One of the most interesting and sobering things I found was a collection of letters on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website, which were exchanged be- tween my great-grandfather and the authorities involved in the location and burial of the Great War dead. Included was a transcription of a short letter (which had somehow been lost in transit) which
It is very possible that distant – or not so distant – rela- tives will have created family trees on Ancestry; these are helpful for finding a multitude of records about individ- uals, as well as for going far further back in your family. There is a caveat: some users are more skilled than others in creating these accurately, although on the whole, it is a very useful feature.
my great-uncle had attempt- ed to send to his father, my great-grandfather, short- ly before he died: ‘Dear Father, I am still living but have one lung pierced as well as the right leg and one shoulder. Please try to find me. Edwin.’ Tragically, he had been shot down over
In addition, there are sev- eral other online resources which you can use to gain more detailed knowledge of your ancestors. For exam- ple, the British Newspaper Archive – which is, unfortu- nately, not provided by the College – can be of use for reading both letters to news-
Perhaps as a result of being deeply involved in the early motor industry, he felt some degree of entitlement to drive at well over twice the national speed limit of 20 mph
Belgium on 10 November 1918. He was rescued by some locals, but died – aged 19 – either on 12 or 13 November, having been transferred to a German military hospital. I hope that I have provided useful advice and interesting anecdotes, and that I have inspired some readers of the Alleynian to carry out their own research. What you will find will surely interest you. Best of luck! ◎
papers written by ancestors as well as, possibly, articles featuring them. You may be surprised by the extent to which your ancestors feature, especially in local newspa- pers. Of some amusement to me and my family were the accounts of my great-grandfather’s speeding offences ¬– in both cars and motorcycles – which from 1908 started to appear in local newspapers. An engineer, industrialist and racing driver, he designed the centre-lock wire wheel and, furthermore, was a director and from 1923 chairman of Rudge-Whitworth, a motorcycle manufacturer. He was also a director of the car manufacturer Lanchester. Per- haps as a result of being deeply involved in the early mo- tor industry, he felt some degree of entitlement to drive at well over twice the (admittedly widely flouted) national speed limit of 20 mph; on one occasion, an eyewitness said in court that he ‘flashed by like a rocket’.
It is very possible that distant – or not so distant – relatives will have created family trees on Ancestry
An eyewitness said in court that he ‘flashed by like a rocket’
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