23-08-06
Hi guys.
I know it's not strictly a model related question, but who would Iask regarding finding hte service details of an indiviual? I want ot track the history a fella who served through World War 2 as a tank driver/ mechanic.

Who would i approach?
Thanks in advance
Liam

What country Liam?

For the British Army, the short answer is

This

and the longer answer is

This

Most of which doesn't just apply to Gunners. Hope this helps.

Service records aren't always a mine of information, my grandfather's for nearly 4 years service in the Canadian Army in WW1 was most interesting for the pay spreadsheets and contained very little information on what he did or where he went. It's most useful for working out which unit he belonged to, which will then have to be chased up, either via books or the National Archives at Kew.

David

Most regements have a web presence - if you know the regement this would be the best palce to start IMHO

Andy

23-08-06
Thanks for the quick reply.
The guy was English, lived in London. His name was Bill Kirkby and may have been with the 5th Royal Tank Regiment with the 7th Armoured Division. He landed in Normandy on D-Day+1, was apparently at Villiers Bocage, was with the 11th Armoured when they liberated Breslin.
It's all a bit confusing as he drove Cromwells and the Crocodiles.
He was either with the 11 th Armoured then or the 79th Armoured, but getting it narrower than that is proving difficult.

Thanks for the help.
Liam

I was told that I can't get access to my Uncles from WW2 which I found strange all I was trying to find out was a history of what units he was in so I could verify what I was told by relatives. This was the Canadian Army. Good luck with your search.

Liam, it's quite a long winded process. I sent for my late grandfathers service records in the 90's from the Royal Marines. I had to send a copy of his death certificate, a letter from my grandmother and a copy of their marriage certificate. Gran was still alive at the time so it wasn't difficult getting hold of the documentation. It does however take quite a while for it all to come through and service records don't really tell you a great deal so be prepared to do a lot more digging afterwards.