Fear for WWI records

[apskehan]

A National News item published today (http://dsl.optusnet.com.au/news/story/abc/20050319/09/domestic/1327117.inp) reads, in part, as follows:

“Historians fear for WWI records
7:41 AM March 19
Australian war historians are angry at suggestions the British Government will destroy WWI medal records to save the cost of moving them.
The group Families and Friends of the First Australian Imperial Forces says the British Defence Ministry is relocating some of its storage facilities and it is feared about 6 million WWI medal records will be destroyed in the process.”

For some years I have tried in vain to trace official records relating to the award of the Military Medal to my uncle on 19th Aug. 1916.

I have the medal but no information on the actual location, circumstances or Action that gave rise to the award, except that he did tell me it was at Pozieres France when he was seriously wounded.

Has any one ever had any luck or know how to go about getting hold of such information that they can either post or pass on to me before its too late please.

[apskehan]

I spoke too soon, this information has become available at http://www.awm.gov.au/database/h_award.asp since my last search. Also documents relating to the official enquiry concerning the death of two other uncles killed during WWI were located on the same site.

[Frank Mitchell]

A National News item published today (http://dsl.optusnet.com.au/news/story/abc/20050319/09/domestic/1327117.inp) reads, in part, as follows:

“Historians fear for WWI records
7:41 AM March 19
Australian war historians are angry at suggestions the British Government will destroy WWI medal records to save the cost of moving them.
The group Families and Friends of the First Australian Imperial Forces says the British Defence Ministry is relocating some of its storage facilities and it is feared about 6 million WWI medal records will be destroyed in the process.”

For some years I have tried in vain to trace official records relating to the award of the Military Medal to my uncle on 19th Aug. 1916.

I have the medal but no information on the actual location, circumstances or Action that gave rise to the award, except that he did tell me it was at Pozieres France when he was seriously wounded.

Has any one ever had any luck or know how to go about getting hold of such information that they can either post or pass on to me before its too late please.

I have had the same problem as you trying to find my grandfather's records.

The records that the TNA intends to destroy are just the medal cards - not soldier's personal records.

These medal cards have all been photographed and can be viewed on-line at...

http://www.documentsonline.nationalarchives.gov.uk//

...follow the links under WW1 Campaign Medals.

I have what I think is my grandfather's medal card but there is very little information on them anyway.

About 70% of soldier's personal records were destroyed by enemy bombing in 1940. Although some have been partially reconstructed from soldier's pension records the chances of finding a particular record is obviously small. Any suggestion of destroying these records would probably cause a major revolution in the UK !!

There is more information about this is at...

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/

I tried to send some references to the Pozieres campaign but this email list's software seems to delete the middle part of long URLs. I have emailed them to you directly instead.