My Visit to The National Archives at Kew :-)

Mr Bump

Mr Bump

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So this week i headed down to the smoke with the wife to stay with friends in Kingston for a few days and to visit The National Archives at Kew.

I went to view records of my late grandfather who after over a year research found he was in DEMS during WW2
(Defensively Armed Merchant Ships) basically putting Royal Artillery gunners on Merchant ships.

The documents have not been digitised yet so inspection in person only and yep, he was in the box of 456 records i asked to view (F to G) he was Leslie James Foster :-)

So I can now officially say Les was DEMS and on all the ships below during WW2 and to say I am proud of him doesn't even come close.

To say he defended the lives of other Merchant Sailors and others , it was a true honour.
So I thought I would post up scans of the record cards just to see what they look like from 1940 to 1945
and a picture of wartime Les.1.jpg2.jpg3.jpgl.jpg
 
Some interesting ships there, including the Queen Mary. Wonderful to have found that history.
 
lindsay said:
Some interesting ships there, including the Queen Mary. Wonderful to have found that history.
Click to expand...
Oddly enough I knew he had been on the queen mary from an old newspaper cutting from 1944 when he returned home on leave but never knew why. My next tasks is to research some of those ships and try and map his journey a bit more.
 
Forgive my ignorance but I’d love to find my own grandfather’s record, how would I know if it’s at Kew or elsewhere?
 
Well done.

I'd like to research my fathers naval career in WW2 as he said very little. So far I haven't but it's often on my mind.
 
Brazo said:
Forgive my ignorance but I’d love to find my own grandfather’s record, how would I know if it’s at Kew or elsewhere?
Click to expand...

what service was he in? you can just apply for there service records very easily now online.
if you want to send me some details, full name, DOB, birth Town etc.
 
I say sadly but actually it's not sad at all, but my family military history is very limited: dad did 3 years in the RAF in the 1950's, his dad was a mess steward in the RAF during the war staying uin the UK, and my maternal grandfather's older brother was gassed at the Somme and invalided out (he lived to 90 though as a farmer then later haberdashery shop owner).
 
Mr Bump said:
So this week i headed down to the smoke with the wife to stay with friends in Kingston for a few days and to visit The National Archives at Kew.

I went to view records of my late grandfather who after over a year research found he was in DEMS during WW2
(Defensively Armed Merchant Ships) basically putting Royal Artillery gunners on Merchant ships.

The documents have not been digitised yet so inspection in person only and yep, he was in the box of 456 records i asked to view (F to G) he was Leslie James Foster :-)

So I can now officially say Les was DEMS and on all the ships below during WW2 and to say I am proud of him doesn't even come close.

To say he defended the lives of other Merchant Sailors and others , it was a true honour.
So I thought I would post up scans of the record cards just to see what they look like from 1940 to 1945
and a picture of wartime Les.View attachment 491000View attachment 491001View attachment 491002View attachment 491003
Click to expand...
I think that you're right to be proud of him, from what I understand it was a dangerous job with no backup and he would have been the obvious target.
lindsay said:
I say sadly but actually it's not sad at all, but my family military history is very limited: dad did 3 years in the RAF in the 1950's, his dad was a mess steward in the RAF during the war staying uin the UK, and my maternal grandfather's older brother was gassed at the Somme and invalided out (he lived to 90 though as a farmer then later haberdashery shop owner).
Click to expand...
I'm the opposite, I'm the first male on my paternal side NOT to have served, I can trace way back to the Peninsular wars, and those that survived all suffered from either terrible physical or mental health injuries - and for what?

It was different on my mother's side, she came from the aristocracy and so none of her ancestors took any risks.
 
This thread has refreshed my interest in trying to find my dad's official WW2 records.

We know some but it would be interesting to see the official MoD records.

In regard to searching online I had previously tried Ancestry and more globally about his period as PoW but I found very little.

So, as prompted above about online searches I have now found the .gov site here
www.gov.uk

Get a copy of military records of service

Get military records of service for the Royal Navy (including Royal Marines), British Army and Royal Air Force - who can apply, how long it takes, cost, how to apply.
www.gov.uk www.gov.uk

To make another start.
 
I have now found the ships movement cards online free to download so i am cross referencing them now and they line up
:)

www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

Merchant Navy ships' records: movement cards 1939-1945 - The National Archives

What are these records? These records are digitised cards recording the movements of British and Allied merchant ships during the Second World War. In 1939 the Admiralty instructed the Board of Trade, for reasons of security, to prevent masters of merchant vessels from using ships’ logs or crew...
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
 
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