Two new military collections from FindmyPast

Two new collections from FindmyPast (www.findmypast.co.uk) this week:

Faces of the Fallen 1914-1918

Explore this unique collection of photographs from our extensive newspaper archive. During the First World War, newspapers across Britain published photos of those who fought, died, went missing, or were wounded in action, providing a deeply personal record of the human cost of the conflict. These photos offer a moving and powerful glimpse of how the war affected communities across the British Isles, with a remarkable story behind each one waiting to be uncovered. We will update this collection regularly as we find more pages, ensuring that we continue to illuminate and remember more names and stories.

Anglo-Boer War Records 1899-1902

We've added 22,752 more records to this important military collection. It holds hundreds of thousands of names drawn from more than five hundred sources, revealing the unit your ancestor served with, as well as details of medals, honours, or awards they received. Additionally, it features a thoroughly revised list of men who were killed in action, died of wounds, or succumbed to disease.

For further details, and links, visit https://www.findmypast.co.uk/blog/new/wartime-records-maps

Chris 

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

TheGenealogist releases 1 million First World War casualty records

From TheGenealogist (www.thegenealogist.co.uk): 

TheGenealogist marks Remembrance Sunday with the release of over 1 million WWI Casualty Records

To commemorate Remembrance Sunday, TheGenealogist has released 1,090,293 new Casualty List Records from The First World War, covering the period 8th April 1918 to 4th March 1919, completing their coverage of the War Office Casualty Lists. This significant addition helps researchers and families trace those who were killed, wounded, reported missing, or taken prisoner in the later part of the First World War.

TheGenealogist's Head of Content, Mark Bayley, commented: “On Remembrance Sunday, as we honour the fallen, it’s also a time to think of those who returned with wounds both seen and unseen. This release enables researchers to follow relatives throughout the conflict, right up to its end and trace the impact it had on them and their families.”

This release includes:

●    Comprehensive coverage: 1,090,293 records spanning 8th April 1918 to 4th March 1919.
●    Searchable detail: Name, rank, regiment/unit, and (where recorded) service number, place, and nature of casualty, such as killed, wounded, missing, prisoner of war, and died of wounds.
●    Derived from the official War Office Weekly Casualty Lists published at the time, with later corrections where available.
●    This completes the collection of War Office Weekly Casualty lists and brings the total Casualty List records on TheGenealogist to over 4.5 million

The new records are available now to Diamond subscribers at TheGenealogist.co.uk.

These newly added records include a number of notable names, among them the author C. S. Lewis. Read more about his wartime experience here: https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/featuredarticles/2025/cs-lewis-8787/

(With thanks to Paul Bayley from TheGenealogist)

Chris 

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

Free access to FindmyPast military records from 7-13 November

From FindmyPast (www.findmypast.co.uk):

To mark Remembrance and honour those who served, Findmypast is offering free access to millions of military records from 7–13 November.

This special access gives family historians and researchers the opportunity to explore detail-rich records, uncover personal stories, and truly understand their ancestors’ lives. Whether they joined up as a Pal, served on the front lines, became a prisoner of war, helped on the home front, or worked as a Red Cross volunteer, Findmypast’s military records can paint a vivid picture of your family's wartime experiences and offer a powerful way to remember those who served.  

Those with British & Irish roots can explore the largest collection of British Army records anywhere online, including regimental records, army lists, roll calls and the details of those who served with particular regiments, military nurses, volunteer soldiers and army deserters, as well as the British in India collection, covering nearly 350 years from 1656 right up to 1993.

Then delve deeper to understand what life was really like for those who experienced war within Findmypast’s unrivalled collection of historical newspapers. You might find an image of your fallen ancestor within Findmypast’s brand new ‘Faces of the Fallen’ collection, extracted from the pages of British & Irish newspapers, or a story of heroism in your local community. Trace major milestones of the war as they happened – and spot those that were left out by the wartime press.

Plus, Findmypast has created a helpful set of resources and features to help you get further with your military research, faster. Use powerful research tools like Collections to clip and file your favourite newspaper articles, and Workspaces to collate your research on individual ancestors in one place and preserve the stories that matter most. Within the family tree builder, you’ll discover helpful information giving you the context around your ancestor’s military service, including details of regiments and battles. You can also uncover our expert tips, guides and even a video tutorial on our Remembrance hub. 

