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This month’s Across the Pond column is about The Great War.
Happy reading & researching!
Today’s picture is staying with my late father in-law.
Yesterday we saw his recognition for taking part in the Arctic Convoys during the second world war. We know from his medals that he was in Palestine in 1949.
By 1960 he was a sergeant in British Army. The first picture here gives us the date. There is no date on the second photograph.
We can date his army dates to at least two years earlier, 1958 because we have this photograph
My father in-law on his BSA motorcycle, when he was stationed at Blandford Camp in Dorset in June 1958. He bought the motorcycle for £250.00.
Yesterday Jen over at Conference Keeper hosted another fascinating round of #GenChat at Twitter This time the discussion point was geography.
Now there were a series of questions and I might not have noted them all down in the order they were presented. Apologies for my slackness, I was trying to keep up with the Tweets!
What is Geography?
When I went to school geography was about exploring places and what happens there, why and how and when. All those key questions that really we are, or at least should be applying to genealogy. Geography gives us an opportunity to explore the location of our ancestors, how they lived and worked. It enables us to break through those lists of names and dates and drill down to a depth of more detail.
Understanding Border Changes over time
This is really important. It might be a simple case of a town essentially being in a County. I have a family member who lived in Stony Stratford in Buckinghamshire. The town has also been in Oxfordshire. That border change might influence our ancestors lives for lots of reasons. In some cases, towns on the borders of various Countries can overnight find themselves in another Country – look at Countries such as Italy and Switzerland.
At this point there were various resources listed and therefore I am simply going to present them here, at this point I have not had chance to explore them all
Here is the GenChat Schedule so you don’t miss out on the fun!
For this week’s visionary prompt of standing in doorways, I thought I would share this image
The background is the Sam Marshall was a local farmer, and was in fact related to Caroline through marriage. Her sister Maryanne married Jim Marshall, the added complication was that the Marshall family were already connected to the family prior to that marriage and things were further complicated when in 1931 Rose married Maryanne’s Grandson Ernest. Something that Caroline disapproved of and my Aunt always vehemently denied.
Taking part in Sepia Saturday
This picture has hung in my in-laws hall for at least the last 15 years or so. Just recently I had cause to look a bit closer at it and take some photographs.
What does this signify? This was given to my father in law in recognition of his contribution during Second World War whilst serving in the Royal Navy. He was present on HMS Byron and took part in the Arctic Convoys.
No individual medal was every awarded to these servicemen, and it has only been this year that has been rectified. Medals are firstly, and quite rightly being awarded to those men who took part who are still alive, before moving to being awarded posthumously to their widows and families.
There is a Museum that focus’ on the Russian Arctic Convoys HERE.
I had hoped to undertake a bit of extra research today. Sadly that has not been possible and thus this post is fairly short, but over the coming weeks I shall look at this closer, so please keep reading!
There was something about the prompt photograph that reminded me of a photograph of my Grandfather’s Uncle.
In this photograph, Walter Butcher is standing in the fields at Wanborough with another labourer tending to the land.
Walter Butcher was born in 1874 in Wonersh Surrey and was the seventh child of a family of eight. My Great Grandfather, Charles Butcher was older having been born in 1869. Both Walter and Charles moved to Wanborough. Firstly Charles having met my Great Grandmother who was from Puttenham moved across the country roads to live in the area of his wife’s family. He was later followed by Walter.
My late Great Aunt recalled Walter and from my notebook of 1989 she said “Walter was a mean spirited and weak man and nothing like Dad. (Charles) He had a tendency to follow and copy Dad, which frustrated and annoyed him”
I had heard this before from my another Aunt, and with that information I formed an opinion of Walter, and perhaps that was unfair; that was until I found this reference in the local paper.
Surrey Advertiser – 16th June 1917
“Cruelty to a Horse – Farmer heavily fined.
Yesterday, I was reminded of the following video produced by Tessa Keough. I sat and listened again to the video and did a quick search for my one name study name of Orlando. I have done this before, and there are none, not too surprising as it is an Italian name.
However, I watched the video, and Tessa directs researchers to the obvious and perhaps neglected facility of advanced search, marked Filter Results on the left hand side of the page. I contemplated the uses that perhaps I had not thought of.
In the last box under filter research I added the details of the villages for which I am undertaking a one-place study – Puttenham and Wanborough. I then looked at Elstead, a village a few miles away. I shared the photograph of the War memorial on Sunday – you can read that post HERE.
I then wondered if the road which I am undertaking a one place study for would yield any results. A search for Walnut Tree Close, Guildford produced 9 results, all for the First World War.
Whilst that perhaps seems fairly obvious, it is sometimes the simplest and most obvious things that we neglect. I have looked at the Commonwealth War Graves site many times and not once searched in any way, other than by surname.
It is important to remember that if you are using the filter research box and insert a town or village that you do add addition information – such as the County. There are for instance, two Puttenham, two Wanborough’s with North Wanborough being in Wiltshire and two Elstead’s, and whilst there are perhaps differences in the spelling, it is worth looking a little closer at the detail.
So thank you Tessa for reminding me of the advanced search; and it is never too late to learn or be prodded to try something new.
Born in Surrey England to a military man from Dodford, Northamptonshire. FT spent time in the Royal Navy before being demobbed at the end of the War. On the way home, the vessel experienced some engine trouble and pulled into port. Having been told that there was a delay of about six weeks FT pointed to another ship, asked where that was going. Upon hearing and approving of the destination he changed vessels and never looked back.
The Anglers Rest blog first went online at Blogger in 2002. At the time of transfer, the counter was at 349,463.
It was moved to this site on 18th December 2015 when the counter was reset -:(
Julie Goucher ~ Anglers Rest 