Don't give up when requesting information

In May I filled in an enquiry form for the Cumbria Museum of Military to see if they could give me any information on my Great Great Uncle 12666 Private Donald White.

I had found his medal record card  which told me that he was in the Border Regiment as a private and that he was discharged in March 1919. 

I enquired about why he was discharged when he was as I hadn't seen a discharge date which was so specific on any other cards that I had found so was intrigued whether this was for a particular reason.  

Like most of these things whilst researching your family tree after an initial reply saying that they had received my reply and would get back to me as soon as possible I completely forgot about it. 

That was until this morning...........

Today I received this letter 

Thank you for your enquiry concerning the military service of your great great uncle 12666 Private Donald White who served with the 7th (Service) Battalion Border Regiment during the First World War. 

I am sorry that we have taken so long to reply.  We are now open in our new premises here at at the Castle after six months of very intensive work.  My colleagues and I are now working through the massive backlog of enquiries.  Like most Regimental and Corps Museums, we do not hold copies of soldiers service records.  As you may be aware, any surviving Service documents and medal index cards for officers' and soldiers' pre-1920 are held by the National Archives at Kew and have now been digitally copied. 

His service record does not survive and there is only his medal index card at the National Archives, which you are already aware of.  We have checked through all the additional material in our archives and can provide a little more information.  His regimental number indicates that he enlisted in September 1914.  The 7th Battalion was the second of the Regiment's Kitchener or New Army Battalions to be raised.  After formation at Carlisle and training in the south of England the Battalion proceeded overseas to the Western Front as part of 50th Infantry Brigade in 17th (Northern) Infantry Division in July 1915.  The battalion spent the whole of the War on the Western Front and was part of the Army of Occupation in Germany after the Armistice prior to being disbanded in 1919. 

I have note found any other specific references to him other than his being recorded in the Medal Rolls.  

Obviously this information was really useful even though it didn't tell me much about Donald himself.  The museum also sent me a document which gave a brief history of the regiment during WW1.

Although it doesn't tell me what happened to Donald after the war it does mean that I have a bit more information about WW1 which is always useful.

So my tip for today is, if you have requested information and think they have forgotten you, just be patient.  You never know when you might get some interesting information sent to you.