Jen Baldwin, Research Specialist at Findmypast said: “We believe that uncovering and understanding the stories of all those who served is a powerful act of Remembrance. This year, we’re encouraging our genealogy community to help shed light on one of the darkest wartime chapters: the Pals regiments of the First World War. Research military ancestors for free this weekend and help to ensure that no story is left behind.”
 

Join Findmypast’s Pals Campaign

Findmypast has launched an ongoing campaign to build the first and only definitive record collection dedicated to the Pals—groups of brothers, friends, and workmates who enlisted, fought, and often fell together in the First World War. From Caernarfon to Cambridge, Glasgow to Grimsby, these comrades answered Kitchener’s call and stood shoulder-to-shoulder in trenches thick with mud.

Yet, despite their sacrifice, there is no single roll that holds every name of the Pals. Too many stories remain scattered or forgotten. Findmypast is calling on the genealogy community to help change that.
Find a Pal, delve deeper, and share your findings at www.findmypast.co.uk/pals Together, we’ll remember, record, and reunite the Pals.

*Exclusions apply. Free access to selected military records runs from 10:00 GMT on Friday 7 November (November 7 for US) to 23:59 GMT on Thursday 13 November (November 13 for US). After the free access ends, you can only view most records and features with a valid subscription. For more information, including our fair usage policy, read our free access terms and conditions. 

(With thanks to Madeleine Gilbert via email)

Chris 

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

Special Scottish GENES Webinar for Remembrance Day: Trapped in Brussels in the First World War - A Civilian Story

Pictured below is my grandfather Charles Paton, born in Brussels in 1905 to two Scottish parents from Blackford in Perthshire and Inverness. In the First World War he was trapped as a child in the city with his family as an enemy civilian, for four long years. You can find out about his story, and those of his family, in an extra special bonus Scottish GENES Webinar, Trapped in Brussels in the First World War: A Civilian Story, next Tuesday 11 November, at 7pm (UK time). 

Their story is simply extraordinary, with various moments of drama and hardship, and tragically not everyone made it out alive. I will discuss how I was able to research their story using records from The National Archives in London, from sources in Glasgow, and from Brussels itself, as well as touch on some other aspects of the military occupation.  

Registration is £10 via https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_pdods8ZeQyeE2vpBATEDEg 

I hope that you can join me.

Chris 

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

WW1 sunken ship HMS Hawke discovered off Aberdeenshire coast

The remains of HMS Hawke, a Royal Naval cruiser sunk in the First World War, have been found in a good state of preservation 70 miles off the coast off Fraserburgh in Aberdeenshire. Moe than 500 crew were killed when the vessel was hit by a U-Boat in 1914.

For more on the story visit https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c9qg4z1149eo.

Chris

Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.

TheGenealogist adds more First World War records

From TheGenealogist (www.thegenealogist.co.uk)

TheGenealogist Commemorates 110 Years Since the Start of WWI with the Release of First World War Records

To mark the 110th anniversary of the start of World War I, TheGenealogist is proud to announce the release of an extensive collection of military records featuring the global conflict. This significant release includes service records, rolls of honour, and books of remembrance from schools, places, and institutions, providing invaluable insights into the lives of those who served and sacrificed during the Great War.

The newly released records offer a look at over 25,000 individuals, giving details such as the service histories of soldiers, portraits, details of their schooling, and family connections, including poignant details of those killed or wounded in action. These records not only commemorate the bravery and dedication of those who served but also provide a rich resource for researchers and family historians.

