My research this month has covered a very wide range, date-wise. The earliest work I have done involved searching Royal Navy Pay Lists from the 1740’s. Very old documents are sometimes a challenge to read, but can be a mine of information and lead to other records.
Military research in August has covered Army Service records and Medal records from the 19th century, right through to WW1 Army Officer records, Merchant Navy records and WW2 War Diaries. This type of research is often combined with finding out about a man’s life, using newspaper articles, census records, birth, marriage and death records and Probate records.
I have made a number of applications to obtain WW2 service records, both for the Army and RAF, which are not yet in the public domain, but are available. There is sometimes a fairly lengthy wait for these, but these records give details of a man’s unit, with dates served, allowing for further research. They also hold some personal information and details of promotions, demotions and disciplinary matters.
In addition to family history research going backwards through time to the eighteenth or early 19th century, I have also carried out a number of research projects this month in order to find living relatives, both from a Military perspective and for Family History purposes. This has led to my clients being in touch with people they didn’t know existed, or knew of them but could not find them, who can provide them with additional information and photographs of family members.
I continue to receive much positive feedback on my website and the quality of my work. My new website has introduced me to a wide range of clients looking to find out about many different subjects and I very much enjoy the variety of the work and solving long-standing mysteries.