Creation of the Personnel Records

The Register was started in response to frequent requests for information on former ROC Personnel by relatives, historians, medal collectors and obituary writers. As there was no central Register and ROC Records when they were in Wales, were restricted to ‘subject only access’, it was decided the ROCM would create such a Register using whatever records could be found. It was accepted that finding all members was probably impossible and that information on those we could find might be quite limited. The ROCM’s aim was that the name/unit of all who had served in the ROC should be discovered and recorded.

Wartime Observers had no ROC Service Number (though we do know that Western Area at least had a numbering system) so the Wartime Register lists the members by Post and Centre Crew where known. There were 180+ Branches of the Royal Observer Corps Club, (the recognition organisation) set up by single or multiple Posts or Crews or Clusters all over the UK between 1940 and 1942. Branch Reports in the ROC Club Journal often listed the participants in Recognition Competitions by Post number. Much research has enabled the actual Post locations to be identified and participants listed in their appropriate Post/Crew part of the Register.

Post-War the Register comprises listings of all possible Service Numbers (found in second edition of Attack Warning Red) and members’ details are recorded against their Service number where known. Where a name is known but not their Service Number (there are thousands in this category!), the details are recorded in an alphabetic list (surnames) for each Group.

Details against an individual’s names are only those that have been found in the documentation or notified by colleagues/relatives – in most cases therefore this will be a ‘snapshot (s) at a point in time of their service and not a record of the extent of their service.Whatever enrolment date, resignation date, promotions, awards, previous units/service are found, will be recorded against the member’s name.

If from the Register it is possible to confirm that a person actually served in the ROC and (hopefully) where they served, then the Register will have fulfilled its purpose – anything more by way of information is looked on as a bonus!

The ROC Museum has acquired the surviving ROC Records-of-Service cards from the MOD. (The Museum is a small independent museum, entirely self-funding and run by volunteers)

It has started an Enquiry Service replacing that formerly provided by the MOD. Enquiries by former Observers for their own record or by relatives of former Observers, will be free of charge but requiring postage or a stamped addressed envelope (sae). All other Enquiries (and these can include military and local historians, medal collectors, researchers etc) carry a search fee of £10 per name. (No charge is made of course for ROCBF (ROC Benevolent Fund) Enquiries or ROCA (ROC Association) Obituary Writers.)

All the other records the ROCM holds will also be searched in addition to the MOD Records. Enquiries can only be processed when made on a Request for Service Details form, which can either be downloaded below or a copy obtained from: NA Cullingford, 8 Roselands Close, Fair Oak, Eastleigh, Hants SO50 8GN, again enclosing postage or a sae.

(NB Requests made on-line cannot be processed – only those submitted on the form, which can be found below, and enclosing postage or a sae are acceptable.) This service is run by volunteers who will process Enquiries as quickly as possible.

Download enquiry form here

The Royal Observer Corps Museum Trust