Over on the WWII Talk Forum I read details of how to obtain a copy of my Grandfather’s Service Record, so at the end of September I downloaded the form from the MOD website, and completed the details. The record is only released to the Serviceman or woman themselves, or their next of kin. Mum signed the paperwork and I signed the cheque!
On 2nd October I received a letter from the Historical Disclosure Department. To obtain the record was going to take four months – that made than January 2009, not as bad as I thought. I had heard rumours it took nearly 6 months.
So, imagine how surprised I was when Mum phoned to say that the record had arrived on 12th October. I can only guess that this was down to the copies of documents that I included with my application form.
These were:
- A copy of the first page of the Service/Pay book
- A copy of both the death certificates for my Grandparents
- The Next of Kin Disclosure form
- A cheque for £30
Julie Goucher ~ Anglers Rest 
Hi from New Zealand. Good on you for doing this. I recently tracked my Great Uncles War story. His children had no interest and he had never claimed his medals from the NZ War Office. He felt that if the government couldn't give them to him personally then they could get stuffed. He returned to high country farming in NZ for the rest of his life. When i joined the Army as a 17 year old he could not understand why anyone would want to join the Army when there was no war on! Sign of the times back then. Look forward to seeing your story unfold.
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