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Hi All,
I am having trouble tracing my husbands gr uncle, William George GRAN, born 1906 Shoreditch, London. I have a photo of him looking about 15 to 17 in a Seaforth Highlanders uniform. I think it was taken c. 1923 ish......as I have a photo of him at a wedding looking the same. My problem is I am unable to find any reference to his service, and his life. On the back of the photo someone has written Carstairs Military Hospital, Lanark, which was used as a military hospital during WW2. It's possible he used the name GRANT.
Regards,
Pam Gran

WW2 service records are not online - they are still with the MOD. You can order a copy of his records from here:-

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/requests-for-personal-data-and-service-records

They cost £30 and take quite a while to arrive. You have to meet certain criteria in order to get them.

Kath. x

Military records post WW1 would still be with the MOD. You'd have to apply for copies to them, at a cost of £30. You may have to wait several months for them to arrive.

This is the link for obtaining UK service records:
http://www.veterans-uk.info/service_records/service_records.html

Had he enlisted under age, but only for the duration of WW1, it might be possible to find a medal card for him although there could be a number of men with both initials and either surnames. As you may be aware, over 70% of WW1 service records were destroyed during WW2.

If you know his exact DOB, it might be possible to find him on the 1939 register regardless of how he spelt his name. However, if he was in the Reserves or still a serving soldier, he may not be included in the *civilian* register which has recently been released.

He may not be found on the released 1939 register if he was in Scotland when it was recorded. The Scottish 1939 register hasn't been released as far as I'm aware.

????

Gran Household (3 People) 27 Common Lane , Leigh M.B., Lancashire, England
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First name(s) Last name(s) DOB Sex Occupation Marital status Schedule Schedule Sub Number
William Gran 27 Dec 1906 Male Coal Weaver Below Single 182 1
Sorry, this record is officially closed. Check if you can open a closed record.
Sarah Simm (Chadwick) 11 Mar 1915 Female Unpaid House Duties Married 182 3

William George Gran
Registration Year: 1906
Registration Quarter: Apr-May-Jun
Registration district: Shoreditch
Inferred County: London
Volume: 1c
Page: 63

Although the date of birth on the above 1939 register doesn't seem to fit with the birth registration, there doesn't appear to be another William Gran born in 1906.

Hi All
Kathleen Ball, DetEcTive, Rootgather and Safc,
Many thanks for your replies at least this is something to looking to........I had to dash out to get my grandsons from school for the weekend and this is the first time I have had to return to GR.
Yes..........I think my problem lies in the fact that he may have settled in Scotland.............William and his brothers, Carl Gran and Ralph Stanley Gran had a habit of changing their name to Grant (their father was Carl Wilhelm Iversen Gran from Norway) and dates of birth to join the services.........they came from a poor back ground and used their wits to survive ( by all accounts) a mother chasing them for money !
Regards to you all,
Pam Gran, Portsmouth.

Sorry that should be "something to look into"

You could look on Scotlandspeople for a possible death for him. The only problem is if he was using the surname Grant, there may be rather a lot of them.

Good luck.

Used a credit to have a look. No deaths for a William George Gran. Only these two



1 1960 GRANT WILLIAM GEORGE MACDONALD M 55 ELGIN /MORAY 135/00 0208
2 1967 GRANT WILLIAM GEORGE M 63 Not Permissible Glasgow


The first one can be viewed online but the second one is too recent and you have to order the certificate.

I don't think the first one is likely as he also had the surname Macdonald so his mother had probably remarried.

Many thanks to you all.........I shall certainly follow up these suggestions. And as mentioned, the name William Grant does come under the " needle
/haystack" heading.
Regards,
Pam Gran