 are their service details and a list of dates and ships/shore bases. Nevertheless, using this information it should be possible to piece together a fuller service history.’

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Ask the expert – missing service number

Our resident military expert Paul Nixon, pictured below, offers advice on how to solve your military family history mysteries.

From Derek Franklin:

‘I am trying to trace Arthur Hollingsworth’s army record but I have no service number. He was born in Bermondsey on 2 February 1898 and is believed to have served in WWI under General Allenby, possibly in the artillery. Arthur’s UK address was 165 Lynton Road, Bermondsey. He is a long lost uncle. I would be most grateful for your help.’

Paul says:

‘Dear Derek,

The National Archives lists 17 men with medal index cards who served during WWI and so it’s going to be a tough call for you to narrow down those men to your ancestor, particularly if you don’t know the regiment he served with.

Two of these men, however, are listed as having served with the Royal Artillery: one with the Field Artillery and one with the Garrison Artillery. The former arrived in France in 1915 and so we can rule him out because your relative would have been too young to serve overseas at that time. So the other man, 151141, would be a possibility. From my own research I can advise you that this number would have been issued towards the end of March or early April 1917 and so this certainly fits the scenario of a young 19 year-old soldier being called up to the colours.

General Allenby led the Egyptian Expeditionary Force in the conquest of Palestine and Syria in 1917 and 1918 but this doesn’t help you to narrow down the search a great deal and unfortunately there does not appear to be a surviving service record for our 151141 Gnr Hollingsworth.’

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Ask the expert – WWI ancestor?

Our resident military expert Paul Nixon, pictured below, offers advice on how to solve your military family history mysteries.

From Alan Theobald:

‘I have been trying to find any records of my paternal grandfather’s army service for several years, without success, and would be grateful for any advice you can offer.

He was James Theobald, born in 1870, died in 1950/1 in Romford, Essex. He lived all his life within a few miles of Romford except for military service. He was unlikely to have been a commissioned officer. This is all I know about him:

• Found on the 1891 census as a civilian
• Not found on the 1901 census, which could suggest that he was overseas at the time
• Described on the 1911 census and on the 1909 birth certificate of one of his sons as an army pensioner. I know that he was partially paralysed as a result of wounds and/or sunstroke
• Not found in Chelsea Pensioners records, which could suggest that he was not a British Army pensioner. Who else would have paid him an army pension?
• Not found in any 2nd Boer War records. Not found by a researcher in WO97
• Reputed to have described the sun as the Bengal blanket
• Granted the lease of a smallholding in Crow Lane, Romford in around 1930, until his death, under a Royal British Legion scheme for disabled ex-servicemen. RBL say that they have no archive material

Hope you can help.’

Paul says:

‘Hello Alan.

Admittedly he’s a bit of a mystery and you’re really struggling without a regiment.

The survival rate of documents in WO97 for men discharged to pension between 1883 and 1913 is very good; in fact Michael and Christopher Watts, in their book My Ancestor was in the British Army (Society of Genealogists 2009) describe finding a document as ‘a near certainty’.

The fact that nothing appears to survive for your grandfather could suggest a) that he was discharged overseas (the survival rate for these men’s papers is low) or b) that he subsequently served during WWI. It’s not beyond the realms of possibility that he could have joined up again in 1914, his papers being moved out of what is now WO97 and into WO363 where they were subsequently destroyed during bombing in WWII.

I’m tempted towards WWI because you mention the Royal British Legion, an organisation formed after WWI to look after WWI veterans and their families. As far as I’m aware they did not concern themselves with veterans of previous conflicts, although it would be worth verifying this with RBL.’

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Ask the expert – absent service record

Our resident military expert Paul Nixon, pictured below, offers advice on how to solve your military family history mysteries.

From Mary Gregg:

‘My father served in the Kings Royal Rifle Corps in WWI. His name and number was Pte George Brunt 44919 – he later joined the 6th London regt. number 348277. I have his card but it gives no details of his actual service and I cannot trace his service records anywhere. I do know he served in France and was mentioned in two despatches as I saw the typed out pages which said he had captured a German trench. I also saw one that said he had captured some Germans single-handedly but these were lost by my family in the move to Australia. I would be most grateful for any information you can discover.’

