QARANC

I have applied for and received my father and father-in-law's WWII military records and WWI records for two grandfathers. I thought that to complete things I should apply for my mother-in-law's QARANC military records.

I wrote to Glasgow in July and yesterday had a letter referring me to the Government website I used but also giving me mother-in-law's Officer Number and surname. The surname they quote is her married name and I think she had left the QA when/just before she married which would, think, be quite usual for 1953?


Before I shell out the £30 I wonder if anyone here has applied for QA military records (during WWII and post war) and what they received. I appreciate that what one person receives may not reflect what another one receives but want to get some idea of how this works before I invest hard earned money.

Any advice etc. will be useful. Thank you.

Hi Audrey,

First of all don't order those records until after 1 April. The understanding is that the records are going to be free after that date, although other people have interpreted the wording to mean that only an initial search to confirm the MoD hold any records is free. We're still waiting for clarification from the MoD.

I've no experience of QARANC records, but the MoD themselves say that the amount of information varies.
I was surprised on my dad's army records to find that there was no mention of him being torpedoed. Just dates of him going to various places, being transferred to REME, and being promoted to sergeant.

Thank you for the advice about waiting. I will do so.

I am very conscious of how much information available will vary. My father-in-law's war and peacetime records (an RAF officer) were quite interesting although it took some wading through the jargon. My father's wartime records as a Private in the RA were much less informative. My mother-in-law's father's WWI records as a Captain ran to 21 pages!

My concern with my mother-in-law's QA records is that they refer to her by her married name and I had assumed she would have had to have resigned before her marriage and the records would, therefore, show her maiden name but that may not be the case. Her marriage certificate shows her occupation as QARANC but that could have been her insistence on showing her status - she was that sort of woman!

Stand back - :idea: coming through!!

By chance, the other day I was reading a newspaper report of a wedding involving one of my mum's neighbours. Admittedly, this was 1943 so things were slightly different then, and both the bride and groom were in the forces, WAAF and navy respectively. The report said that after the honeymoon the bride and groom would be returning to their respective units.
I've also remembered another wartime wedding report I read, and this time the bride was actually a nurse in the WAAF (described in the report as 'an operating theatre assistant at the Princess Mary RAF hospital, Halton'). Though it doesn't say anything about her returning to work because it says 'she is' I think the inference is that she will continue to be.

So see if there's a wedding report for your ma-in-law. If there's not one online, but you know when she married and the town, then find out where the local newspapers are kept (often the local library) and see if they could do a search for you. Marriage reports in those days were usually printed within a fortnight at most of the event.

Interesting to hear of other, similar, situations and I take your point.

I'll have a look to see if there is anything on line and maybe try the local library.

Thanks!