What did Grandma do during the Second World War?
QI am trying to find out more about my grandma’s time in the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS). Her name was Cecilia Sarah May Roberts, although she may have only used some of these names. She was born in 1904 and died in 1972. She was a cook (I think a sergeant) in Weymouth, Dorset, and would have signed up around 1940–1945.
I would be very grateful if you could tell me where to find her records. Lemon Otter
AThe National Archives’ (TNA’s) website at bit.ly/TNA_WAAC_records has the surviving records for the ATS’s predecessor, the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps, which existed between 1917 and 1920, but records for ATS servicewomen from the Second World War are still held by the Army Records Office in Glasgow; some former servicewomen are still alive, and a bulk release of records would breach their privacy rights. TNA holds administrative files and some War Diaries relating to the ATS.
It is, however, possible to obtain copies of ATS service records from Glasgow if you are the ATS veteran herself (supplied free), her next of kin or if you are simply interested – although, in this case, what you receive will depend on how long ago the lady died. If she died less than 25 years ago, the information you’ll get is quite strictly limited
Applications need to be on paper, but the relevant forms and detailed instructions are available at https://www.gov.uk/get-copymilitary-service-records. If you’re requesting someone else’s record you’ll need to download the correct initial form at https:// www.gov.uk/get-copy-military-servicerecords/apply-for-someone-elses-records. You will need to know a bare minimum of details including her full name and date of birth, and provide a death certificate. It costs £30, and can sometimes take a few months.
The record should include initial enlistment documents giving personal details and a physical description, and a Service and Casualty Form showing which units they were attached to and where they were based. Often there’s a discharge document giving a recommendation from their senior officer describing their work and personal qualities.
Phil Tomaselli