Armed forces
National Personnel Records Center (NPCR)
9700 Page Avenue, St Louis, Missouri 63132-5100 USA
Web: www.archives.gov
- Holds records of all people who have completed US military service
- Considers enquiries from natural children of US servicemen (proof of relationship may be required)
- May forward a letter to the sought person’s last known address
- Attach an unsealed letter to the sought person with your enquiry
- Identify branch of service (Air, Army, Coast Guard, Marine, Navy) & provide as much precise military information as possible
War Babes
Shirley McGlade, 15 Plough Avenue, South Woodgate, Birmingham B32 3TQ
- Advises the children of US servicemen who were stationed in the UK during WWII how to search for their fathers
- Enquire by letter, enclosing a stamped self-addressed envelope
Trans-Atlantic Children’s Enterprise (TRACE)
Norma Jean Clarke-McCloud, TRACE Membership Secretary, Heron's Flight, 1H Bycullah Road, Enfield, Middlesex EN2 8EE
- Advises the children of US servicemen who were stationed in the UK during WWII how to search for their fathers
- Enquire by letter, enclosing a stamped self-addressed envelope
Civilian
Social Security Administration
- Helps to search for missing parents, lost children or other relatives for humanitarian reasons
- Letter forwarding service provided by the Social Security Administration (SSA)
Inquirers in other countries may wish to contact the SSA and ask for their assistance in forwarding an unsealed letter to a close relative with whom they have lost contact. Almost every person in the USA has a Social Security number, thus there is a good possibility that the letter will reach the sought person, if the person’s name is in the SSA files. The SSA offers to forward a letter when a strong humanitarian purpose will be served, such as a parent wishing t locate a son or a daughter, a close relative is very ill, is dying, or has died; and when all other possibilities for locating the sought person have been exhausted.
The SSA does not provide translation services, so the correspondence to them should be in English. The letter to the sought person may be in their native language but a copy translated to English must also be provided.
The request must be submitted in writing to the SSA, giving as much information as possible:
- Sought person’s name and Social Security number (if known)
- Date and Place of birth
- Name of parents
- Name and address of last know employer, and period of employment (if known)
- Relationship to sought person
- Reason for wanting to contact the person
- Last time seen
- Other contacts that have been exhausted
The SSA is unable to confirm what action they have taken. But hopefully the sought person will receive the letter and will respond.
Social Security Administration (SSA), Office of Public Enquiries, Windsor Park Building, 6401 Security Blvd, Baltimore, MD21235.
US Immigration & Naturalisation Service
- Helps to search for people who emigrated to the US
Enquirers may also write to the US Immigration and Naturalisation Service and request assistance in locating a close relative. The address is:
US Citizen & Immigration Services (USCIS), 20 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20529
Office of Immigration services, US Dept of Homeland Security, 425 1 Street NW, Room 4034, Washington DC 20536
Inquirers should include the country from which the sought person emigrated and the date of arrival in the USA, as well as the following basic information
- Sought person’s name and Social Security number (if known)
- Date and Place of birth
- Last known address
- Name of parents
- Name and address of last know employer, and period of employment (if known)
- Relationship to sought person
- Reason for wanting to contact the person
- Last time seen
- Other contacts that have been exhausted
The letter should ask for the last known address held in the records of the sought person under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act. The enquirer may also ask the I&NS to forward a copy of the enquirers letter to the sought person if necessary. The humanitarian grounds for the request should also be stated.
The inquirer could also use Internet resources such as
Canada
Armed forces
Department of National Defence HQ
Major General George R Pearkes Building, 101 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1A OK2.
- Helps to search for people who have served in the Canadian military
- May forward a letter to a sought person
Attach an unsealed letter to the sought person, providing as much personal information as possible about them
Carol Wilson, 386 Wythenshawe Road, Northern Moor, Manchester, M23 9DD
Tel: 0161 945 8533
- Offers advice and information to those searching for Canadian soldiers stationed in the UK during WWII
- Enquirers may be the legitimate or illegitimate war children of Canadian soldiers
- Telephone or write for advice on how to search for your relative
- If enquiring by letter, enclose a stamped self-addressed envelope
Civilian
National Personnel Records Center
Public Archives of Canada, 395 Wellington Street, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0N3, Canada
- Helps to search for civilian relatives
- Attach an unsealed letter to the sought person
- Provide full details of sought person
Australia
Department of Social Security
Regional Manager, GPO Box 120, Canberra, ACT 2601 Australia
- Civilian relatives
- May be able to forward a letter
- Attach an unsealed letter to the sought person
- Provide full details of sought person, with last known address and employment
Child migrants in Australia, Canada, New Zealand or South Africa
The Child Migrants Trust
28a Musters Road, West Bridgford, Nottingham NG2 7PL
Tel: 0115 982 2811
- Helps former child migrants to search for their families and find out information about their childhood
- Provides counselling and supports reunions
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