Included in this release are the following notable compilations:

●    Birmingham, Service Record of King Edward School 1914-1919
●    Whitgift Grammar School, The Book of Remembrance 1914-1919
●    Memorials of Rugbeians Who Fell in the Great War, Volumes II, III, V, VI
●    A Book of Remembrance of Old Boys and Masters of Watford Grammar School who Served in the Great War, 1914-1918
●    Shrewsbury School, Roll of Service, 1914-1918
●    Portsmouth and the Great War
●    Swindon's War Record 1914-1918
●    The Clan MacRae Roll in the Great War - Unveiling of Memorial Supplement
●    7th Battalion Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, Officers and Men Who Fell During the Great War
●    London County Council Record of Service in the Great War, 1914-1918
●    Phoenix Assurance Company, Ltd. - War Service List, 1914-1919

Also included in the release are two publications that give more context to the conflict, with stories and illustrations of the individual battles and notable heroic deeds:

●    Children's Story of the War
●    Deeds that Thrill the Empire

Mark Bayley, Head of Content at TheGenealogist, commented: “This release not only preserves the memories of the men and women who feature in these records, it also provides a window into the past for future generations. This adds to our extensive WW1 collections, providing a valuable resource for anyone interested in the personal histories and sacrifices of those who experienced the Great War.”

Researchers and family historians can access these records online at TheGenealogist's website, where they can explore detailed entries, including the years individuals attended school, information on family members, and personal stories of bravery and loss.

Read the feature article ‘Harold Ackroyd: MD to VC’ at TheGenealogist here:
https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/featuredarticles/2024/harold-ackroyd-md-to-vc-7556/ 

(With thanks to Paul Bayley) 

Chris

Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.

Ancestry adds WW1 Red Cross volunteers and Derry memorial records

Just added to Ancestry (www.ancesty.co.uk):

United Kingdom, Red Cross Volunteers During WWI, 1914-1918
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/70927/
Source: Voluntary Aid Detachments (VADs). Red Cross. https://vad.redcross.org.uk/ Accessed Feb 2023.

This collection contains records of over 90,000 Red Cross volunteers from Britain between 1914 and 1918. Documents in the collection were handwritten on index cards. All records are in English.

Using the collection

The collection may include the following information:

• Name
• Age at enrollment
• Address
• County
• Date on enrollment
• Name of hospital
• Rank
• Date of discharge
• Honours
• Description of duties

The records in this collection contain a wealth of information and usually span multiple images. Registrars often added comments on the backs of the records. While not always filled in, comments can be personal in nature and can often contain anecdotes or details about your family member's personality. Be sure to click on the arrow to the right of the image to browse the entire record.

Although British women couldn't join the military during the First World War, they were accepted into the Red Cross. Records for both men and women can be found in this


Derry-Londonderry, Northern Ireland, World War I Memorial Records, 1914-1918
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/62787/
Source:  Names of the Fallen. Belfast, Northern Ireland: Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI). https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/war-memorial-records, accessed 2023.

After the First World War, plans were drawn for a memorial to commemorate all the soldiers of Derry City who fought and died in the conflict. Servicemembers from both the Army and Navy were included. This collection contains the forms (or Memorial Registers) sent out to the soldiers' families to confirm their name and rank.

If you have a Derry ancestor who died in the War, their name may be inscribed on the War Memorial (also known as the Diamond War Memorial) located in the heart of Derry City, Northern Ireland.

Using this collection

The forms include the following information:

• Soldier's name
• Rank
• Company or ship
• Regiment and regimental number
• Military honours
• Birthplace
• Death date

The Memorial Registers can offer important insights about your ancestor's service in the First World War. They may provide the soldier's regiment and regimental number, which can help you find his service records or other military documents. The Register asks for the soldier's "native place," which can tell you where he was born. It may also tell you whether the soldier had received military honours, and what kind. Additionally, you may find details about the soldier's death and if he was killed in action. At the bottom of the form is the signature and address of the person providing the soldier's information. This was often a close family member.

Further details via the links.

Chris

Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.

FindmyPast adds two Canadian military collections

FindmyPast (www.findmypast.co.uk) has released two Canadian First Wold War military collections, Canada, Military Honours and Awards Index and Canada, Courts Martial of the First World War Index. Further details are available at https://www.findmypast.co.uk/blog/new/canadian-honours-court-martials

Amongst the records I have found mention of the Military Medal awarded to my grandmother's cousin Lance Corporal Robert Currie in 1918, with the award noted as follows:

Chris

Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.

Ancestry adds Scottish WW1 Rolls of Honour

The following have been added to Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk):

Scotland, World War I Rolls of Honour, 1914-1918
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/62490/
Soure: Rolls of Honour. https://digital.nls.uk/rolls-of-honour/archive/100261716: National Library of Scotland License: CC BY 4.0.