Paul says:

‘Hello Mary. Thanks for writing to me.

The numbers date to quite late on in the war. 44919 for the King’s Royal Rifle Corps dates to March 1918 (almost certainly the first half of the month) and 348277 for the 6th London Regiment is a month or two after that. It’s possible that he was transferred from the KRRC to the 6th London Regiment under Army Order 204/1916, which dealt with compulsory transfers.

In the absence of a service record (which could have been destroyed as a result of enemy bombing during WWII) you could at least obtain a copy of the 6th London Regiment’s war diary from April 1918. This would give you an idea of what the battalion was up to at this time. The diaries are held at The National Archives in Kew but you could ask a researcher to obtain copies for you. As far as I know, this particular war diary is not available via documents online at TNA, although many are.’

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Ask the expert – Indian mysteries

Our resident military expert Paul Nixon, pictured below, offers advice on how to solve your military family history mysteries.

From Jean Field in Australia:

‘Can you help? My ancestor Alexandra Sophia Letitia Elizabeth was born in Bombay, India on 11 May 1889. Her father was Alexander Clarkson, Sergeant Instructor G.I.P Railways Igalpura. Alexander was born in England in 1860 and married Letitia Stewart in 1880, also in India. I have his service records from your site.

I just wonder if you have any information as to what Alexander would have been doing on the railways as he served in the British Army?

He returned to England without his wife and child. Any idea what happened to them? This wife and child were not known to the family. He went on to have another family in Manchester! Any help or direction would be most appreciated.

I also wondered if you can help with regard to Timothy Finucane, born in Mallow, Cork, Ireland in 1833. He had a long army service, although I am unable to find his service records. I have him listed in a private army (aged 18yrs) in 1855 and by 1861 he was at Hythe School of Musketry. He later became an Instructor of musketry and served in the 107 Regiment of Foot (2387) in India.

Any idea where I could find his service records? In 1855 he was listed in a private army – would that have anything to do with the East India Trading Company? Many thanks for your advice.’

Paul says:

‘I’m going to try and answer both your queries in one.

GIP Railways it Great Indian Peninsular Railway and Igatpuri is now a city but was then a smaller hill station in what is today the Indian state of Maharashtra.

Alexander Clarkson’s marriage details, noted on his service record, state that he was a sergeant instructor with the East Yorkshire Regt; key service details below.

• 29 April 1880 – Attests with 11th Brigade at Fleetwood for six years with the colours and six on the reserve. Is already a serving member of 1st Royal Lancashire Militia, number 3165
• 11 March 1882 – 10 May 1890 – serving in India
• 13 November 1882 – Transferred to 1st Bn King’s Own Royal Lancaster Regt
• 21 March 1885 – Extends service to complete 10 years with the colours
• 2 December 1885 – Transferred to Unattached List with the rank of sergeant instructor
• 31 January 1886 – Transferred to 2nd East Yorkshire Regt (number 2076)
• 27 February 1888 – Marries Letitia Stewart at St Thomas’s Cathedral, Bombay
• 28 April 1892 – Transferred to Section D Army Reserve
• 27 April 1896 – Discharged

I couldn’t see anything on his service record that mentioned the GIP Railway and apart from the period when he was on Section D Army Reserve, he was a full-time soldier engaged in full-time soldierly duties. Note, however, that the Unattached List was comprised of NCOs from British Regiments who wished to stay in India. Later they would become supernumerary men attached to British Regiments before promotion to warrant officer rank or sub-conductor and then conductor (and then further promotions after that). Your man does not appear to have attained those ranks but he did have two good conduct badges which would have appeared as two chevrons attached to his tunic on his lower left arm.

I have been unable to find out what happened to Letitia and Alexandra when Alexander left India. Is it possible that they died in India before he returned to the UK?

On your other relative, looking through documents in WO12 (Pay books and muster rolls) and WO25 (description books) at The National Archives should help you in the absence of a service record. If Australia is a little too far for you to travel from, you could engage a researcher to do the work for you. The 107th Regiment of Foot was an Indian raised regiment – The Bengal Light Infantry – which was originally formed by the Honourable East India Company in 1854 as the 3rd Bengal (European) Light Infantry. After the Indian Mutiny it was, along with all of the other European units of the Company, moved into the British Army. This happened in 1862 when it was ranked 107th Regiment of Foot. In 1881 it became the 2nd line battalion of the Royal Sussex Regiment.’

