Showing posts with label Military. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Military. Show all posts

Monday, November 13, 2023

National Archives of Australia Military Records

The National Archives of Australia recently announced they had digitised over 1 million World War II military records.

Army records from World War II usually include:

  • attestation (enlistment) form, setting out personal details such as age, next of kin and former occupation
  • service and casualty form (Form B103), giving details about units and postings, injuries and disciplinary charges
  • discharge form, summarising the person's service (not included in all cases)
  • head-and-shoulders photograph may be included
  • other documents or correspondence sometimes included

The Archives also hold other record sets related to wartime service and defence, many of which have also been digitised and made available free on their website.

These record sets include:

  • civilian service
  • courts-martial
  • merchant navy
  • munitions workers
  • soldier settlement
  • veterans’ cases
  • war crimes
  • war gratuities
  • war graves
  • defence administration and policy

These are in addition to the World War I military records which have already been digitised and available on the NAA site.

World War I service records usually include:

  • an attestation paper – completed on enlistment, listing next-of-kin, employment, marital status, age, place of birth and a physical description
  • a service and casualty form – 'Form B103', showing movements and transfers between units, promotions and details of injuries and treatment
  • military correspondence – between the Department of Defence and the soldier's next-of-kin notifying of wounds or death, awards and medals and asking questions on the whereabouts of a service member

So take a look at all these records (and MORE) that are availabe FREE through the National Archives of Australia.

Friday, November 10, 2023

Remembrance Day

Remembrance Day, once known as Armistice Day, is one of our most important commemorative dates. On 11 November 1918, the guns on the Western Front fell silent, and the armistice with Germany to end the fighting on land, in the air and at sea was signed.

Each year on 11 November we pause as a nation at 11am for one minute of silence to honour all those who have suffered and lost their lives during wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations.

A wonderful resource for hosts of a Remembrance Day service, or those commemorating at home, is available from the Department of Veterans Affairs.  Through their ANZAC Portal, they have a free Remembrance Day Kitbag.  It includes the order of service, music, making a speech, the Ode of Remembrance, a brief history, suggestions for a personal commemoration, guidelines to making a paper poppy, and more.

This year my home town hopes to finally have a normal Remembrance Day service, after being impacted by Covid in 2020 and 2021 followed by a major flood in 2022 which saw a number of army personnel deployed to the area to assist with sandbagging, evacuations and cleanup.

So wherever you are at 11am this 11th of November, take a minute to pause and remember those who have served to protect our freedoms.

Lest We Forget.

Sunday, November 5, 2023

For Evermore - Stories of the Fallen

For Evermore - Stories of the Fallen is a new site to honour those from the Commonwealth forces who lost their lives in the world wars.

 
Part of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, the site allows members of the public to submit stories about those who gave their lives during the world wars, and link the story to the individual's casualty page within the CWGC database.

As you submit your story, you can identify the conflict in which the person lost their life, their role (Army, Navy, Air Force, Merchant Navy, Civilian Casualty), Nationality, and even a theme (Women at War,  Post Office, Art and Literature, and more).  You can add images and even video to enhance your story if you wish.

The site even has a tutorial with an instructional video and step-by-step manual to help you post your story.

You can browse submitted stories by conflict, role, nationality or theme, or you can use the search box to search by name, role, conflict etc.

Friday, October 27, 2023

WW2 Medal Recipients Online

The details of thousands of civilians who were recommended for and awarded medals for bravery in the Second World War including George Cross recipients, are now available to search for free online.

The names are taken from the records of the Treasury Committee which decided on the recipients of honours including the George Cross, the George Medal, the OBE and the MBE. The records are now held at The National Archives (TNA) in Kew. 

Adding the complete collection of about 6,500 individuals from 166 files to TNA’s online catalogue Discovery took a team of staff and volunteers two years.

Searching for each name brings up a short description of why the person was commended, what their action was, and what medal they received, if any.

Awards for agents in the Special Operations Executive (SOE), a secret organisation that carried out espionage, sabotage and reconnaissance in occupied Europe during the Second World War, are also included in the newly digitised collection.  


Wednesday, April 19, 2023

More WW1 Records Digitised

The National Archives of Australia and Ancestry.com have collaborated to digitise 95,000 First World War records, preserving them for the future.

The project digitised a series of records for individuals who applied to enlist in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF), and were either rejected, discharged while still in training, or went on to serve within Australia only. 