About Scotland, World War I Rolls of Honour, 1914-1918

This collection contains records of the original Scottish First World War rolls of honour that list war casualties and military personnel who died during active service between 1914 and 1918. One section of the collection focuses on rolls of honour related to schools, universities, clans, businesses, and churches. A second section has rolls of honour connected to places throughout Scotland. The rolls were often organised alphabetically by surname, but casualties were also grouped by regiment, branch of service, or military honours earned.

Using this collection

Records in this collection may include the following information:

• Name
• Alias
• Rank
• Service number
• Regiment
• Unit
• Branch of service
• Ship name
• Military award
• Military place
• Birth date and place
• Death date and place
• Age at death
• Enlistment date and place
• Next of kin and relationship
• Place of residence
• Street Address
• Place of employment

The records in this collection can be used to verify the date and place that your ancestor was killed in action or on active military duty during the First World War. The information about your ancestor's military service can lead you to histories of their units or regiments, which may explain what happened during the battle in which your ancestor was a casualty. The records also can be used to verify your ancestor's age, place of residence, and occupation at the time the record was created.

Further details via the link. 

Chris

Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.

Battle of Jutland Crew Lists Project

An interesting site I was drawn to earlier in the week is the Battle of Jutland Crew Lists Project at https://battleofjutlandcrewlists.miraheze.org/wiki/Main_Page. 

I was specifically alerted to the Men from Ireland page at https://battleofjutlandcrewlists.miraheze.org/wiki/Men_From_Ireland, and looked to see if my Belfast born great great grandfather John Montgomery (1867-1923) was noted, he having served on HMS Engadine in the conflict, and was surprised to find that he wasn't. I contacted the site organiser, who informed me that he was in fact listed on a separate page with the crew of the Engadine (https://battleofjutlandcrewlists.miraheze.org/wiki/HMS_Engadine_Crew_List), and that the Men from Ireland page would be updated to include him there also, which I am delighted to see has since happened.   

There does not appear to be a page for Men from Scotland, although many Scots will be listed in the main database. Where photos of sailors have been sourced, they have also been made available to view.

Chris

Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.

Ancestry adds new searchable indexes for the Ulster Covenant and WW1 Royal Victoria Hospital register

Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk) has added two new third party databases of records from PRONI. 

The first deals with the Ulster Covenant of 1912, the protest document signed by half a million Protestants against the prospect of Home Rule in Ireland:

Web: Ulster, Ireland, Ulster Covenant, 1912
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/70924/
Original data: Ulster Covenant 1912. Northern Ireland: Public Records Office of Northern Ireland. https://apps.proni.gov.uk/ulstercovenant/Search.aspx: Accessed February 2023.

There is no description of the collection on the site, although you can find out more about the records on the PRONI site at https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/about-ulster-covenant. To do an address search in the collection, use the 'Lived in' field.

Bizarrely, the collection does not pop up in the catalogue when you search for it, unless you first untick the 'Only search for records in the UK and Ireland' box. (It's possible our American friends don't know where Ulster is...!) 

The second collection is for Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast, records from 1914-1916:

Belfast, Antrim, Ireland, Royal Victoria Hospital Register, 1914-1916
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/70914/
Original data: Royal Victoria Hospital Register, 1914-1916. Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK: Public Records Office of Northern Ireland. https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/royal-victoria-hospital-register-1914-1916: Accessed October 2022.

About Belfast, Antrim, Ireland, Royal Victoria Hospital Register, 1914-1916

This collection contains medical registers for more than 700 soldiers from the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast between the years 1914 and 1916. Most records are in English.

Using this collection

Records in the collection may include the following information:

• Name
• Rank
• Hospital Admission Date
• Hospital Discharge Date
• Military Regiment
• Battalion Number
• Attaché Regiment
• Service Number
• Page Number

Military records can provide insight into your ancestor's military experience, both in peacetime and war. These records can provide a unique snapshot of their life at the time. Military records can also give insights into where your ancestor was located during key points in military history.

Chris

Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.

