The Guernsey
Roll of Service
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Introduction
From 2011 the Group started to assemble the Roll
of Service for the Bailiwick of Guernsey on this website. The
is will be similar to the approach adopted for the Guernsey
Roll of Honour. The starting point was the Royal Guernsey Light
Infantry's nominal roll, listed in "Diex Aix" by Major
Edwin Parks in 1992. Next came his lists for "D" Company
Royal Irish Regiment, "D" Company Royal Irish Fusiliers,
9th Divisionional Ammunition Column, 321 & 329 Quarry Companies
Royal Engineers and 245 (Guernsey) Army Troops Company Royal
Engineers. All of these were Bailiwick units. These lists are
supplemented by details from war diaries, Medal index Cards
and surviving records from the National Archives.
Guernsey men and women served worldwide in all
branches of the Armed Services and Support Services. Many served
in non-British units. Finding records of them is often a matter
of pure luck. The Guernsey Press & Weekly Press, The Guernsey
Star and La Gazette de Guernesey all carried lists, photographs,
family details and obituaries. The latter often enable us to
match census records to the individual. Australian and Canadian
archives are being used and records of Frenchmen who left Guernsey
to serve in the French Army and Navy are also now available.
"Men
of Sark" by Jane Norwich enables us to add detail to
those from that island. Information is also coming in from relatives
and other interested parties via out social media page at:
www.facebook.com/groups/1696126187277672/
Regimental and county records include many who
served during the early stages of the war. Official record sets,
WO 363 ("Burnt" records), WO 364 (Pension records)
and ADM 188 (Royal Navy Registers of Seamen's Services) are
used to add details of men hitherto unknown to us. Improving
technology now allows more accurate searches of these.
Inclusion is made in the revised Roll of Service
using the following criteria:
- Bailiwick of Guernsey born
- Bailiwick of Guernsey parents (one or both)
- Residents
- Service in the RGM including the Permanent Staff
- Schooling in Guernsey
- Service in the Bailiwick of Guernsey while serving with
the RGM, RGLI or other Guernsey based unit
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About an Individual's Entry
Wherever possible, the details listed will be appropriate
to an individual at the time of the Armistice in 1918, or earlier
if discharged as result of an injury, sickness or for other reasons.
For a number of individuals, an entry "Further
investigation required" has been included, and this primarily
for those where there is insufficient detail to identify them
more clearly by a unique service number for example, or that there
is evidence that they enlisted. It is not meant to imply "non-existence",
rather that the "paper trail" is inadequate.
Alphabetic Index of Names
The database can be searched by surname or awards
Spreadsheets are only available to Group members and contain
source references
Future Developments
It is also intended that documents and photographs
that can "bring to life" those listed in the Roll of
Service will be incorporated. For this, the Group welcomes any
additional material in terms of personal papers and photographs.
At September 2023, 7059 serving men and woman have
been discovered and this number is still rising.
© 2011 Roger Frisby
Contact
Roger
