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

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