How to trace grandfathers World War I - history and service

[akabob]

Hi all

How difficult would it be to find my grandfather's (and other members of family) war record?

Can it be done over the internet?

likely to be expensive?

[daggers]

You will find very helpful guidance on this site:
http://www.1914-1918.net/
Only about one-third of WW1 period soldiers' documents have survived, thanks to a blitz period fire, so you may or may not be lucky.
If you have any papers, badges, medals etc they will gives you clues to regiment etc. Did your men survive the war? If not there will be records of their burial or commemoration on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission's website:
http://www.cwgc.org/debt_of_honour.asp

D

[Hilary]

If your grandfather's records were one of the ones that has survived you should find them on the Ancestry website. If you are in the UK most library servcies have a subscription to the Ancestry Library Collection and you can search for free. Otherwise you have to pay a subscription to Ancestry.

Hilary
Ed Officer

[Ken Lees]

Bob,

If you know any details at all of your relatives' military service that will help enormously, especially if they have common-ish names.

Service numbers would be the biggest help, which can be found on the rims of any medals (or reverse in the case of a star). Other than that, photographs can yield numerous clues.

Tell us what you know and someone may be able to advise you further.

Ken