Every Family has a story to tell……….Welcome to mine
A few years ago I was fortunate enough to visit the National Arboretum in Staffordshire, which holds over 300 memorials to those lives that have sadly been lost in conflict and civilian life. The Arboretum stands as a place which honours the fallen and recognises their service and their sacrifice for their country. It was first … Continue reading My Visit to The National Memorial Arboretum
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)
When I started researching my family history, my main aim was to learn more about my dad’s early life and find out about my grandparents.
In the process, I began to realise just how many lives are attached to my family tree. Each branch that I looked at uncovered long-forgotten great aunts and uncles and distant cousins. I decided there were just too many for me to investigate fully, so I decided I would set them aside and come back to them later.
However, one name caught my attention right from the start, Clark Thomson. Initially, I was intrigued by the name. Clark is not a common first name in Scotland. I wondered why I wasn’t aware that my Dad had an Uncle Clark. Surely, I would have remembered hearing that name. I found myself wondering where it had come from and why no one seemed to have heard of…
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After such a long time, I have finally had my Great-Grandfathers WW1 Medals Professionally Framed. To say that I am pleased with the outcome is an under statement, I am truly blown away by how amazing the frame and Medals look. This is without doubt one of my proudest ‘Family History’ moments. It was a … Continue reading Great-Grandad’s World War 1 Medals Framed
This is the latest and recently updated biography of my great-grandfather, John Edwin Barnes. It's always good practise to periodically review and revisit your work and I have included here some new information and some additional records, plus I have been able to add some new photographs to my collection, all of which help to … Continue reading The Life and Times of John Edwin Barnes
Harry Joseph Keyes was born in 1891, in Grays, Essex, the seventh of the eight children born to Joseph Keyes and Elizabeth Keyes (nee Bishop). When Harry Joseph Keyes was born, his father, Joseph, was 39 and his mother, Elizabeth, was 38. He had three brothers and four sisters. Young Harry sadly lost his life, … Continue reading 3rd Battle of Ypres – Passchendaele
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……..
The Chiddicks Family Tree 