Who Do You Think You Are? Encyclopedia of Genealogy (30 page)

Robert Lindsay had long suspected that his maternal grandfather, Raymond Dunmore, had been actively involved in the Royal Navy during the First World War. Family rumours had been passed down that he had served on board the
HMS Prince of Wales
during the major naval engagement of the war, the Battle of Jutland on 31 May – 1 June 1916. Indeed, it was claimed that he had been ‘blown up' twice during his career!

Given some basic information about Raymond, such as his date and place of birth (from his birth certificate), it was possible to investigate these stories by obtaining his Royal Naval service record from The National Archives. Today, these records (in record series ADM 188) are available to search on Documents Online via the website www.nationalarchives.gov.uk and can be downloaded for £3.50, but indexes books are available onsite, where the documents can be viewed for free.

The information in his service record showed all the ships he served on from enlistment to discharge, including
HMS Prince of Wales
. But further research at The National Archives in the official Captain's Logs in record series ADM 53 confirmed the movements of the vessel, and showed that it played no part in the Battle of Jutland. The truth was even more alarming for Robert's family, as the documents revealed where he had actually been stationed.

At the time that Raymond Dunmore was on board, the
HMS Prince of Wales
was involved in the Dardanelles campaign, an attempt to weaken the Ottoman Empire's grip on the region and open up access once more for Allied shipping and troop movements. Although originally conceived as a naval campaign, thousands of troops – the majority from Australia and New Zealand, the ANZACS – were to be landed on the Gallipoli peninsula with an overall aim to capture Constantinople.

According to the ship's logs, and official printed histories of the campaign,
HMS Prince of Wales
was one of three vessels that launched 48 landing craft on 25 April 1915 as part of an attempt to secure a beachhead at Anzac Cove. It is possible that Raymond was part of these landing parties, making sure that the four steamboats, each taking three rowboats, launched from
HMS Prince of Wales
successfully made the beach. If so, this is the moment when he was most likely ‘blown up', due to the heavy Turkish defensive shelling of the boats as they made their way to shore. Many hundreds of soldiers and seamen lost their lives during these frantic attempts to leave the water, and it is perhaps unsurprising that Raymond chose not to elaborate too much to his family about his experiences during this phase of the war.

After the introduction of continuous service, ratings became entitled to a pension by right, after serving a period of twenty years. Unfortunately, few records survive for pensions awarded in this period.

Payments were also made to widows and other dependants from the Royal Bounty from 1675 to 1822. A lump sum would be made after the death of an officer or rating whilst on active service, and applications for such awards can be found in ADM 16 and ADM 106.

Apart from the main body of the Royal Navy, various other smaller forces were also created to support the work of the main navy. As at times the merchant navy and Royal Navy would be closely connected, organizations were established that made it possible for the two bodies to interlap when required.

The earliest auxiliary naval force established was the Sea Fencibles. They were in existence during the height of the Napoleonic conflict, between 1798 and 1810. They were a local defence unit staffed by fishermen and boatmen to guard against the threat of invasion. The National Archives retains a variety of records for this force in ADM 28, including pay lists and musters along with details of a charity for widows.

The Royal Naval Reserve was created thanks to the recommendations of the 1858 Royal Commission on the Defence of the United Kingdom. The Commission was established in response to threats of a French invasion and amid questions of whether the United Kingdom had adequate defences. The Commission closely examined all aspects of the country's military defence and made a number of recommendations. One of these recommendations was to form the Royal Naval Reserve (RNR), staffed from merchant seamen who had experience of working on deep-sea ships, and who would be required to serve in the Royal Navy in case of any emergency. The RNR had commissioned ranks along with ordinary seamen. The service records for this force are also at The National Archives.

•
 
Officers' records can be found in ADM 240. The series covers the years 1862 and 1920 but also lists honorary officers serving up to 1960. The Navy List also includes RNR officers from 1862 onwards.

•
 
Ratings' records from 1860 to 1913 are held in BT 164 (although only a selection of service records was kept and records do not survive for every individual). From 1914 to approximately 1921 the records can be found in BT 377, organized by service number. BT 377 contains copies of service records of ratings who served up till 1958; the originals of these records can be viewed at the Fleet Air Arm Museum (
see page 199
).

The Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (RNVR) was established in 1903 and was to be staffed by volunteers from all sectors of society apart from merchant seamen and fishermen (who were expected to join the RNR). Service records can also be found at The National Archives.

•
 
RNVR officer records are in series ADM 337 for the years 1903 to 1919. There is a card index available for this period and details can also be found in the appropriate Navy Lists. Service records after this period are still with the Ministry of Defence.

•
 
RNVR ratings records can also be found in ADM 337 for 1903 to 1919. The records are organized by service number, which can be ascertained from the medal rolls in ADM 171, if the rating served during the First World War.

Further records can also be found in the Fleet Air Arm Museum. In 1958 the RNVR was merged with the RNR.

‘
Women were recruited into the WRNS in 1917 to fill a variety of onshore roles
.'

The Royal Naval Division (RND) was established in 1914 from surplus recruits from the RNR. It served as a division of the Army and not a naval service during the First World War and was disbanded in April 1919. Service records for both ratings and officers are at The National Archives in ADM 339, arranged in three sequences:

1. Ratings alive at the end of the conflict

2. Ratings killed on active service

3. All officers (officer details are also in the Navy Lists)

As the RND was actually part of the Army, any medals awarded can be found by searching The National Archives website under the army campaign medals section on Documents Online.

Women were first recruited into the armed forces by the Royal Navy in 1917 to help fill the shortfall of male sailors due to the heavy losses being suffered during the war years. Thus the Women's Royal Naval Service (WRNS) was formed in November 1917. Women were recruited to work in a variety of roles, from cooks and clerks to storekeepers and electricians. Women were not expected to serve in ships, but worked onshore, and the organization was disbanded by 1919 (although it was re-formed in 1939). Service records for WRNS personnel during the First World War are also with The National Archives. Officers' papers can be found in ADM 318 (the entire series has been catalogued by name and can be searched online) and ADM 321, and ratings' records in ADM 336.

Service records for women serving after 1919 are still with the Ministry of Defence.

Additionally, the Royal Naval Museum has a large collection relating to the history of the WRNS. Further information can be found online at www.royalnavalmuseum.org/info_sheets_WRNS.htm.

The growth of the British Empire in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries increased the international presence of the Royal Navy. Ships would be in all parts of the world and dockyards were needed to service these ships throughout the globe, not just the UK. As such naval dockyards needed employees to enable them to function and these employees were likely either to come from the Royal Navy or to join the Royal Navy after working at a dockyard. Often working in a dockyard was a good option for retired ratings and officers.

Records of the dockyards are split between the National Maritime Museum and The National Archives. The National Maritime Museum's collections relate in general to the administration of the dockyards. More detailed information can be found on their website at http://www.nmm.ac.uk/server/show/conWebDoc.581. The National Archives holds staff records for the dockyards, the main series being ADM 42 (Yard and Pay books from 1660 to 1857). Additionally, ADM 106 contains a number of description books (giving physical characteristics) for employees from 1748 to 1830. The entire collection, including specific references for individual dockyards, is described in detail on the website at www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/rdleaflet.asp?sLeafletID=50.

The Royal Navy issued a variety of campaign medals from the late eighteenth century onwards, the first one being the Naval General Service Medal. Medal rolls themselves give only basic information for each individual receiving such a medal. The rolls can be found at The National Archives, in series ADM 171, organized by conflict and ship. Prior to 1914 there is no specific index for the series.

‘Medal rolls are a useful shortcut to find your ancestor's service number.'

The rolls are perhaps most useful for the First World War period, as for this conflict they are organized by force (RNR, RNVR, etc.) and then by surname. Hence, it is often a useful shortcut to finding the service number of your ancestor, enabling you to then search for his service record. Gallantry awards during this period are also in ADM 171, and it may be possible to find further references to such awards in the
London Gazette
or
The Times
newspaper.

