Every Family has a story to tell……….Welcome to mine
WW1 touched the lives of millions of families, both at home and across the Empire, with families suffering irreconcilable grief and loss, many families never fully recovered. So many young men volunteered at the outbreak of War, to do "their bit" for King and Country, little did they know the full scale of the horrors … Continue reading No. 1 Canadian Casualty Clearing Station
At the outbreak of WW1, there was an ongoing debate about the best way to treat casualties from the front line. Opinion was divided, should you treat the casualty as close to the front line as possible, getting the wounded and injured men to surgery in the fastest possible time, whilst accepting that the operating … Continue reading Casualty Clearing Stations During WW1
Before the start of WW1, the British Army comprised of approximately 700,000 men of which 250,000 were regulars, 250,000 territorials and 200,000 reservists. By the end of WW1, it’s estimated that 8.7 million men and women had served in the British Army. So, the chances of you having an ancestor who served in WW1 is … Continue reading How to Research a WW1 Soldier
At the start of the Great War the population of Byford in Herefordshire, including children, was 148 and Mansell Gamage 116, giving a total of 264 inhabitants. 51 young men enlisted from the two villages and 13 of those sadly died. The others returned, but life would never be the same for them after their … Continue reading A Family at War (Part 1)
After the end of WW1 and the Paris was treaty was signed, the league of nations was formed with the basic function of maintaining world peace. Almost 20 years later and Europe was brought to its knees once more with the atrocities of War. This blog isn't an attempt to apportion blame or go over … Continue reading Was WW2 Inevitable?
Is today's modern warfare any different to the way in which we previously fought wars? Absolutely for me thats a Yes! Today's war, if you want to even call it war, is vastly different to previous wars such as WW1 or WW2. Trying to fight against the threat of global terror, or wars in Afghanistan … Continue reading How the mechanics of war have changed……..
So what do you think the future holds for us "Genealogists"? Where do we see the future of our hobby, record keeping and archives, or is there even a future? Anybody who has been researching their tree for around twenty years will never have envisaged how the shape of researching your family tree would look … Continue reading So What does the future hold?
I am now the very proud owner of the Royal British Legion commemorative Poppy pin to remember those that sadly lost their lives 100 years ago at the 3rd battle of Ypres, known as Passchendaele. The details of how this project came about and what went into the making of these commemorative poppy pins … Continue reading Royal British Legion Passchendaele 100 Pin
Today I am now the very proud owner of the London Mint's excellent commemorative coin for the 100 year anniversary of the 3rd Battle of Ypres - Passchendaele. The coin comes in an excellent commeroatvie presentation pack and is a real quality piece of memorabilia. See attached pictures. I have also ordered the Royal British … Continue reading Passchendaele 3rd Battle of Ypres Commemorative coin and Royal British Legion Passchendaele Poppy
My Father-in-law, whilst digging in the garden, had the good fortune to find this commemorative knife, which looks to have been designed as a letter opener. From what I can make out, it appears to be made from a shell casing. If anybody knows any different or has discovered a similar item, I would love … Continue reading Passchendaele – 3rd Battle of Ypres Digging up the past
The Chiddicks Family Tree 