We are pleased to announce a new collection of UK records on Fold3®. The UK, London Gazette WWII Military Notices 1939-1945 contains 1.3 million indexed records for service members found in the Military Notice sections or supplements of the London Gazette newspaper.
The London Gazette is Britain’s oldest continuously published newspaper. It is the authoritative source of government news and publishes notices related to elections, Royal proclamations and other declarations, appointments to public office, and more. Issues of the Gazette also include notices on military matters. This new collection consists of a searchable index of service members and the awards or mentions they received in the Gazette during the WWII years of 1939-1945. These notices include military awards or commendations, reports of people leaving service due to illness, appointments, promotions, and other military matters.
In some cases, the award notice also includes the story behind why the recipient received an award or commendation. The notices in this collection may contain information such as name, rank, regimental number, occupation, military dates of service, commendation dates, regiment, and unit. They provide clues to help unlock stories of bravery and sacrifice. One example is Ordinary Seaman Bennett Southwell, who served in the Royal Navy.
On October 7, 1940, during the London Blitz, Southwell served in the Land Mine Disposal Section. That day he and Sub Lieutenant Jack Easton arrived on the scene of an incident in East London. A bomb containing 1500 pounds of explosives had crashed through the roof of a house but failed to detonate. The parachute bomb was dangling by its lines, with the chute canopy partly wrapped around the chimney. The two men could see that the fuse was damaged, and they would need to attempt to deactivate the bomb in place. They evacuated the surrounding area, and the men went to work. Suddenly, the bomb shifted and began ticking. Southwell and Easton ran. They only had 12 seconds until detonation. The bomb exploded with such a terrific force that it destroyed 12 streets. Miraculously, Easton was dug out of the rubble alive, albeit with severe injuries, including a fractured skull, pelvis, and two broken legs. Southwell, 22, was not so fortunate. He died in the blast. On January 23, 1941, the Gazette announced that Southwell would receive the George Cross. King George VI presented the award to Bennett’s widow at Buckingham Palace in October 1941.
To explore this collection, you can search by a service member’s name or browse the records by year and month. The individual information found within the notices provides a jumping-off point for further research.
Start searching this new collection of military notices from the London Gazette today on Fold3®.
I have been trying for years to find the citation for my late fathers award of a mention in dispatches by Earl Haig on or about 8th November 1919
Can you help please
This should be your starting point for any gallantry awards/Mentioned in Dispatches research. Be interested to know how you get on.
You should also try contacting the regiment that your father served in
https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/british-military-gallantry-medals/
Does this include Americans KIA in India? My Uncle was killed when his truck went over a cliff in India and he was transported to the British Army Hospital. He was also initially buried in their cemetery. Would these records include that accident and death?
I had a friend (deceased) Air Force USA, shot down on raid to fields of Puebli(sic) captured , only survivor of plane I think. How do I find info? Would this info be in your publicatio? T.Y>
Hi Suzanne, the US does not have a paper with published military notices, but we do have a series of record collections that can help. Many personnel records were destroyed in a fire in 1973, but read this recent blog with some recommendations on how to find those records: https://blog.fold3.com/reconstructing-the-past-the-national-personnel-record-center-fire-of-1973/
Hi Paul, I would start with the Missing Air Crew Reports. This collection contains details about planes shot down during WWII. There are survivor reports, casualty reports, and additional information. https://www.fold3.com/publication/95/missing-air-crew-reports-wwii
Do you know if the USA has a similar collection ? Looking for My husbands WW II Navy records and Korean War Army Records
Has anyone ever found any record of any family member who served in any service by searching fold3? I have tried searching for eight family members all who served, several KIA not a single one can be found, Presumably I am doing it wrong but then the instructions are rubbish.
Hi Al, Military research can be so difficult because so many personnel files were destroyed in a fire. One of our recent blogs discussed this fire and talks about different ways those destroyed files can be reconstructed. Check it out here: https://blog.fold3.com/reconstructing-the-past-the-national-personnel-record-center-fire-of-1973/
I have been on ancestry.com for years with success. I,too, have had not luck with Fold 3. I don’t understand. Once I did find something. Tried to find it again later and could not.
My Uncle (US citizen) joined the RAF in 1940. What would be a good starting point in researching this?
Thank you.
Hello, I’ve been trying to find a service record of my late father in law who served with the RAF in Egypt. His service no. Is 513823 Sgt Sidney Daniel Walkling. I’ve been on Fold3 for other relations, and have been successful. Thank you. Dave