Tag Archives: records

Local History Lunch Time Talks

Leeds City Council, as I have mentioned before, are hosting a series of lunch time talks and the next in the series is :-

Adel Grange, home of Isabella Ford. Image from Leodis.net

Janet Douglas giving a talk entitled

‘Isabella Ford: Trade Unionist, Suffragist and Socialist’ on
Friday 3rd June, 1.00 – 2.00pm
in the Central Library, third floor meeting room.

All are welcome, no booking required.  **

For more information contact 0113 247 8290 or
localstudies@leedslearning.net

** space limited to 50

See Your Past newsletter

Just received this newsletter and thought some of you may be interested.

Carol

syp banner 2
See Your Past
23 May 2011
OBAMA IS SEEING HIS PAST – NOW SO CAN YOU
When you are the President of the United States of America and you want to see where your ancestors lived they paint the whole town and roll out the red carpet for you.

We can’t promise quite the same reception awaits you but we can take you back to exactly where your ancestors lived and died. We have a dedicated network of Tour Guides in the United Kingdom and Ireland who will create a wonderful tour of all the places you have found as you have researched your family history.

They can show you everything that remains of your family’s past and combine this with places and sights which would have been familiar in their time. For every client the tour is unique. They may find a house is still standing, or a school, the family church, a factory or the local squire’s farm. Who knows?

This year we have taken people to bog houses and Elizabethan country mansions, courthouses and mills, churchyards and taverns and told clients of the area’s history from 9th century inter-tribal battles to 19th century Luddite Revolts. What is in your past?

If you want to see your past take a look at our website www.seeyourpast.co.uk and see the full range of services we offer, and then when you start planning your visit to find your ancestors tell us where you want to go and when and we will begin to arrange a once-in-lifetime tour you will never forget.
David Moody
See Your Past

Glen Lyon War Memorial

A short while ago a friend sent me his pictures of Glen Lyon War Memorial.  He like many others, know I collect and transcribe them, and he kindly sent me a couple of pics taken on his adventures.

image by J Hall 2011

I can’t say what a beautiful place it is, as I don’t know, but from the picture it certainly looks a pleasant place and with the sun shining and a blue sky, even a cold day would be a pleasant day in Glen Lyon.  The glen is approx. 20 miles in length and stretches from Fortingall to Cashlie and from all accounts well worth a visit.

Who is mentioned on this very special memorial, special, you will see why shortly.  Firstly, and only because his name appears first on the memorial (all names are in rank order)  is Lieutenant Colonel John Robert Beech CMG, DSO who died in Lincolnshire while in command of his troops. Next on the list is Clyde, actually, Robert Clyde Beech, the 20 year old son of John Robert. Next comes Alan Tompson, a relative by marriage of John Robert’s wife, who was the widow of John Bullough or Meggernie Castle. Also on the memorial is Francis Cowie who was before the war was an asistant factor at the castle.  So all in all, the family from ‘the big house’ didn’t fair well from the war.

The last name I am mentioning in this ‘snippet’ is that of John Alexander McCallum of Camusvrachan, KIA in October of 1918 aged 23.  It was his father Alexander, who designed and built the Glen Lyon War Memorial.  What greater gift could a father give to his son, a splendid memorial built at the side of the road that all who pass by will see and hopefully more will now know of the great love and sadness with which it was built.

Where can you read about Alexander and his son and others from the area Click Here

Odiham War Memorial – WW1 transcription

Just before Easter I spent a weekend with my daughter and her boyfriend.  The weekend started with my driving down to Ealing, meeting my daughter and visiting one of her friends and her new little one.  Then a drive to Basingstoke.

Saturday started with a yummy breakfast and then onto Winchester, lunch in Raymond le Blanc’s, a visit to the Cathedral (memorials to follow very soon ) and finally an interesting visit to see The Round Table.

So Sunday arrived and a visit to Odiham and lunch, but before lunch I was given a short tour of Odiham, including, yes, the war memorial and the church – nice village and nice company. Oh! by the way the church has a beautiful window relating to the local RAF station.  I’m not a great lover of modern stain glass but that was nice.  But, to my surprise it wasn’t even a window, but a very good deception – a light box, but it still looked impressive.

Odiham Memorial, Carol Sklinar 2011

Now to the village memorial to those who have fought and died in two world wars.

Who is mentioned on the memorial to the men and women of the Parish of Odiham ?  Geoffrey Harris Gotelee, the son of Arthur and Esther of The Old House.  Geoffrey in 1911 was a boarder at St Albans School, his parents at this time ran the Post Office.  Richard Elkanah Hownam Healy, the son of Randolph and Alice of Hownam Lodge.  1911 sees Richard living in Kensington Hall Gardens and working as a Reporter for a Daily Paper.  He is later mentioned in the London Gazette when he received his promotion.

Another young man from the area was Arthur Henry Pither, son of Stephan and Sophia.  Arthur worked in Quebec, arriving in 1908, but was back in the area by 1911.  He did however, enlist in the Canadian Army and from that we can get a fleeting glimse of what he looked like.