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Ask the expert – missing military information

Our resident military expert Paul Nixon, pictured below, offers advice on how to solve your military family history mysteries.

From Grahame Reed:

‘I am trying to trace the military history of my great-great-grandfather but have only been partially successful.

His name is Charles Reed, born in 1808 and died on 27 October 1884 in Harpenden, St Albans, Hertfordshire.

Charles married his second wife Eliza Moorcroft on 10 July 1850 – the certificate shows his profession as ‘Colour Sgt 60th Rifles’. From the information given below in the 1851 census, Charles probably previously served in Ireland. The details of his first wife are not known.

The 1851 census shows Charles Reed, his wife Eliza, daughter Adelaide (born 1836 in Ireland), son Charles (born 1840 in Ireland) and daughter Caroline (born 1841 in Windsor, Berkshire) – these three children are by his first wife.

The birth certificates of his sons born to Eliza show the following:

• Arthur (born 21 April 51) shows Charles as a labourer – this is my great-grandfather.
• Walter (born 2 August 1852) shows Charles as an Army pensioner.
• Certificates for Edward (born 19 April 1856), Joseph (born 25 May 1861) and Frederick (born 26 March 1863) indicate that Charles was a Staff Sgt in the 2nd Royal Middlesex Rifles living at No 7 Militia Storehouse, Barnet, South Mimms.

Other census documents show Charles as a Chelsea out-pensioner in 1852.

We have been unable to trace any military or pension records or any details of his first wife or the record of Caroline’s birth at Windsor in 1841.

Your help would be appreciated in pointing out the path we should take to fill in the gaps detailed above.’

Paul says:

‘Thanks for your email.

Do bear in mind that there is a wealth of military information that has not been published online. In the absence of a pension record in the WO97 Chelsea Pensioners’ Service Records, you need to look at WO12 (general muster books and pay lists) and also WO25/266-688 (regimental description books 1756-1878). First of all, find Charles Reed in WO12 and then work backwards until you get to the description (on enlistment) in WO25.

If he was born in 1808 he could well have joined up around 1826, or even earlier if he enlisted as a boy. The description books give a physical description of the soldier and are generally arranged by initial letter of the soldier’s name in the various regimental volumes. You’ll get physical characteristics plus age, where born, former trade, former service etc.

A further offline source is WO23/26-65 which are the admission registers of Chelsea out-pensioners between 1820 and 1875. These are arranged by regiment, each volume containing a number of regiments. All of these WO (War Office) series can be requested at The National Archives in Kew, London. You can do that yourself or hire a researcher to do it for you.

Unfortunately, no personnel records survive for the Volunteer Force (the precursor to the Territorial Force) so you’ll be unlikely to find anything specific about his time in the 2nd Royal Middlesex Rifles, although you could of course gen up on this battalion and also the 60th Foot (King’s Royal Rifle Corps) to plot his likely career path. Good luck!’

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Ask the expert – military photograph

Our resident military expert Paul Nixon, pictured below, offers advice on how to solve your military family history mysteries.

From Martyn Newell:

‘James William Jeffs was born in 1884/86 in Hackney. He enlisted in the army in 1904 and served for seven years. In the 1911 census his occupation was ‘gas stoker’ and he lived at an address in East Ham. In 1914 he was recalled to the 2nd Battalion the Border Regiment as a reservist at the outbreak of the Great War.

He saw plenty of action before suffering with trench foot in the winter of 1914/15 and he was wounded – a gunshot wound to the arm – in the battle of Neuve Chapelle in 1915. He was sent home to recover before returning to join the 1st Border Regiment at the start of April 1916 on the Somme. He was killed on 6 April 1916 in a German bombardment that preceded a trench raid on the British front line. He was buried in the nearest location to where he fell and he lies with 12 other men of his unit in Auchnonvillers Communal Cemetery.

