Newcomer - Grandfathers WW1 & 2 records

[Eviles]

Hi I'm new to this site. I've been researching my two Grandfathers' war records. One fought in the Army and was wounded in WW1 in Mesopotamia and the other served in the Navy in WW2. I have quite a lot of general information on both and am looking for more details records. My GF who fought in WW1 served with the Gloucester Regiment and was wounded in the taking of the Hai Salient near Kut in February 1917. After being wounded he was shipped out to India and eventually to a VAH near Exeter. I would like to find out more details of his service and what happened after he was wounded. My other GF served in HMS Montrose in WW2 and the ship saw action at Dunkirk, Western Approaches, Russian Convoys and D Day. Again I'm looking for more detailed information. Trust you point me in the right direction.

[Lesley Robertson]

Welcome to the British Genealogy Forum, Eviles.
Re WW1, There are a few possible available sources, depending on what you have already found and how badly he was injured. WW1 service records are available from a couple of the commercial databases, but only about 1/3 of them survived fires in WW2. The medal index cards did better but are not very informative beyond confirming service numbers and whether of not the serviceman changed regiment (quite common in WW1). If he was injured enough to qualify for a pension, many of those records have survived and can be almost as good as the service records. Then there's the silver war badges which were issued to injured servicemen. Finally, their local papers sometimes carried reports. FWR (our hosts) has a database with medical info, but it is a work in progress. You may need to keep checking.
Re WW2, that's a bit harder because the MOD have not yet released service records for publication. However, if the serviceman has died since the War, family members can buy a copy of his records. It costs 30 quid plus a photocopy of his death certificate (see HERE). If he's alive, he can get them himself, free. Again, the newspapers can help.

You could help us to help you by telling us their names, ranks and numbers...

[suemalings]

Perhaps you can give us the name and date of birth (if you know it) of the grandfather who was involved in WW1. We may be able to find his records.

[keith9351]

HMS Montrose WW2 History :- https://www.naval-history.net/xGM-Chr...S_Montrose.htm

Keith

[Eviles]

Thanks for your reply to my post. My grandfather who fought in WW1 was Ernest Evan Iles(service no. 26706) and was a private serving in the 7th battalion of the Gloucester Regiment. I found his Public Records Office - New Soldier Record via Ancestry which comprises about 12 pages and includes his enlistment and discharge details. He was awarded the Silver Service Medal. Between this and a diary (notebook and a few loose pieces paper) he kept I have pieced together his route from England to Iraq and back. The diary only details his journey there and back and stories of camp life but doesn't include military actions he was involved in. I'm trying to fill in these details of this and what happened once he returned to the UK. I haven't found much new info from FWR but as you suggest I'll see whether there are any details in the local press although I'm not too sure how best to do this at present.
My Grandfather who served in WW2 was James Evans (S. No K61961, DoB 14/8/1902, Died 1974). He served in the Navy between the wars and was a fitter. He was recalled for WW2 and was a stoker on HMS Montrose. Again I found a summary of his service record ex National Archives via Ancestry - this looks like a couple of card records of dates of placements. I'm particularly interested in what happened at Dunkirk and D Day where the ship was damaged. It was also involved in a 3rd incident off Southwold where the ship was again damaged but shot down an enemy plane. Is it possible to access ships logs?

[Jomot1]

Ernest Evan Iles was awarded the Victory Medal and the British War Medal. What you refer to as the ‘Silver Service Medal’ is actually the Silver War Badge, which means he was invalided out of the army due to illness or injury. He didn’t receive the 1914/15 star, meaning he didn’t serve abroad before 1916, and his Silver War Badge record confirms that he enlisted 17 Nov 1915.

There are records on FmP showing he was in D Company of the 7th Gloucestershire Regiment and received a GSW (usually a bullet, shrapnel etc) to his left arm and was suffering with muscular paralysis. He was admitted to the hospital ship "Assaye" on 16 Mar 1917, disembarked at Suez on 28 Mar 1917, admitted to the 19th General Hospital on 29 Mar 1917, and on 25 Apr 1917 he was transferred to the convalescent hospital at Montazah.

He was discharged from the army on 30 Jan 1918 and his Silver War Badge was issued on 6 Feb 1918.

You can download the war diary for the 7th Bn Gloucestershire Regiment for free from here - just register and sign in first: https://discovery.nationalarchives.g...10534097b8dcf9
and https://discovery.nationalarchives.g...d9f58e08f2074d

The hospital ship diary is here: https://discovery.nationalarchives.g...476445ac552084

There doesn’t appear to be a diary for the 19th general hospital.

[Jomot1]

Just looked at his service record and it seems he was admitted to the Bruce Cole Hospital, Whitehall, Bristol, which was a VA Hospital that was subsidiary to the 2nd Southern General Hospital, Bristol. Unfortunately I can't quite make out the date - possibly 28 August (1917).

[Eviles]

Thank you. This is really interesting information with some very useful leads.

[Jomot1]

A little about HMS Montrose activities below, although for more detail it refers you to a couple of books:
https://www.naval-history.net/xGM-Ch...S_Montrose.htm

[Eviles]

Looking at Ernest Iles's WW1 records of his hospitalisation after his return to the UK,I am a little confused. It appears he was admitted to the Bruce Cole Hospital, Bristol on 28/8/1917, but his discharge records from January 1918 are from signed off by the Exeter Area hospital staff. Does this mean Ernest was transferred from the Bristol area hospitals to the Exeter Hospitals? His diary appears to indicate he travelled to Exeter on 27/8/1917? and I have a photo of him in his hospital blue uniform which seems to have been taken in a studio in Exmouth?