Guy Lutley Sclater, brother, son and husband. He served as a ~Captain in the Royal Navy and rests in Odiham Churchyard.

Now, W G Wooldridge, he was a little bit of a problem and has not been identified by others who have transcribed Odiham Memorial, but I think family history helps a great deal when transcribing and knowing people make errors and what type of error could occur – well, I found him – so visit the transcription and see who he is and where he rests.  In fact, if I had completed the transcription last week, I would have known where he was and could have visited, as I was only a matter of minutes away from him.

The last young man I am going to mention in this taster is Reginald James Moody, son of Charles and Ellen.  He served in the RFC and died on 4 March 1917 while flying with 2nd Lieut., Eric Edmund Horn.  Edmund had enlisted on his 17th birthday and died on his 19th, so, so young and very brave.  They both rest in the same cemetery.

There are still a few young men whose information needs adding to the transcription and they will be finished shortly, as will the WW2 transcript.

To read the transcription or see if your Odiham relative is there Click Here

Iron Bridge War Memorial

Before I start this entry for Iron Bridge War Memorial I must just mention this in the hope that some people can make arrangements to visit the event listed below :-

Heroic Spitfire Veterans to Attend 75th Anniversary Event on 5th March 2011 at the RAF Museum, Cosford – to read more click here and scroll down to Latest News. At the event will be a number of Spitfire pilots including Margaret Frost, female pilot.  Margaret being one of only 15 women and 100 men to have a Special Merit Award for their service in the ATA flying replacement fighters to RAF bases during WW2.

image K Scarth 2010

Now back to Iron Bridge Memorial, but firstly a little bit about the bridge that the war memorial stands so close to.

Abraham Darby III in the late 1770’s was an ironmaster working at Coalbrookdale and was commissioned to cast and build a bridge to cross the gorge.  The bridge was opened in 1781 and today still remains a magnificent sample of how Britain was at the forefront of pioneering the way forward.  The gorge over which the bridge spans is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with the bridge being Grade I listed and a Scheduled Ancient Monument – now isn’t that something for Abraham and his family to be proud of ?

The War Memorial to the men of Ironbridge stands proudly within feet of the bridge and visitors walking over the bridge will pass the memorial.  The soldier atop the memorial plinth stands with his back to the gorge, at ease, resting his hands on the  his rifle as he seems to be waiting, looking for his friends from Ironbridge to come into view and come home once more.

So, who is our soldier waiting for ?  John Wlliam Adams who died of wounds ; Cecil Davies, KIA ; Frederick ; Drewball ; William Onions, KIA ; John Steventon, KIA to name a few.

To visit the rest of the young men of  Ironbridge who never came back to their gorge click here

WDYTYA & Find My Past Discount

Good News, Find My Past, like many others will be having a stand at the Who Do You Think You event which opens its doors next the  Friday, 25th February 2011.

To promote this FMP they are offering,  for a limited period 10% discount – valid from 21st February to 4th March 2011.

To take advantage of this discount click on the Find My Past link below and enter the discount code when prompted in the payment section.

discount code     WDYTYA11


As well as Find My Past there will be lots of other well known faces there including :- The Society of Genealogists ; Ancestry ; Alan Godfrey Maps ; Archives for London ; Commonwealth War Graves Commission ; Parish Chest ; Scotlands People ; Various magazines and Publishers + over 100 workshops.

Tip :-  Take smaller denomination notes (£5 & £10) and £1 coins, don’t weigh yourself down with coins but it does make it easier for those smaller purchaces.

Tip :- Take copies of documents, don’t risk the chance of losing the originals.

Tip:- Make notes of the names, places, dates etc that you may need or put it all in a Family History Diary and have all your information in one place and at hand for those excursions i.e. a day out at WDYTYA or a visit to the Archives or Local Studies Centre.

Have a wonderful day

Family History Diary – click here to get your diary in a choice of sizes and colours – making it easier to follow your family.

Lumphinnan and Shandon War Memorials

A gazeteer entry for Limphanan describes it as follows :-

Lumphanan, a hamlet and a parish in Kincardine O’Neil district, S Aberdeenshire. The hamlet has a station on the Deeside section of the Great North of Scotland railway, 27 miles W by S of Aberdeen; a post and railway telegraph office; a branch of the North of Scotland Bank; an hotel; and fairs on the second Thursday of January, February, March, April, May, September, and December.

The village now has neither a church or a station but does have a golf course, a school and a fine War Memorial.

A Gazeteer entry for 1882 describes Shandon as follows :-

Shandon, “hamlet on north side of Gareloch, 5½ miles north-north-west of Helensburgh, Dumbartonshire. It took its name, signifying ‘old fort,’ from an ancient fortalice, now almost extinct; it has a post office, with money order and telegraph departments, under Helensburgh, and a Free church; and it is near the elegant modern mansions of Shandon Lodge and West Shandon. Pop. 291.