My question: the family have never found a photograph of James William Jeffs, although older family members said that one did exist. We wonder where we could look for a photo and how to go about it. We have made contact with people who have actually bought the house next to the cemetery where the soldiers are buried in France and they do battlefield tours – they would like to keep the memory of James and his unit alive and a photo would help them too. I have never found an entire military record for Private 7340 JW Jeffs to fill a few gaps that the family have, so any help would be fantastic.’

Paul says:

‘You have a great of information about this man already so you’re doing well! You may well have tried these potential sources but if you haven’t done so, now’s the time to tick these off:

1. Post this self-same query on the Great War Forum and the Border Regiment forum
2. Check the local newspaper/s for East Ham between 1914 and 1916. Newspapers are a greatly overlooked resource and while some are already online – and indeed brightsolid, findmypast.co.uk’s parent company, has a huge ongoing project with the British Library, the British Newspaper Archive – the majority are not. Check with Newham Archives to see if they hold copies on film, archiveslocalstudies@newham.gov.uk, and check with the British Newspaper Library
3. Drop a line to the East of London Family History Society
4. Find Living Relatives on findmypast.co.uk
5. Consider looking at the photographic archive held by the Imperial War Museum in London and the Border Regiment Museum

Finally, start a blog and write about your relative; get some information online and let the search engines do the rest. You may be surprised at how many people contact you.’

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Ask the Expert – Indian Navy

Our resident military expert Paul Nixon, pictured below, answers your queries.

From Anthony Mathers:

‘I would like to know how to get information on the Indian Navy. On the 1881 census, my great-grandfather, Richard Moore, was a pensioner of the Late Indian Navy. His age was 45. In 1862, the year he got married, he was a seaman. In 1863, on his son’s birth certificate, Richard’s profession is listed as ‘soldier’. By 1868, he was a warehouse porter. He lost his hand in an accident at sea so he left the navy. He was born around 1839 in Birmingham, England. I would be so grateful for any help as it has always been a mystery.’

Paul says:

‘It’s possible that there is a surviving record for him in one of the ADM files at The National Archives. You can then visit TNA yourself or hire a researcher to have a look for you. See the Royal Navy pension records for ratings here

Failing this, it might also be worthwhile contacting the British Library to see if there are relevant papers held in the India Office collection. There are certainly soldiers’ records which survive and there may well be Naval records too.’

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Ask the Expert – elusive war records

Our resident military expert Paul Nixon, pictured below, answers your queries.

From Lin Moorman:

‘My grandfather Thomas Pilsbury, born on 18 February 1877, volunteered or was called up quite late in WWI. He never recovered from the experience. I tried to find his war records some time ago but no luck. Have you any advice?’

Paul says:

‘The medal index cards for WWI list two men with the name Thomas Pilsbury. The first man went out to France as a private with the Shropshire Light Infantry in September 1915 and so this is probably not your grandfather as you say he was called up quite late in WWI. The other Thomas Pilsbury served with the Royal Dublin Fusiliers (RDF) and later the Royal Irish Regiment (RIR). There is a service record in WO364 which will show you that he was a brass locksmith by trade and that he enlisted on 13 April 1918 aged 41 years and two months.

Thomas was posted to the 3rd Bn RDF on 15 April 1918 and sailed for France as a draft for the 6th Bn on 27 August. Two days later he was transferred to the RIR and appears to have joined the battalion in the line on 3 September. It looks as though he spent three weeks in the line before being admitted to a casualty clearing station with haemorrhoids.

He was discharged from the 2nd Battalion, Royal Irish Regiment on 12 March 1919 giving his address as 58 Victoria Road, Bradmore, Wolverhampton. He applied for a pension but this was rejected in 1919 as he had ‘no disability’ (although he had suffered from scabies and haemorrhoids and been hospitalised at various times in Camiers, Trouville and Etaples).

The scabies was possibly as a result of lice, although this is not stated on his pension record. Thomas was a married man (married to Edith Ann Sarah on 13 November 1904), and they had five children: Winifred (7 December 1905), Edith (5 September 1907), Thomas (31 August 1909), Lucy (19 May 1912) and Muriel (22 January 1915). It’s not much I’m afraid but I hope it helps.’

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