Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Pvt E. Armitage, a Medic with the 45th Infantry Division enjoys rare sunshine during a lull in the battle for Anzio. Photograph taken April 1944

Questions:

What is the value of my Medical Department item?
Can you appraise my Medical Department item?
Do you hold service records or documents relating to my relative’s service with the Medical Department?
Can you provide information about my relative’s unit?
Can I use the images in your Photo Gallery / the text in this Article, or other information from your website for my project?
Can I visit the Centre to carry out my research and view documents in its Archive?
Is the WW2 US Medical Research Centre in any way associated to the US Government or Army?
Can I send copies of documents to you for use on your site and in your research?
I would like to share my Testimony on your website. How can I do this?

What is the value of my Medical Department item?
Unfortunately, we are unable to offer valuation service to readers due to time constraints and a willingness to focus on WW2 Medical research. In order to learn the current market value of a WW2 Medical item, please consult common sites which sell such pieces (for example, eBay or the vendors listed in our Links section). If the piece for valuation is something uncommon or rare, we would encourage the owner to register via our Forum and post the piece in question, along with some good quality illustrations for members’ comments.

Can you appraise my Medical Department item?
We are willing to appraise an item’s authenticity and provide information about its official nomenclature, designation or use. However, in order for us to carry out this process, it is imperative that you provide us with good quality illustrations and descriptions of the item. As such, when contacting us with this type of inquiry, please do not use our “Contact Us” form, since this does not allow for image attachment. Rather, send an email along with the necessary attachments to info@med-dept.com. Please note that this service is offered for non-commercial, educational purposes only.

Do you hold service records or documents relating to my relative’s service with the Medical Department?
Due to the Freedom of Information Act (Public Law 89-554, 80 Stat. 383; Amended 1996, 2002, 2007 [United States]) and FOIA (2000 [United Kingdom]) we are limited to the information which can be provided to readers wishing to research relatives’ or specific individuals’ service with the Medical Department during WW2. In addition to this, the fire at the US National Archives and Records Administration in 1973 destroyed a large number of Official Military Personnel Files. As a result, we are unable to provide any further information about specific individual service records other than can be obtained via the US National Archives’ Access Archival Databases facility. We encourage all readers to use this facility when trying to obtain records about service personnel. Please note that subject files do not mention military units.
Since the WW2 US MRC does not have affiliations with the US National Archives (as you know we’re not located in the United States), we are unable to request specific files which might be held therein relating to a person’s service with the US Army during WW2. However, next-of-kin or relatives may request free copies of documents of this type. For more information, please visit the following page on the NARA website: How to Request Military Service Records or Prove Military Service.

Although the WW2 US Medical Research Centre does hold detailed records relating to certain members of the Medical Department, these are used for the compilation of Veterans’ Testimonies to be published on our website. Due to the aforementioned legislation, we are unable to release more specific details about these Veterans.

Can you provide information about my relative’s unit?
We are often able to provide specific information relating to WW2 Medical units with which relatives might have served. The information that we can typically supply includes: service locations, dates and organisation; commanding officers, and in some circumstances Army Post Office (APO) information. Despite our continued efforts, our archive of unit information is far from complete and we offer no guarantee to have information available regarding a specific unit. This is largely due to the fact that the Medical Department was such a large organisation and the smaller units which comprised it are often ill-documented in common research books and material.
When requesting this type of information, it is imperative that the reader provides as much information as possible regarding the unit they wish to research. At a very minimum, we will require the full designation (or abbreviated version thereof) of the unit to conduct research. Due to financial and logistic reasons, we are unable to request and obtain documents from the US National Archives relating to units on behalf of others. In case a reader wishes to obtain these documents himself, we can provide details regarding the type of documents that can be obtained, and how these can be sourced.

Important note:  In order to properly research a person and his unit, we at least need his/her complete name and service data, and if possible a copy of the relevant “Enlisted Record & Report of Separation – Honorable Discharge”. We have neither the time nor the resources for chasing information that should be made available with the initial query. Thank you for your understanding.

Can I use the images in your Photo Gallery / the text in this Article, or other information from your website for my project?
Unfortunately, after many unscrupulous requests and false promises, the WW2 US Medical Research Centre is no longer able to accept this kind of request. Any corresponding asking for permission to use material, regardless of whether credit will be given, will be rejected. We are sorry for any inconvenience that this might cause.

Can I visit the Centre to carry out my research and view documents in its Archive?
At this time, the WW2 US Medical Research Centre is not open to the public. The records held in its Archive are for research purposes only and cannot be viewed by the general public. Electronic copies of documents can be obtained from the Centre, and will be charged at a rate of £0.10 per page. Due to time constraints we do not currently have a database of our records and documents available to the public. Please send queries relating to documents via our online form found on the “Contact Us” page.

Is the WW2 US Medical Research Centre in any way associated to the US Government or Army?
No. The MRC is a personal venture of two European WW2 historians, researchers and collectors both of whom share a passion for the Medical Department and its role in the Second World War. While we do receive questions, comments and queries from members of the US Armed Forces, we are not affiliated or associated with them in any way. The Centre is located in Europe and as already stated is not open to the general public.

Can I send copies of documents to you for use on your site and in your research?
We are always keen to receive information and documents relating to the Medical Department. Documents can be forwarded to us in three manners. Firstly (and perhaps the most efficient) is via email. Please send electronic copies of the documents (either in JPG, DOC or PDF format) attached to an email sent to info@med-dept.com.
Alternatively, if quality is not essential for the document’s reading (for example enlistment records, textual documents, etc.), copies can be sent via facsimile to the following number:

Outside of the United Kingdom: 0044 1205 205 205
Within the United Kingdom: 01205 205 205.

Finally, documents can be mailed via regular mail to our offices. For security and privacy reasons, we do not currently provide our mailing address on the website. If you are interested in using this method to forward documents to us, please contact our staff.

I would like to share my Testimony on your website. How can I do this?
The WW2 US Medical Research Centre is always eager to hear from WW2 Veterans, particularly those that served with the Medical Department. Please contact us if you wish to share your Testimony with us. Nothing will be uploaded on our webpages without proper consent of the Veterans or their Family.

 

This page was printed from the WW2 US Medical Research Centre on 9th December 2024 at 04:54.
Read more: https://www.med-dept.com/frequently-asked-questions/