The National Archives series ADM 1 is the Admiralty collection of correspondence and papers of the entire Admiralty department from 1660 to 1976. As such it is a vast series, containing a whole range of documentation relating to the Royal Navy. It can be searched using the index in ADM 12. ADM 1 can be extremely useful for anyone researching a Royal Naval employee, giving all sorts of detailed information. However, finding a reference to an individual can take some time and there is no guarantee of finding anything.

Additional information on ship movements can be found via logs in various ADM series. A full summary of operational records can be found via four research guides on The National Archives website, listed under ‘Royal Navy: Operational Records' and divided into relevant chronological periods.

Suggestions for further reading:

•  
The National Archives has produced a number of useful research guides to all aspects of its records for the Royal Navy that can be found on its website

•  Tracing Your Naval Ancestors
by Bruno Pappalardo (2003)

•  Naval Records for Genealogists
by N.A.M. Rodgers (1998)

Although The National Archives holds the majority of service records for the Royal Navy, there are other institutions that also have significant collections covering the history of the Royal Navy, and you might find them worth contacting or visiting.

•
 
The National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London, www.nmm.ac.uk: The Museum holds a large collection on the history of seafaring and naval history in general, including some Royal Naval operation records and archives of the Royal Naval Hospital in Greenwich. There are a number of information leaflets on their website providing further details.

•
 
The Fleet Air Arm Museum, Yeovil, Somerset, www.fleetairarm. com: The Museum has been given a large number of service documents from the Ministry of Defence for various branches of the Royal Navy, RNR and RNVR amongst others. The nature of these collections is described in detail on their website at www. fleetairarm.com/royal-navy-royal-marines-services-documents.aspx.

•
 
The Royal Naval Museum, Portsmouth, www.royalnaval museum.org: The Museum has collections on all aspects of naval history, both primary and secondary sources. Further information can be found on their website.

Although the Army and Navy were traditionally seen as the two major branches of the armed forces, the Royal Marines also recruited large numbers of personnel and therefore a search of the surviving documentation can provide details of an elusive ancestor who saw military service, but cannot be traced in other records. This chapter explains how the Royal Marines were organized, and outlines the various ways you can search for information in enlistment and discharge papers, pension awards and other official documents.

The origins of the Royal Marines are to be found in the seventeenth century, when the first marine regiment was raised in 1664 as part of the mobilization for the Second Dutch War. The regiment was originally raised with the intention that the men were to act as soldiers aboard Royal Navy ships. This regiment was titled ‘The Duke of York and Albany's Maritime Regiment of Foot', after the title given to James (later King James II), the brother of Charles II, although it soon became known as the Admiral's Regiment as James was also Lord High Admiral. At its inception it was not a permanent force, being disbanded in 1689, after the deposition of James II in the Glorious Revolution.

‘Marines were originally to act as soldiers aboard Royal Navy ships
.'

Subsequent regiments were raised in wartime and disbanded in peacetime until 1755, when a permanent force was created in response
to fears of war. Although the previous Marine regiments had come under the authority of the Army, henceforth the Marines would be part of the Admiralty. His Majesty's Marine Forces were formed on 5 April 1755, comprised of fifty companies in three divisions – Chatham, Portsmouth and Plymouth. A fourth division was opened in Woolwich in 1805, although this was closed later in 1869. Each division would have a depot centre in its town and people would be recruited at each of these depots. The depots recorded information in a similar fashion to that of the Army's foot regiments, while Marine bodies at sea had normal ships' records.

The number of regiments grew throughout the latter eighteenth century as they were used increasingly in various international conflicts of that period, the American War of Independence being one such example. In 1802 the force was given the official title of ‘Royal Marines' by George III. From 1804 onwards separate artillery companies were also formed and attached to the Royal Marine Divisions (the Royal Regiment of Artillery no longer being responsible for artillery functions for the Royal Marines), and a new separate Marine unit of the Royal Regiment of Artillery was formed in 1859.

At that point the distinction between the ‘Red Marines' and the ‘Blue Marines' began, as this new artillery regiment had a blue-coloured uniform (as did the Royal Regiment of Artillery) whereas the rest of the Marines (known from 1855 as the Royal Marine Light Infantry) had a red-coloured uniform. This distinction lasted until the infantry and artillery units were merged in 1923 to form the Corps of Royal Marines.

Throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Marine regiments served mostly on Royal Navy ships. Their functions changed somewhat in the twentieth century with the onset of the First World War as they now fought on land. During the Second World War they became a specialized unit, named the Royal Marine ‘Commandos', responsible for raids on enemy coasts from 1942 onwards. This has become the main function of the Marines to the present day.

Officers who served in the Royal Marines did not have to purchase their commissions as men were appointed without payment. The officer ranks comprised many junior posts but very few senior posts, and opportunities for promotion were very limited. Hence, many officers came from less prominent and influential families, often from the poorer gentry who did not have the funds to buy commissions in the Regular Army.

Service records do not survive for officers before 1793. However, there are a variety of other sources that relate to Royal Marine officers at The National Archives. Original sources include records of commissions and appointments. These can be found in archive series ADM 6/405, between 1703 and 1713. Commissions from when the permanent Marine regiment was established in 1755 are in ADM 6/406. The latter has information up to 1814. Please note, however, that the information is very basic, with nothing of genealogical relevance, and neither series has an index. ADM 96 also has some details of officers' records from 1690 to 1740.

Some published sources may also be helpful.

•
 
Marine Officer Lists were published from 1755 onwards and The National Archives has collections from 1757 to 1860 in ADM 118/230–236 and ADM 192 for 1760–1886.

•
 
The Army List contains details of officers on full pay and half pay from 1740 onwards.

As mentioned above, the Army Lists may contain information on Royal Marine officers after 1740. Additionally, the Navy List and
Hart's Army List
also include details from 1797 and 1840 onwards, respectively.

‘Information about Marine officers might be found in either the Army Lists or the Navy List.'

The National Archives has additional series that contain information for this period too.

•
 
There is a register of commissions in ADM 201/8, covering the years 1849 to 1859.

•
 
The main body of service records are found in ADM 196. The records are only complete for the years 1837 to 1925, although some records do contain information going back to 1793. The records should contain service histories and may occasionally give details of birth and parentage. (Service records start in ADM 196/58–65, 83 and from ADM 97–112.)

•
 
There is an index for records up to 1883 in ADM 313/110. After this date, indexes are provided within the individual volumes.

•
 
Service records for Royal Marine Artillery officers are held in ADM 196/66, covering the years 1798 to 1855.

It may be worthwhile consulting these additional records to find more information on your ancestor:

•
 
Pay lists and records are in ADM 96 and ADM 6. The latter has full-and half-pay registers for 1789 to 1793 and 1824 to 1829 in ADM 6/410–413.

•
 
Marine officers were also surveyed on the same basis as those of the Royal Navy in 1822 and 1831. These records are now held in ADM 6 and may give individuals' ages.

•
 
ADM 63/27–30 contains confidential books with letters on the work of officers from 1868 to 1889.

Marine officers' service records for those who were recruited after 1925 are still with the Ministry of Defence and are available to next of kin only. They can be contacted at:

DPS(N)2

Building 1/152

Victory View

PP36

Her Majesty's Naval Base

Portsmouth

PO1 3PX

As with officer ranks of the other forces, researching in published sources such as
The Times
and
The Dictionary of National Biography
, along with other biographical sources, may turn up interesting information. If your ancestor served during the First World War his service details up to 1916 may be found in
The Naval Who's Who
.

The Royal Marines have been publishing their own journal since 1892, called
The Globe and Laurel
. These are now archived at the Royal Marines Museum (see below, page 207) and may also contain relevant information.

The Royal Marines also had a body of warrant officers, many of whom later became commissioned officers. Only a limited number of service records for these individuals are known to have survived. They can be found in ADM 196, covering the years 1873 to 1920.

In contrast, a large amount of documentation relating to the careers of other ranks survives for the Royal Marines. Information can be found in service records, muster books and pay lists. Service records include attestation forms, description books (detailing the physical attributes of new recruits) and service registers. These records are arranged by the appropriate Division (Portsmouth, Plymouth, Chatham or Woolwich) and therefore it is essential to know which division the soldier served in before searching for his service records.

Once you have identified the correct Division it is possible to begin searching for the service records within the Divisions. There are three main sets of records to consult: attestation forms in ADM 157, physical description books in ADM 158 and service registers in ADM 159.

