Army record number

[Teabag]

How can I find my Grandad's Army record number?  He died in 1938 and all I have is his name and date of birth.  The Army Personnel Centre have written to me saying they need his number to find his records, but are not helpful in telling me how to find it.  Can anyone help?  Is there an easy way (or any way) of finding it?  Thanks

[Sammy Snake]

Have you tried the ministy of defence?  According the their website, you need 'as much info as possible':

To access a record the following information (or as much as possible) is required:

Service Number, Rank, Full Name, Date of Birth and period served (dates from and to). For queries to the Army also state the Regiment or Corps in addition to the above information.
A full copy of the record can be requested however, original documents, discharge papers/books cannot be replaced. The MOD will also provide extracts from service record.

You can access their website here.

[Sammy Snake]

Sorry, my computer cut me off mid sentance...

Apologies if these are the people you have already contacted.  My grandad was in World War II and according to my mum, 'drove a tank' and that is all I know.  I know he won some medals and that my uncle later sold them so I will be writing to the MOD shortly with pretty much the same info as you!  Good luck.

[Teabag]

HI Sammy Snake, I've already applied for his records from the Army, but without his service number or regiment they are unable to help.  The trouble I've got is that all I know is that he was a medic and he served for a while in India, but he was killed in a hit and run while crossing the road in Edinburgh in 1938.  There is nobody alive now to give me any more info on him which is why I need to know if there is any way of finding his service number when all I know is his name and date of birth.  I would love to find out more info about him to get a picture of his life.

I think you might have a similar problem if you don't know your grandad's number or regiment.  By the way there is a charge of �25 to pay for the search, which I found to be a bit much when all I got back was a short letter telling me they didn't have enough info to complete a search!  I hope you have more luck with your searches.  It's fascinating tracing family history isn't it?

Good luck and thanks for your comments