Assistance re General Enquirers Form (MOD)

[jetron1005]

I am experiencing some difficulty in tracing information about my father who was a Lt. in The Royal Artillery. I know he was serving in 1943 but have no idea when he left the services. On leaving the Army he joined the Colonial Service and served in Uganda. He died in 1967 but can find no record of where or how he died. The MOD form requires a death certificate which clearly is impossible. Does anyone have any idea of how to get around this hurdle.

Many thanks in anticipation
Judith Turnbull.

[TomBen]

Hi Judith,

i've just pulled up a copy of the form.

It appears to be a requirement that a death certificate for the serviceman you are looking for if he didn't die in service. I'm afraid there isn't a way to get around this, at least none that occurs to me.

Did he die abroad or in the UK? I'd suggest checking the General Register Office if he did die in the UK, there must be a record somewhere.

Kind Regards,

Tom

[Peter Goodey]

Have you checked the GRO Overseas indexes which are available on Findmypast? Alternatively you could just apply to GRO Overseas Section. This assumes (a) he died abroad and (b) he was English or Welsh.

Was probate granted in this country by any chance?

[Megan Roberts]

Findmypast have a data set entitled "British Nationals died overseas 1818-2005".

One of the downsides of FMP is that they do not give a description of what is or is not in the record collection. It certainly is not a list of everyone who died overseas. For instance I have an uncle who died in Spain in 2000, and he is not listed there.

[Lesley Robertson]

I don't think that they'll be helpful without the certificate. When I applied for my Dad's records, I didn't have a copy of his death cert to (to save time) sent a copy of his obituary in the local paper. Despite the fact that the obit included his number, birth and death dates and other useful info, they wouldn't accept it and I had to order a death cert.....

You might find him among the Consular returns, as long as his death was reported to the Consul. if he's not there, you could ask the Ugandan Embassy (or High Commission) for advice.

[Peter Goodey]

You say you know when but not where he died. If he returned to UK where might you have expected him to have headed?

Have you searched the death indexes (England & Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland as appropriate)?

Was probate granted in UK?