Ancestry adds Aberdeen, Scotland, Roll of Honour, 1914-1918, 1939-1945

Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk) has added a new military database:

Aberdeen, Scotland, Roll of Honour, 1914-1918, 1939-1945
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/62588/
Source: Aberdeen City Rolls of Honour: https://data.aberdeencity.gov.uk/en/dataset/aberdeen-city-rolls-of-honour. Aberdeen, Scotland: Aberdeen City Council.

About Aberdeen, Scotland, Roll of Honour, 1914-1918, 1939-1945

General collection information

This collection is made up of a comprehensive list of citizens from Aberdeen, Scotland who lost their lives in service to the military. This collection is index-only and includes valuable personal information, such as aircraft serial numbers, which may be hard to find in other collections. Records date from the First World War through the Gulf War Campaign.

Using the collection

The collection may include the following information:

• Name
• Name of conflict
• Rank
• Regiment
• Branch of service
• Unit
• Base
• Birthplace
• Birth date
• Role while in service
• Date of death
• Age at death
• Cause of death
• Place of burial/memorial
• Honours and awards
• Vessel name or serial number

The records found in this collection aren't just for military personnel. Anyone who died while aiding the British Armed Forces may be included and records may include Civil Defense Civilians, non-combatants, nurses, and members of the Merchant Navy. While most records are for men, women are also represented among the records.

Chris

Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.

Glasgow Police Memorial included in TheGenealogist's War Memorials update

From TheGenealogist (www.thegenealogist.co.uk):

TheGenealogist adds new War Memorial records

TheGenealogist has added 56,924 new individuals to their War Memorial collection, bringing the total number of fully searchable War Memorial Records on TheGenealogist to over 665,000.

These fully searchable records have been transcribed and their location plotted to allow subscribers to find the names of ancestors that paid the ultimate sacrifice.

These War Memorials, from the UK and abroad, can provide us with useful details about our ancestors revealing organisations and places that they had belonged to.

●    War Memorials can divulge links to a community, village, town etc
●    Workplace memorials can tell us where they had worked before the conflict
●    Organisation monuments and plaques honour past members that fell
●    Former pupils and staff of a school or university are remembered at the institution
●    Names in a church, or other places of worship, tell us about religious affiliation

This release includes images from war memorials of a variety of shapes and sizes and have been fully transcribed. Covering the war dead from various conflicts including the Boer War, the First World War and World War II an ancestor’s inclusion on a memorial can be profoundly moving to find, especially as so many of the war dead will have no actual grave for us to visit. 

Comment: I asked Nick at TheGenealogist if any Scottish or Irish entries were included with the update. Nick kindly answered that the update includes additions for Aberdeenshire, Glasgow and Strathclyde. 

The plaque illustrated above (click to enlarge) is for Glasgow Policemen at Glasgow Cathedral (St Mungos or High), a memorial to the City of Glasgow Police, with the first named policeman on the plaque being D.C. Anderson.

(With thanks to Nick Thorne)

Chris

Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Sir Chris Hoy to open Scapa Flow Museum

This is the formal announcement from Orkney Islands Council for something I briefly mentioned earlier this week (see here) which is happening this weekend, on the Orcadian island of Hoy:

Hoy on Hoy

Hoy is set to enjoy a visit by champion cyclist and Olympian Sir Chris Hoy this weekend (29 April).

The special event, funded by EventScotland, will celebrate the treasures, past and future, of the island alongside Hoy’s glittering sporting legacy.

With a total of seven Olympic medals, six gold and one silver, Sir Chris is one of the most decorated Olympic cyclists of all time.

While in Hoy, Sir Chris will formally open the newly redeveloped Scapa Flow Museum, which tells the story of the transformation of Hoy from peaceful island community to nerve centre of the Royal Navy during the world wars.

Highlights of Hoy’s visit will include a spotlight on the legacy of his success in his sport, with a fun short community cycling circuit led by Sir Chris at 1:30pm. He will also be presenting Bikeability certificates to pupils from North Walls Community School.

In another nod to Sir Chris’s legacy and the rising popularity of cycling in Scotland - as Glasgow hosts the World Cycling Championships in August this year - the Orkney Cycling Club will have members riding to Lyness from Moaness, with an anticipated arrival time of around 12.30pm.

