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[Snowy79]

Hello all
Hope someone can steer me in the right direction
I wrote off to Whale Island for my late granddad's service record
They sent me an acknowledgment but said due to covid in could be 6 months before I hear anything substantive

On the letter there is a reference next to his name of M.X 118026

Is this his service number? It doesn't say so explicitly anywhere. I am careful not to make assumptions as I am wanting to get a stone made up for a veterans walkway at our local war memorial and the deadline is soon

Thanks all

S

[PhiloNauticus]

Yes, MX/118026 is an RN Service Number

[Snowy79]

Thanks PO

Do you just know from the format?

[PhiloNauticus]

Yes.    For an explanation of how RN service numbers worked, see:

https://www.genuki.org.uk/big/NavalNumbers

M indicates Miscellaneous branches (electrical, supply etc)   He would also have had a Port letter (P, C D etc before that, but these did sometimes change if they shifted homeports

[Snowy79]

That's brilliant, thanks mate the M makes sense as he was a shipwright serving on a repair ship patching up damaged ships operating in the south pacific in wW2