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American serviceman WW2

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  • American serviceman WW2

    How can I find out if someone was in England during WW2?

    I've found his army serial number but transcript of enlistment record does not state where he was posted.
    Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today ~ follow your dream!

  • #2
    Do you know which unit(s) he was in? Doesn't anything come up in a Google* search?

    STG

    * other search engines are available.
    Always looking for Goodwins in Berkshire.

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    • #3
      US Enlistment transcription lists enlistment date, army serial number and states he was a private / infantry. Source: National Guard
      Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today ~ follow your dream!

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      • #4
        Were there any US infantry units based in or near Leicester during WW2?
        Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today ~ follow your dream!

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        • #5
          have pmd you think I have found him leaving the UK

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          • #6
            familysearch's wiki about US WWII service records - but it really isn't very detailed:


            I'm pretty sure they are only accessible by the service member, and possibly descendants if s/he is deceased.

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            • #7
              But one more possibility - you said National Guard - I hope it listed which state he enlisted from? The wiki article has links to individual states - you might find something from a state listing

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              • #8
                have found him coming into the UK and leaving again and pmd you
                Last edited by Guest; 26-01-16, 20:01.

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                • #9
                  Eighty percent of the US military records were destroyed in 1973.
                  The National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) Fire: A Study in Disaster Overview: On July 12, 1973, a disastrous fire at the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) destroyed approximately 16-18 million Official Military Personnel Files (OMPF).
                  Phil
                  historyhouse.co.uk
                  Essex - family and local history.

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                  • #10
                    Originally posted by keldon View Post
                    Eighty percent of the US military records were destroyed in 1973.
                    including my grandfather's WWI record. But National Guard records may have been kept in state archives, and I think they may be subject to different privacy regs than Federal records.

                    Val, if the record you found indicates a unit or company, it may be possible to trace more about the unit by googling, for instance. My grandfather's unit was also mentioned several times in his pre-war employer's magazine. I found a forum that focused on military history, and a kind soul there knew what to look for. I think this is the website:

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                    • #11
                      thanks everyone for your help with this ... hopefully be able to find where he was based in UK. Apparently 2m US servicement in UK during WW2, I've found airforce bases but no army bases in or near Leicester (yet).

                      Enlistment place: Massachusetts
                      Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today ~ follow your dream!

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                      • #12
                        according to the records I found he was a Brakeman ? but this was after the war.
                        Last edited by Guest; 27-01-16, 12:30.

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                        • #13
                          Thanks Val
                          Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today ~ follow your dream!

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                          • #14
                            It's not much, well, hardly anything really, but it does mention American troops in Leicester in WWII

                            The ’mutiny’ took place on 23 and 24 June 1943 and involved some of the black American troops ...


                            I know that there were US airmen in Hinckley, but no mention of army.

                            STG
                            Always looking for Goodwins in Berkshire.

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                            • #15
                              thanks STG
                              Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today ~ follow your dream!

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                              • #17
                                Thanks Val ... some useful info
                                Last edited by LeicestershireLass; 29-01-16, 15:08.
                                Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today ~ follow your dream!

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                                • #18
                                  How sure are you that there were designated US army bases in the UK in WW2? Most of the troops over here were USAF, engaged in bombing raids over Europe and fighter plane action. However, there could well have been much smaller numbers of attached US army personnel performing non-flying duties.
                                  What dates did Val find for you? There may have been US army in England practising for the 1944 Normanby landings.
                                  In the village where I live, there were several training projects throughout the war involving various nationalities - e.g soldiers/engineers came and laid a prototype temporary landing strip, then 2 Mustangs (piloted by Americans) flew in to test it out - then all the men involved moved on. Later the Free French arrived with their tanks and after practising on open farmland, they moved onto the local beach to master tank driving on sand before taking part in the D Day landings.
                                  There was never any actual base here, or nearby - the men were quartered in Nisson huts or tents in a small "camp" just outside the main village settlement. I suspect there were many places like this all over the UK, but of course at the time it was all supposedly "secret."

                                  Jay
                                  Last edited by Janet in Yorkshire; 29-01-16, 16:21.
                                  Janet in Yorkshire



                                  Genealogists never die - they just swap places in the family tree

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                                  • #19
                                    And, the broken record here:
                                    If you're looking for a US ancestor, DNA testing could shed some light. The Big Three databases and the common pool database (gedmatch) are predominantly US testers. It doesn't have to be the father who tests - his sibs, close cousins, or their descendants could be in the databases.

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                                    • #20
                                      Fiction, I know, but I'm part way through watching an old TV drama series about the Americans coming to England in 1943 and taking over a UK airforce base. At the welcome party in the local town, they are welcomed as "Officers and men of the United States Army and Air Force." USAAF rings a bell and may hold a clue for your search????

                                      Jay
                                      Janet in Yorkshire



                                      Genealogists never die - they just swap places in the family tree

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