During a private tour of the new Museum for Sir Chris and key funders of the redevelopment, staff from Orkney Islands Council’s Museums team will refer to the importance of bikes to military history and life at the Naval Base on Hoy.

At midday, after a welcoming speech by Orkney Islands Council Convener Graham Bevan and a speech by Liz Davidson from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Sir Chris will cut the ribbon to formally open the Museum.

That then marks the start of a community event showcasing the vibrant community in Hoy, starting with a Hoy Hounds display from 12:30.

A range of community events and stalls aimed at the entire family will be set up in the Museum car park from around midday, including:

    Lifeboat Guild who will provide teas and refreshments
    Peedie Bite Burger Van
    Lifeboat Crew - and lifeboat!
    Alpacas
    Lifeboat Museum – model of Thomas McCann to be on display
    Beach Gallery
    St Johns Church
    Craft Club
    Lego Club
    RSPB
    Youth Hub
    Blide Trust
    Dr Bike – free bike check ups and various cycles to try
    Carbon Neutral Islands stall

Cycling UK will also be on hand in the leadup to the fun community cycle with a selection of bikes to try out, including electric cargo bike, electric bikes, as well as balance and pedal bikes for children.

Cycle Orkney will also be available from 11am for anyone who wants a basic service or minor maintenance on their bike. Both of these activities are free of charge.

Anyone intending to take part in the community cycles are reminded to bring a helmet.

Leader of Orkney Islands Council and also Stromness and South Isles ward member, Councillor James Stockan, said: “I know the local community will be so proud to show Sir Chris the jewels of their island - among them the new Scapa Flow Museum, one of many beating hearts of Hoy and a bridge from a rich past to an equally vibrant future.

“We’re delighted to have Sir Chris Hoy on Hoy, to help us formally open this fantastic facility, and to celebrate with us his legacy and witness for himself the wonderful landscape of Hoy.”

Ward Councillor Lindsay Hall who has worked with the Hoy community to shape the event added: “We hope through this special visit and community event that people will be inspired by Sir Chris Hoy’s Olympic achievements and legacy to get out and enjoy the cycling delights Hoy and the wider Orkney landscape offers, and the physical and mental benefits being active brings."

Anyone intending to visit Hoy that day is asked to note that Scapa Flow Museum is closed to the public until 10.30am, with the café closed all day.

Public toilets are available within walking distance of the Museum at the Lyness ferry waiting room.

Keep an eye on www.orkney.gov.uk/hoyonhoy for any further updates. 

(Source: https://www.orkney.gov.uk/News?postid=7470)

Comment: As mentioned in my write up of my visit to Orkney last week, this may well be Scotland's best museum, it is wonderfully put together, and there is more to come, with another outbuilding hosting additional resources currently being worked on. If you can get to Hoy tomorrow, fantastic; if you can't, do try to get to Hoy at some stage in the future, I'm sure they would be delighted to see you, and you won't regret it!

(With thanks to Jane Harris via Twitter @janeology)

 

 

Chris

Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

TNA outlines Ancestry's Second World War UK military records digitisation plans

The National Archives at Kew in England (https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk) has recently announced that Ancestry would be digitising service records material from the Second World War, but it has now extensively detailed its digitisation plans remit for the next few years. First, its introductory post (from https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/about/news/award-of-mod-records-digitisation-contract/)

We have announced that we have awarded Ancestry®, a contract to digitise the first tranche of Ministry of Defence service personnel records. Both parties are looking forward to working to make these important records accessible online.

Gemma Maclagan Ram, Commercial Director at The National Archives said:

‘Widening access to records is very important to us and we are pleased that this partnership with Ancestry will allow people to look at these records in the comfort of their own homes. We know how important these records are to military groups, veterans and family genealogists and we are working with Ancestry to ensure that they are accessible online as early as possible.’

This contract covers the first four groups of non-officer British Army service records: approximately three million files in total, amounting to an estimated 36 million images. We anticipate that the digitisation will take over four years, so from late 2024 Ancestry will publish in tranches, when each series of records is ready for publication online. 

