Every Family has a story to tell……….Welcome to mine
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
It's now Week 11, of the wonderful Genealogy prompts from Amy Johnson Crow's 52 Ancestor's in 52 weeks and this week we are looking at the subject of "Luck". We all need a little bit of "luck" sometimes with our Genealogy and sometimes it can come when we least expect it. I am always going … Continue reading #52Ancestors “Luck”
We are up to Week 10 and this week's theme, for the wonderful Amy Johnson Crow's #52Ancestors Challenge is, “Strong Woman". I think there is an assumption that a lot of our female Ancestors were strong women, probably because a lot of them look pretty fearsome in the old photographs and the stories that are … Continue reading #52Ancestors “Strong Woman”
This is the fourth in my biographies about the lives of my eight great-grandparents, next up is John Edwin Barnes. John Edwin Barnes was one of the first Ancestors that I researched, in real detail and he is someone who will always hold a special place in my heart, due to the fact he was … 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……..
So we have a passion or interest in family history, but why do we do it in the first place? What drives us to discover more about our past and discover who we really are? Are we simply all just detectives in disguise who just like unravelling a good mystery? Simple answer is, it will … Continue reading Why Do We Do It??
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
