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Requesting WWII Army Service Record.

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  • Requesting WWII Army Service Record.

    If someone were to enter service in WWII would they have to prove their identity? e.g. show their birth certificate when joining up.

    The chap that I am looking into was born as surname XXX but was taken in by a family, surname YYY from a very young age. There was no official adoption. His marriage certificate states YYY.

    If I were to request his service details would you think I should request them under surname YYY? I don't have his service number.

  • #2
    John

    I think that call-up for WW2 was done from birth records, with the addition of local information from, say, schools and so on.

    In other words, once they'd called up all they officially knew about, they were (literally) out on the streets looking hard at any man who looked old enough for call-up.

    They were not fussy, in war time, about what your real name/age was - unless you could prove you were too YOUNG to be called up, they would take you if you said your name was Mickey Mouse and you were 150 years old!

    So the answer to your Q is that you will have to look under both names.

    EDIT - Just realised you want to apply for service records, lol! For WW2 records, you will need to prove you are next of kin, I think.

    OC
    Last edited by Olde Crone Holden; 07-09-09, 13:55.

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    • #3
      Originally posted by Olde Crone Holden View Post
      John

      EDIT - Just realised you want to apply for service records, lol! For WW2 records, you will need to prove you are next of kin, I think.

      OC
      Just on that point - how do you prove you are next of kin if the wife is deceased and there were no children from the marriage and there are no other living relative apart from a niece?? Would they still be able to apply? (Sorry - not hijacking - this just popped up at the same time as one of my queries!)
      There is no absolute truth - and no final answer.

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      • #4
        After applying for the records a set of forms is sent... one asks for a signature from the next of kin.....it does not ask for proof or what relation you are.....with some especially those who were single it could be difficult to decide who was next of kin...but I have been sent a set for my son in law in NZ.. he signed the form for his grandfathers records

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        • #5
          Next of kin is, I suspect, a rubber stamping exercise and is not checked, unless an obvious nok is still alive, such as a widow etc.

          OC

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          • #6
            John I don't think a birth certificate was produced & it certainly wasn't in my granda's case as was confirmed recently.

            We have his army paybook with has a DOB 2 months & a few days before his actual birthday. I received his service record just before Christmas & these have the same incorrect DOB.

            His change in DOB meant he could join up before he was 18 whereas he would need to wait 2 months & x days if he didn't.
            Jay

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            • #7
              Originally posted by Olde Crone Holden View Post
              John

              I think that call-up for WW2 was done from birth records, with the addition of local information from, say, schools and so on.

              In other words, once they'd called up all they officially knew about, they were (literally) out on the streets looking hard at any man who looked old enough for call-up.

              They were not fussy, in war time, about what your real name/age was - unless you could prove you were too YOUNG to be called up, they would take you if you said your name was Mickey Mouse and you were 150 years old!

              So the answer to your Q is that you will have to look under both names.

              EDIT - Just realised you want to apply for service records, lol! For WW2 records, you will need to prove you are next of kin, I think.

              OC
              I was just interested as on this chaps birth certificate he has a German surname which I guess may not have gone down too well.

              Sorting out the next of kin is no problem as I know the next of kin well.

              Originally posted by JayG View Post
              John I don't think a birth certificate was produced & it certainly wasn't in my granda's case as was confirmed recently.

              We have his army paybook with has a DOB 2 months & a few days before his actual birthday. I received his service record just before Christmas & these have the same incorrect DOB.

              His change in DOB meant he could join up before he was 18 whereas he would need to wait 2 months & x days if he didn't.
              Thanks Jay, I'm suspecting that his birth certificate wasn't looked at so think I will ask for a search to be done under his unofficially adopted name (YYY).

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              • #8
                John, if the deceased person's widow applies for these records they are sent freee of charge. When I applied for my father's service record both he and my mother were dead. I had to supply copies of their marriage certificate, their death certificates, my birth certificate and my marriage certificate.. During the course of my research, I have spoken to several people who said they didn't supply a copy of their birth certificate when they seved in WW11. My father was Polish and there was no way he had accesss to his birth certificate.
                Last edited by Teresa from the Bay; 08-09-09, 12:36.
                Teresa...

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                • #9
                  Hi Teresa, Unfortunately in this case the deceased person's widow has also passed away, so no free of charge. According to the website it looks like all that is required is a copy of his death certificate and his next of kin's authorasation. Your mention of not having to supply a birth certificate when joining up in WWII does sound quite likely as I think there would have been raised eyebrows if they saw that he had a German surname.

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                  • #10
                    Hi - As you mentioned a German surname do you know if he came from a Jewish background? If so, AJEX has an on line record of honour database for WW11 -
                    AJEX - Record of Honour
                    Might clarify which name he used.

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                    • #11
                      Hi naomiatt, I don't think he has a Jewish background. I had a look on the site anyway, there is one person there with his surname but not him. Thank you very much for the information though.

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