The real detail, however, is in the subsequent link at https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/about/our-role/plans-policies-performance-and-projects/our-plans/ministry-of-defence-service-records/ - and it is packed with information.

The following are some key snippets:

• The records included in this collection cover personnel in all three services – Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force – where the individual has a date of birth before or up to 1 January 1939.  They include around 500,000 personnel with First World War service, and the vast majority of those who served in the Second World War.
• The most common information within the collection are attestation papers, which capture details of when the individual joined the service, along with a Record of Service that shows which units and between what dates the individual served in.
• There are just under ten million records, representing the biggest and most complex transfer of public records in our history.
• We have already received over four million records and expect to complete the transfer of all Army non-officer records within the scope of the project by the end of March 2024. We will then move onto RAF non-officer records in 2024-25. The whole transfer process will run until 2026.
• The first four collections to be digitised are British Army service records of non-officer ranks:    WO 420: Approximately 54,000 service records of other ranks (not Officers) who served in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) during the Second World War. The REME was established in October 1942 and was responsible for the maintenance and repair of military equipment. It consisted of skilled tradesmen, many of whom had initially transferred from other units.  WO 421: Over 94,000 records, originally held at the Bournemouth Combined Manning Record Office, of soldiers from 12 smaller units/corps during the Second World War and immediately after, discharged as over age personnel. WO 419: Over 830,000 records of other ranks discharged from the infantry of the British Army between 1921 and 1939. The majority of the service records relate to individuals who served during the First World War, and who opted to continue their service beyond 1921, but also include those who served only throughout the inter-war period and were discharged before the outbreak of the Second World War. WO 422: Over two million records of non-commissioned officers and other ranks who served in infantry regiments of the British Army during the Second World War and who were discharged from the armed forces as ‘over age’ before their time expired in the reserves after 1945.
• These collections were chosen as they contain the largest proportion of open and publishable records. They also include records of individuals from across the world who served in the British Army, particularly during the Second World War.
• Are you digitising everything in each MoD service record? No – due to the scale of the project, and the nature of the information that records contain, it is not possible to digitise each service record in its entirety.
• Will MOD service records for living individuals be digitised? Only MOD service records of individuals with a date of birth over 100 years ago will be published.
• Our licensing partner for the first tranche of records, Ancestry, will publish the records on their platform in phases between 2024 and 2029.
• The service records will be available to view free of charge in digital format in our reading rooms.  They will also be available free of charge at two more public access venues within the UK, details to be confirmed. Libraries and other public institutions with institutional Ancestry subscriptions may also offer free access.
• The digitisation project "consists of just over three million records, and an estimated 36 million images".
• We are gradually cataloguing the service records as they are transferred to us... Collections now partially available to search and browse (on Discovery) include: WO 420: Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers regiment (other ranks); WO 421: selected smaller corps (other ranks); WO 422: infantry over age (other ranks)
• Will MOD service records for living individuals be digitised? Only MOD service records of individuals with a date of birth over 100 years ago will be published. The long-accepted assumption of 100 years for life means that records can be opened 100 years and one day from the date of birth of the individual. Our licensing partner for the first tranche of records, Ancestry, will publish newly opened records on an annual rolling basis as they reach 100 years old.

It looks like we'll have lots to get stuck into over the next few years! For further detail, visit the link above.

Chris

Pre-order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

TheGenealogist adds Ireland's memorial records 1914-1918

From TheGenealogist (www.thegenealogist.co.uk):

Memorial Records of the First World War

As we prepare to remember our fallen heroes from the World Wars and other conflicts on Remembrance Day this weekend, TheGenealogist has released a collection of war memorials for soldiers that had served in the First World War. Comprising of details for men who had been born in Ireland as well as in England, Scotland and Wales with connections with the island of Ireland.

With almost 50,000 records that were originally compiled by the Committee of the Irish National War Memorial and published in 1923. Assembled at the time by Miss Eva C. Barnard, secretary to the Irish National War Memorial Committee and printed under the direction and personal supervision of George Roberts they are presented with attractive decorative borders designed by Harry Clarke.

This eight volume set of Ireland's memorial records, 1914-1918, was published in 1923 for the Committee of the Irish National War Memorial. Each entry gives name, regiment, rank, date and place of death, sometimes date of birth and next of kin.

