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1. Joseph Antcliff (1819–1891) – Conflicting Birthplaces
Time: 00:02:05
Summary: The questioner is researching their wife’s great-great-grandfather, Joseph Antcliff, a soldier whose census records suggest time spent in England, Ireland, Malta, and possibly overseas service. There is confusion between family history and military discharge papers from the School of Musketry in 1862, particularly regarding whether he was ever in Ireland. The question seeks help reconciling census data, military records, and family evidence to explain the apparent contradictions.
2. Alfred Johnston – Gunner, Royal Artillery
Time: 00:10:56
Summary: The questioner asks Graham Bandy where to find records of Alfred Johnston’s military service after discovering his occupation listed as “Gunner, Royal Artillery” on his daughter’s birth registration in 1894. They are seeking guidance on which army records may exist for a Royal Artillery gunner of this period and how to use civil registration evidence as a starting point for military research.
3. Marines
Time: 00:14:56
Summary: The question concerns an ancestor believed to have served in the Marines. The questioner is seeking clarification on which branch of the Marines may be involved, what records might survive, and how to distinguish Marine service from naval or army service in historical documentation.
4. Service in the Army in Scotland – Early 19th Century
Time: 00:21:27
Summary: The questioner is researching an ancestor who served in the British Army in Scotland in the early nineteenth century. They are asking what records are available for this period, how to identify regiments stationed in Scotland, and how to trace enlistment and service details for soldiers of this era.
5. My Grandfather in Uniform
Time: 00:32:12
Summary: The questioner has a photograph of their grandfather in military uniform but has been unable to trace his regimental service. They are seeking help identifying the uniform, dating the photograph, and using visual clues to guide further archival research into his military career.
6. Women’s RAF Volunteer Reserve – Postwar Training
Time: 00:45:22
Summary: The questioner is researching women who served in the Women’s Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve after the Second World War. They are asking what types of training were offered postwar, how this differed from wartime service, and what roles women were prepared for during this period. The question seeks guidance on relevant records, training establishments, and sources that might document postwar WRVAF or WRAF training and service.
October 2024
Graham Bandy has spent most of his life either in the army, in nursing, or doing both. He runs Living Military History and specialises in military history research and the identification of military photographs, uniforms and cap badges. He is the military expert at Family Tree magazine, the expert here at the SoG Armed Forces Advice Hour and a much sought after speaker at family history events. Graham is the author of two books: Identifying Cap Badges and Nursing at the Frontline: A WW2 Diary from North Africa and Italy. He is feverishly working away at four more books which are all due by the end of the year. His next one is due with his editor imminently…!
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