I need help locating WW1 records of my grandfather
 

This is somewhat travel related as I'd like to visit the place my grandfather had been in France.

I tried the formal request of the National Archives or whoever it is who has the military records. The reponse I got was that they don't have the records possibly because of the fire in the 70's (?).

All I have is family lore. My grandfather never talked about the war so it's sketchy. All I know is he was exposed to gas while having lunch (so mask was off), left for dead, found by a French farmer and reconnected with army.

I think I have some of his militry info, like his number and service dates. But is there any organization out there or service to help people track down specifics?
I would really like to find out where he had been so I can visit there my next trip to France.
THANKS!

Check with the resources at In Flanders Fields, the WWI museum and info center in Ieper (Ypres), Belgium. Although their focus was primarily British units serving in Belgium, it covers a lot more. They have some good links as well. Do you know your grandfather's regiment? The historical society of his hometown may be able to help you find the regiment info.

http://www.inflandersfields.be/default2.htm

You might want to check a message board for military historians. There is a site called historynet.com that can link you to one of several message boards. Not sure if there is one for WWI, but I'm sure you can find people who are more familiar with what you're looking for and how to look than perhaps might be found on a general travel board.

I've accessed several sites for the Civil War that provide links to reports filed by commanders of the time. I'd suggest that what might help you narrow down your search is to know as much detail as possible about the unit he was in.

There are several prominent military historians that might provide you help if you're able to contact them. On WWI, the two I might consider are John Keegan and Martin Gilbert, both of whom are Bristish.

You might want to check a message board for military historians. There is a site called historynet.com that can link you to one of several message boards. Not sure if there is one for WWI, but I'm sure you can find people who are more familiar with what you're looking for and how to look than perhaps might be found on a general travel board.

I've accessed several sites for the Civil War that provide links to reports filed by commanders of the time. I'd suggest that what might help you narrow down your search is to know as much detail as possible about the unit he was in.

There are several prominent military historians that might provide you help if you're able to contact them. On WWI, the two I might consider are John Keegan and Martin Gilbert, both of whom are British.

The key is to identify your grandfather's division or regiment. Many of these units have their own websites, and many others have published histories. You can obtain the information from discharge papers, commendations, etc.

Wow! Thank you all for the quick responses and great ideas. I'm feeling the pressure to get this figured out as my grandmother is 98 and probably knows the most.
A great project for this rainy weekend!

I've had great success in finding British and Canadian records but US records are much harder to find.

You might get some useful info at this site..http://maxpages.com/poland/Military_..._North_America

As someone above suggested, if you know the regiment or division you might find a webpage for them.

BTW..even if you just find the areas he might have beenin , a trip to the WWI sites in France and Belgium is worth every second.

Look at this website. It has a lot of links and also a forum.

http://www.worldwar1.com/tgws/tgws2.htm

Good luck!

cw

BTW, sorry I posted twice. Didn't want to be called out for spelling it "bristish" the first time.