Read TheGenealogist’s feature article: Remembering the Fallen https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/featuredarticles/2022/remembering-the-fallen-1633/

These records and many more are available to Diamond subscribers of TheGenealogist.co.uk

(With thanks to Nick Thorne)

Chris

My new book Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records is now available to buy at https://bit.ly/IrishLandRecords. Also available - Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Ancestry's partnership with Imperial War Museums

From Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk):

Telling untold personal stories from the World Wars    

We’ve partnered with Imperial War Museums to help you discover more stories from World War I and World War II. This new collection includes records, photographs, posters, artwork and other fascinating documents that help show what life was like during wartime.

You'll be able to view a carefully curated collection of rare colour photos taken in action during WWII. These images help to bring to life the experiences in a powerful and vivid way.

The collection also includes artwork including oil paintings, drawings and sculptures, providing another record of the war effort in the UK and allied countries. 

To explore the collection visit https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/62393/

Chris

My new book Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records is now available to buy at https://bit.ly/IrishLandRecords. Also available - Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

NLS adds co-ordinates searches to find WW1 military trenches

The National Library of Scotland (www.nls.uk) has added a new way to search for military trenches in its British First World War Trench Maps, 1915-1918 collection: 

We have added a way to search trench map coordinates in our Map Finder - with Outlines and Explore Georeferenced Maps viewers. You can input various lengths of trench map coordinates (eg. '28.I.8', '36C.S.22.c', '62d.J.19.b.4.3') in the 'Search Places' panel to the upper left, and the map will zoom to these locations. The Trench Map Coordinates for your mouse cursor location are shown dynamically to the lower right. If you click/tap on the 'Show Coordinates' tab in the footer, or hold the ALT button down and click/tap, these Trench Map Coordinates appear in a popup box for copying. During the First World War, trench map coordinates were used extensively for giving precise locations on the Western Front.

For further details visit https://maps.nls.uk/ww1/trenches/info2.html#search-coordinates

(Source: https://maps.nls.uk/additions.html)

Chris

My new book Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records is now available to buy at https://bit.ly/IrishLandRecords. Also available - Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Tipperary Studies launches The Irish Great War Dead Archive

Tipperary Studies has launched a new platform entitled The Irish Great War Dead Archive, at https://irelandsgreatwardead.ie.

From the site:

Military Historian Tom Burnell (author of ‘The War Dead’ series and ‘Irishmen in the Great War’) presented to Tipperary Studies a most valuable and unique database of the names of Servicemen with connections to Ireland who died in the Great War, 1914-1918.

It is still a work in progress and so far the details of servicemen from the counties representing the Republic of Ireland have been completed, in so far as the information is known. Work continues to record the names of the Great War dead from the six counties in Northern Ireland.

It has taken Tom twenty years of research so far, and he believes the time is now right to release his database to a wider audience.

A search for my wife's great uncle Martin Colleton from Carrick-on-Suir, Tipperary, includes regimental details with the Connaught Rangers, his date of death and where commemorated, information on his family, and a newspaper article mentioning his death, as recorded in two local newspapers at the time.

(Source: https://www.tipperarylive.ie/news/home/691329/tipperary-studies-to-launch-website-database-of-ireland-s-great-war-dead-on-armistice-day.html)

Chris

My new book Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records is now available to buy at https://bit.ly/IrishLandRecords. Also available - Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Glasgow's 1920 Absent Voters List now online

From Glasgow City Archives via Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/GlasgowCityArchives):

New online resource for family historians!

Following a year-long transcription project, we're delighted to release an index to Glasgow's 1920 Absent Voters List. This fantastic database will be of interest to those whose ancestors served in the First World War and contains the names of more than 13,000 men and women who lived in Glasgow.

The Absent Voters List is a register of those who were absent from home but eligible to vote. This makes it an excellent source of information about those serving in the forces, merchant seamen and other occupations supporting the war effort.

Find out more and search it at: https://bit.ly/3grNWoF

Chris

Just out, Sharing Your Family History Online is on sale at https://bit.ly/SharingFamHist. Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scottish2 is also out, as are Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Irish1 and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scotland1. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.