Every Family has a story to tell……….Welcome to mine
Discover the Dark Tales of the Past in My Brand-New Series: “Stories From the Grave” Sometimes history grows in unexpected ways, like roots pushing through stone, or a story taking on a life far larger than the truth behind it. Few places in London better capture this gentle entanglement of fact and legend than the Hardy … Continue reading The Hardy Tree – A Tree That Remembered the Dead
Discover the dark tales of the past in my brand-new series: "Stories From The Grave." Tucked away in the peaceful churchyard of St John the Baptist Church in Pinner, Greater London, stands one of the most curious monuments you’re likely to encounter, a tomb with what appears to be a coffin floating above the ground. Its unusual design has … Continue reading The Truth Behind Pinner’s Floating Coffin
During a visit to the Western Front in the summer of 2025, I was told a story that has stayed with me ever since. It was not a story of sweeping offensives or celebrated generals, nor one that fits comfortably into the familiar narratives of the First World War. Instead, it was a small, human … Continue reading Beaumont-Hamel: A Fragment Returned
Discover the dark tales of the past in my brand-new series: "Stories From The Grave." In 1705, an Irish woman named Margorie McCall (sometimes recorded as McCat or McCool) was believed to have died suddenly from a fever and was hastily buried in Lurgan, County Armagh, a common practice at a time when contagious illness was feared, and medical … Continue reading Lived Once, Buried Twice
In the summer of 2025, I travelled to the battlefields of the Western Front to pay tribute to three members of my extended family who gave their lives in the First World War. The experience was both moving and deeply humbling, walking among the countless white headstones, each one marking a life ended too soon … Continue reading In the Shadow of the Great War: Remembering William George Curtin
One of the unknown soldiers I promised to honour....... During the summer of 2025, I had the privilege of visiting the battlefields of the Western Front to honour and remember three members of my wider family who gave the ultimate sacrifice during the First World War. It was an emotional and humbling journey, walking among … Continue reading The Story of Second Lieutenant Clement John Byron, Honourable Artillery Company
From Orchard Fields to Flanders Fields: The Story of Thomas Wootton Thomas Wootton was born on March 26th, 18921, in the village of Byford, Herefordshire, the sixth oldest of eight children born to John and Frances Wootton. Raised on the family farm at Lower House, he attended Byford School from 1898 to 1906. A quiet … Continue reading The Farm Boy Who Went to War
From the Fields of Herefordshire to the Trenches of France When I think of the First World War, I don’t just picture the vast battlefields or the rows of white crosses that stretch endlessly into the horizon. For me, it is much more personal. Many of my ancestors fought and died on the battlefields of … Continue reading The Forgotten Faces of the Somme
From the Banks of the Thames to the Mud of Passchendaele: The Life and Loss of Harry Joseph Keyes Before the mud, the gunfire, and the chaos of the Western Front, before the thunder of artillery at Ypres silenced his young life, Harry Joseph Keyes was a boy growing up in the heart of working-class … Continue reading In the Shadow of Passchendaele: Remembering Private Keyes
A Journey Through Victorian Essex and Beyond In the spring of 1866, in the quiet rural village of South Ockendon, Essex, a young boy named William Chiddicks was born into a world poised on the brink of immense change. He was born on 18 March 18661, the first of seven children born to Matthew and Elizabeth Chiddicks (née Lake), at a … Continue reading In the Footsteps of William Chiddicks
The Chiddicks Family Tree 