Shandon, however, just a few short miles from Rhu developed alongside similar settlements to form fashionable residential areas for the wealthy Glasgow merchants.  West Shandon House was one of these residences for Robert Napier and housed his vast art collection.  Another residence is Shandon House, built for William Jamieson c1849 and now a Grade B Listed Building .  The house and its grounds overlook Gare Loch – now owned by the MOD  the house has been a school –  a remand home.  But sadly the once grand fittings and plaster work are now in a sad state of decay as Shandon House has lain empty for many years.

The Shandon area is now, since the 1960’s, dominated by the Royal Naval Base at Faslane.

To have a look at the Lumphinnan War Memorial click here

To have a look at the Shandon War Memorial click here

Dunbarton South African Campaign Memorial

The Second Boer War or South African War, was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902, between the British Empire and the Dutch-speaking Boer of the Transvaal Republic and the Orange Free State.  The Union of South African then became part of the British Empire.

Robert Baden-Powell, Commanded the defense of the Seige of Mafeking, lasting 217 days

The First Boer War being fought from December 1880 to March 1881 – The Boer Wars.

It is a known fact that over half of the British Casualties during the war were caused by illness, particularly Typhoid Fever, enemy action being less of a cause.

The wars were also to be responsible for new words being added into our language, for example Kop, a well known term at football grounds and Concentration Camps.  The term was first used to describe camps operated by the British during this time.  The camps were initially refugee camps but later as numbers grew new ideas and tactics were introduced to stem the guerilla campaign.  Being poorly administered and overcrowded conditions became terrible for the internees.  Poor hygiene and sanitation, bad diet and lack of shelter only made a bad thing appauling.

So, who left the Burgh of Dunbarton to fight in South Africa, never to return home ? Well, Captain Peter Robert Denny ; J Ponsonby ; D W Moore to name a few.

To read the rest of the memorial click here

Further reading click here

There is an information sheet available from the National Archives – The South African War 1899-1902 Service Records of Other Ranks and NCOs   M11

Cardross War Memorial

The war memorial at Cardross is a very magnificent tribute to the men from the area, but I get the feeling that the placement could have been better.

Yes, the memorial is roadside for all passers by to see and acknowledge  the  loss of the area but I feel that putting the memorial in a small gardened area or in a park would have given the large memorial more impact – such a large memorial for 8 plaques.    Did Cardross want to ‘out do’ the other villages or where they so proud they wanted the world to know ?

I have seen one picture of the memorial will a row of trees in the background, probably before the buildings were there, which did make the memorial look more ‘cumfy’ in its surroundings and less stark.

But one thing they should be proud of is the fact that a Victoria Cross was awarded to one of their own – one W H Anderson.

Other names on the memorial area :-  Hugh Caldwell ; Malcolm McKillop ;  W Beardmore Stewart and Adam Umpherston, to name a few.

A guide to finding a Regiment on a large War Memorial

On many of the large memorials there is an order in which the names and Regiments are listed – I din’t know either until a fellow member of the NVA (Normandy Veterans Assoc.) passed on the information.

Take for example you have a relative on the Thiepval Memorial – he is one of over 72,000 other casualties who were KIA and their final resting place is not known, being only remembered on a memorial far from home.

Edmund Hilton Dadd, M.C., Capt, Royal Welsh Fusiliers  died 1916;  Edward Davy Pain, Capt., Somerset Light Infantry and Edward Aubrey Jackson, Rifleman, KRRC.  Which Regiment is listed first, do you know ?

Firstly, you need to understand that the Command Staff are always first, mostly General, Colonels etc., then the regiments, the regiments that traditionally guarded the King, so we have the Life Guards.   Followed by the Dragoon, Hussars and Lancers, then the Royal Horse and Field Artillery, the Guards in their various forms.  With the other regiments following on, again in a strict order.

Back to our young men who are on the Thiepval Memorial – ~The Somersetshire LI (Prince Albert’s) Regt., is first being 13th after the Guards and Household Regiments who are not numbered.  The Royal Welsh Fusiliers are 23rd on the list and the King’s Royal Rifle Corps., are following on in 60th position.

It dosn’t work out that if your regiment had a regal connection i.e. King’s, Prince or Princess in their name.  Putting it simply, as I like to do most of the time, the more traditionally connected to looking after the monarch the higher up the list you are.

Saying that, it is still confusing and sometimes you are best looking straight at a list of the regiments.  The Corps of Royal Engineers is listed after the Royal Horse and Field Artillery, but before the Grenadier Guards, Scots, Irish and Welsh Guards.  The listings don’t work on how new the regiments were i.e. the Welsh Guards were only formed in 1915.  The Guards Machine Gun Regiment raised in 1917 is listed after the Welsh Guards but the Machien Gun Corps raised in 1916 follows on near the end of the list.

Before you get totally confused and end up at a memorial looking for your great uncle take a look at the list, it may help shed a smattering of light on the subject.

Oh! before I forget, there is also within the Regimental order an order for the Commonwealth Forces – have fun !!

The Order of Regiments can be found by clicking here