HMS Dasher talk in Alloway

From Barbara Finlay of Alloway and Southern Ayrshire FHS:

Tuesday 15th November 2011- Alloway Church Halls 7.30 for 7.45pm
“The sinking of the Royal Navy Aircraft Carrier HMS Dasher off Arran 1943”. Speaker J. Steele.
Visitors welcome £1.50 includes light refreshment.

Chris

Scottish Monumental Inscriptions update

The following CDs are some of the latest releases from Helen Grant and the team at Scottish Monumental Inscriptions (www.scottish-monumental-inscriptions.com):

St Peters-St Marys Church, Montrose, Angus
Stonehouse Old and New Cemeteries Lanarkshire.
Station Road Old Parish Church, Perth and Kinross (1700-2005)
Dollar Churchyard, Clackmannanshire (1681-2010)

Due Soon:

Dunblane Cathedral and a couple more from Lanarkshire.

(With thanks to Helen)

Chris

Find My Past - episode 4 trailer

This week's episode of Find My Past (episode 4) follows three people who are related to a group that piloted an elite glider force spearheading the D-Day invasion, capturing and holding Pegasus Bridge in Normandy. Here's the trailer:



Yesterday can be found at Sky channel 537, Virgin TV channel 203 and Freeview channel 12 and there is more info about the series at http://uktv.co.uk/yesterday/homepage/sid/8995 and their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/YesterdayTVChannel?sk=app_271762479512251

(With thanks to Lee Washington)

Chris

BBC First Click guide on ScotlandsPeople

The ScotlandsPeople website has added a BBC First Click Family History Guide to its site at www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/content/help/index.aspx?r=551&2085, outlining a case study using the very basics of research with birth, marriage and death certificates, as well as the 1911 census.

Chris

Ancestry to release Silver War Badge holder details

Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk) is to publish 880,000 First World War medals details for the first time this week, and will apparently be making its First World War service and pension records available for free from Thursday to Sunday of this week to commemorate Remembrance Day.

The medals information will include details of Silver War Badge holders, the badge which was issued top those who had been discharged due to injury or illness to avoid them being given a white feather for 'cowardice'.

The Mirror has the story at www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2011/11/08/history-of-first-world-war-heroes-revealed-online-115875-23545373/

UPDATE: The collection us now live at http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=2456 - from the page:

Historical Background

The British Empire lost more than 700,000 service personnel killed in World War 1. An even greater number were discharged because of wounds or illness. In September 1916, King George V authorized the Silver War Badge (SWB) to honor all military personnel who had served at home or overseas since 4 August 1914 and who had been discharged because of wounds or illness. The SWB was a small, circular badge made of sterling silver, bearing the king’s initials, a crown, and the inscriptions ‘For King and Empire’ and ‘Services Rendered’.

The SWB was not simply an honor; it also served a practical purpose. At the time, men of military age who were not obviously in the service were sometimes accosted or insulted by civilians presenting them with white feathers — a symbol of cowardice — for shirking their patriotic duty. The badge served as an outward symbol that the wearer’s duty to country had been honorably fulfilled.

Who Is in the Records?

Almost half of the 2 million military personnel discharged from the armed forces during the war for illness or injury (including those who left before the award was instituted in 1916) applied to wear the SWB. The award was not confined to Britons: servicemen (or women) from anywhere in the Empire were entitled to it. Any British ancestor who served in the Great War, survived, but was discharged from the forces before 31 December 1919 may well be on the rolls of the SWB contained in this database.

If a service record has been lost, a record of the Silver War Badge may be the only remaining evidence of service. These records include rank, regimental number, unit, dates of enlistment and discharge, and reason for discharge. The digitization of the SWB records is joint partnership between Ancestry and the Naval and Military Press.

Chris

Ancestry Android beta app now available

A beta version of the new Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk) Android app is now available to download at https://market.android.com/details?id=com.ancestry.android.apps.ancestry. Several functions have still to be uploaded, but feedback seems to be very positive so far. At present you need to be an Ancestry subscriber to use it.

UPDATE: Just downloaded and had a play - VERY nice! :)

(With thanks to Karl in comments to recent EOGN post)

Chris

Scottish Catholic Registers on Virtual Volumes

Thanks to Kirsty Wilkinson (@genealogygirl) for letting me know that the National Records of Scotland (www.nrscotland.gov.uk) is now providing free access to the digitised Scottish Catholic Registers via its Virtual Volumes portal in the Historic Search Room.

Although Catholic records are available on the online ScotlandsPeople website (www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk), they are not yet available at the centre in Edinburgh - so just pop upstairs (OK, out the back door, in the old Sasines entrance and up the stairs to go one floor up in same building! lol)

Kirsty has mentioned that on Virtual Volumes, there is now a link which takes you to a 17 page PDF listing the various parts of the registers with references (e.g. GB240/MP8/1/1/1) which you can then put into Virtual Volumes to see a digitised copy. Where the register previously had an RH number (from the printed copies previously made available by the NAS) this is also included in the listing. The records are not indexed (as on ScotlandsPeople), but are waypointed, as with some of the presbyterian kirk session records. As far as she has been able to make out, the Bishopric of the Forces stuff does not appear to be included. These can be found online on ScotlandsPeople, and actually go beyond Scotland to include records of all British Catholics servicemen serving around the world who registered a vital event (the Bishopric is based in Aldershot).

Chris

First World War nursing records on Documents Online

The National Archives has published 15,000 First World War nursing service records, on its Documents Online site at www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/nursing.asp.

The records date from 1902-1922 and include details such as date and place of birth, training prior to and during the war, references to their suitability as military nurses hospitals, field ambulances, casualty clearing stations and other medical units served in, and assessments by superiors.

TNA's news page at www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/news/635.htm is saying they cost £3.50 each to download, however, at the moment, they seem to be being offered for free - so may be worth having a quick look!

(With thanks to Ken Nisbet of the Scottish Association of Family History Societies at www.safhs.org.uk)

Chris

My new Irish book - cover and pre-order information

The cover of my next book, Irish Family History Resources Online, published by Unlock the Past - I've been advised it should be available hopefully by next week, but it is already available for pre-order at www.gould.com.au/Irish-Family-History-Resources-Online-Pre-Order-p/utp0282.htm

For full details on what to expect within the book, see my previous post at http://britishgenes.blogspot.com/2011/11/irish-family-history-resources-online.html

I hope it helps with your research!

(With thanks to Alan Phillips, Rosemary Kopittke and Alona Tester)

Chris

Who Do You Think You Are? Live - tickets on sale

Tickets for next year's Who Do You Think You Are? Live event, from Feb 24th-26th, are now available for sale at www.whodoyouthinkyouarelive.com/ticket-prices

For news on the talks programme happening over the three days, and how to buy advance tickets (although free on the day), see my post yesterday at http://britishgenes.blogspot.com/2011/11/who-do-you-think-you-are-live-speakers.html

Chris