From Thailand

[mcsking]

Hello

I'm also an Expat who has just started researching family history and came here via the forces site. My Grandfather died before I was born in India in1941. My Grandmother and mother lost all the records they had when they ship they were on was torpedoed and copies went when the Indian records office was burned down at independence. According to my mother my grandfather Harold King served in WW1 but i don't have unit numbers or units. I have managed to some good information from the 1901 and 1911 census but have nothing after that.

There are many H Kings in WW1 records. I would like to know if there is any way to track military records remotely via date of birth or address or next of kin since that is the only information I have.

[Lesley Robertson]

Welcome to the British Genealogy Forum.
There is one problem associated with looking for WW1 service records - over 60% were destroyed by fire during WW2. However, people often get lucky and find their relative in the surviving third. Medal index cards have survived. These records are available on the commercial genealogy sites. Sadly, it's easier to track people who died during the War, thanks to the Commonwealth War Graves.

When you say that he died in 1941, was that associated with WW2?
I've just had a quick look at the medal index. Searching on "Harold King"returned 136 hits! As you say, a lot. Do you have any info that might help to pick him out from the crowd? For example, did he have a middle name?
If you have an Ancestry subscription, you can look through the 69 service records they have. Some have residence, birth date, etc listed, as do the Pension records (another 47).

I can't look any further without more info.

[katarzyna]

What references do you have for the 1901 and 1911 censuses?
Where and when was your Grandfather born and do you know your Grandmother's maiden name?

India Office Records 1858-1947 are held at the British Library.

OR if you haven't already searched - Findmypast has lots of Indian records including:
British India Office Births & Baptisms, Marriages, Deaths and Burials, Wills and Probate, the British in India (Travel and migration) British in India Directories (Newspapers, Directories & Social History).
https://search.findmypast.co.uk/hist...ntryfieldname= enter India in the search box)

It might be worth your while getting a month's sub to investigate these.

[mcsking]

Thank you for the responses.
The things i discovered via Findmypast is he was born in Grangetown near Newcastle in Sep 1898.
He did not serve in WW2. He worked in a ship paint factory in Calcutta from 1930 until he died around 1941.
His birth record and census show no middle name.
My mother told me he served in WW1 and was possibly cavalry and was gassed which contributed along with drinking and smoking to his relatively early demise. But i have no records to confirm that and she was 7 when he died . His wifes maiden name was Isabella Lattimer, I believe she was born in 1900 but later changed her date of birth to 1905 which was reflected on the death certificate. I tracked most of this back from the ship records on findmypast which recorded all of them travelling to and from India several times in the 30s. He had a famous brother Horace King who was speaker of the house for a while but while his autobiography gave useful confirmation data on his parents it doesnt mention his brothers war service beyond that he came home.

I didnt know about the Indian records or pension so i'll try and search through them . Thanks again for responses.

[katarzyna]

Possible birth?
LATTIMER, ISABELLA mothers maiden name SHORTON
GRO Reference: 1900 S Quarter in NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE Volume 10B Page 55

Marriage

Sep 1927
King Harold Newcastle T. 10b 270
LATTIMER Isabella Newcastle T 10b 270

[mcsking]

I did find a record of him in the India British India Office Ecclesiastical Returns. He was called Aarold in the record which is why i missed it.
He died in July 1940 of a heart attack.
Nothing in the military records .