If you are researching an ‘other rank' who enlisted after 1925, the records are still retained by the Ministry of Defence. They can be obtained by contacting them directly at the address given above.

1.
ADM 157: Attestation forms

The series covers the years 1790 to 1925, comprising the forms completed by young recruits upon enlistment. They are loose documents containing similar information found in the Soldiers' Documents series of WO 97 (see
Chapter 9
), including birth details, any previous occupation, physical characteristics and details of service with the Marines. Although they are attestation forms they are largely organized by date of discharge per Division. There are a few exceptions to this rule: the records of the Chatham Division are all organized by enlistment date until 1883. Further details of how the series is organized can be found in the appropriate research guide, available at www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/research-guides/rm-other-ranks.htm.

There is also a card index to the early part of the series in The National Archives. The index covers the records up to 1883 and there is a card for each individual Marine in the first 659 pieces of the series ADM 157. The cards will direct you to the relevant piece for that Marine and also detail the Division he belonged to.

2.
ADM 158: Description books

This is the second main series relating to other ranks' service records. They begin around 1750 and the series finishes in 1940. The series contains books detailing the physical characteristics of the new enlistees. Additionally, you will find where the individual enlisted, his age and place of birth, previous employment and details of injury or if killed on service. There is no service information. The books are arranged by Division, then company and date of enlistment, then by the first letter of surname (not strictly alphabetically).

3.
ADM 159: Service registers

The service registers are from 1842 to 1936, allowing for a 75-year closure rule. Along with the same biographical information provided in the other main series, the records provide a full service history of each Marine and may include comments regarding the individual's service. In 1884 a new numbering system was introduced for the Royal Marines and was applied retrospectively. Hence, the numbering system begins at different times for each Division:

•
 
Portsmouth begins in 1843

•
 
Royal Marine Artillery from 1859

•
 
Chatham from 1842

•
 
Plymouth from 1856

•
 
As the Woolwich Division was disbanded in 1869 the records of marines serving in this Division will be with the Divisions the men were transferred to

The records in ADM 159 are organized according to this numbering system within each Division. If you are not aware of the service number it can be obtained by using the indexes found in the series ADM 313. ADM 159 also contains service records for the Royal Marine Band (from 1903 to 1918, in ADM 159/103–112) and the Medical Unit for the First World War (in ADM 159/209–210).

Discharge Books

Discharge Books were also kept by the three main Divisions, detailing when each Marine was discharged. They can be found in the following series:

•
 
Chatham: ADM 183

•
 
Plymouth: ADM 184

•
 
Portsmouth: ADM 185

Most individuals would be in the same Division throughout their service with the Royal Marines. The oldest Divisions were Portsmouth, Plymouth and Chatham, while Woolwich was a Division between 1805 and 1869. It is possible to ascertain which Division your ancestor would have been in through the following means:

•  Most would have been recruited from the nearest division to where they lived. Hence, if you know where your ancestor was living, identify the nearest Division to the locality as it is very likely he would have been recruited from there.

•  If your ancestor was awarded any medals they would have been recorded in the Medal Roll found in ADM 171. These rolls would also provide the Division and service number.

•  Garth Thomas has written a detailed guide to Royal Marine records, called
The Records of the Royal Marines
, which has a table that can be used to find the correct Division (if you know your ancestor's company number and when he served).

•  Knowing which ship your ancestor served on can also provide this information. By using the Navy List you can discover the home port of the ship. Until 1947 those serving on ships would belong to the same division as the home port of the ship (i.e. if the home port of the ship was Chatham then the Marine would belong to the Chatham Division).

•  One part of the service records (attestation forms) is found in The National Archives series ADM 157. There is a partial card index to this series which gives the appropriate Division.

The vast majority of medals awarded to Royal Marines will be found in the same National Archives series as for the Royal Navy, in ADM 171. As mentioned, these rolls can be used as a useful method of obtaining the correct division for individual Marines. Prior to the First World War the rolls are organized by serving ship. However, medals issued for the First World War are organized alphabetically, within Royal Marine Officer and Other Rank series.