Individuals, especially young men, who did not enlist were often stigmatised for failing to 'do their bit', with the infamous white feather presented to many to symbolise their perceived cowardice.  Yet many of these individuals tried to enlist only to be rejected.  Their stories are often left untold.

Many of those rejected were sent home on medical grounds, even though many appeared physically fit.  Examples of reasons for a person's rejection include : poor hearing or eyesight, insufficient chest measurement, issues with feet including poor veins or hammer toes, alcoholism, and poorly healed injuries such as a previously broken arm which had healed crooked.  Others tried to enlist over or under age and were sent home when their deception was discovered.

Rebecca Britt, National Archives Director of Digitisation Services said the partnership allowed for a sharing of knowledge and resources to ensure records were digitised to a world-class standard.

‘We welcomed Ancestry.com staff to our East Burwood, Victoria repository to support the project, and alongside National Archives staff, the Ancestry.com team digitised the records. This meant that the records never left the repository, ensuring security and best practice for the project.’

This series of records now joins more than 376,000 First Australian Imperial Force service records which have already been fully digitised.  All these records are accessible to the public via The National Archives of Australia's free RecordSearch site and through the Ancestry.com family history platform.

Wednesday, February 8, 2023

UK Military Records

There has been some good news about accessing post-1922 military service records for the United Kingdom.

“From 1 April 2023 it will be free to apply for a military service record from the MOD. You’ll need to pay the £30 fee if you submit an application before 1 April.”
 
Note you will only be eligible for this free service if one of the following criteria is met:
  • You’re next of kin to the person in the record 
  • The person died over 25 years ago
  • You only want basic information about someone who died within the last 25 years e.g. dates of their military service

Records from World War 1 are held by The National Archives rather than the Ministry of Defence (MOD).

If the person you are researching served in World War 1, you will need to request a Freedom of Information (FOI) paid search.  You’ll be quoted a search cost (normally around £25 - complicated searches cost more) and results usually arrive within 20 working days.

Visit the UK MOD website at Get a copy of military service records

Friday, November 11, 2022

Remembrance Day 2022

Remembrance Day, once known as Armistice Day, is one of our most important commemorative dates. On 11 November 1918, the guns on the Western Front fell silent, and the armistice with Germany to end the fighting on land, in the air and at sea was signed.

Each year on 11 November we pause as a nation at 11am for one minute of silence to honour all those who have suffered and lost their lives during wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations.

A wonderful resource for hosts of a Remembrance Day service, or those commemorating at home, is available from the Department of Veterans Affairs.  Through their ANZAC Portal, they have a free Remembrance Day Kitbag.  It includes the order of service, music, making a speech, the Ode of Remembrance, a brief history, suggestions for a personal commemoration, guidelines to making a paper poppy, and more.

This year, after two years in a row of Remembrance Day being impacted by Covid, my home town is still being impacted by a major flood which saw a number of army personnel deployed to the area to assist with sandbagging, evacuations and now with cleanup.  Their help through this natural disaster has been invaluable to the entire community.

So wherever you are at 11am this morning, take a minute to pause and remember those who have served to protect our freedoms.

Lest We Forget.

Wednesday, June 8, 2022

#52Ancestors - Week 22 - Conflict

Russell Nicholas Clark, WW2
The prompt for Week 22 is conflict, and as the world watches the devastation of war in Ukraine, the tragic reality of conflict is right in front of our eyes.  Living in Australia, so relatively isolated and seeing so little major conflict strike our shores, it truely hits home how fortunate we have been.
 
My family was extremely lucky, in both world wars and other conflicts, to have most of those who served not only come home, but come home fairly unscathed.  Once second cousin was killed in France in World War 1 ; one uncle died in the Merchant Navy in World War 2.  All the other relatives who served – my father, uncles and great-uncles and more recently several cousins - returned safely to their loved ones.  While they all had to live with the memories of the conflicts, they were mostly uninjured by their experiences and able to rebuild their civilian lives. 

Leonard Clark, WW2
 
So many others were not so fortunate.  Numerous Australian families endured the loss of loved ones on foreign soil, or the return of family members forever scarred by their service.  So many who returned faced a lifetime of ruined health or years of recovery and rehabilitation.  My family has been lucky indeed.
 
ANZAC has very much become a part of our national vocabulary.  Many of the people who lived though that campaign were ordinary volunteers, just as Australia’s current veterans were ordinary volunteers.  They put their daily lives on hold to serve and protect us all, most with very little clear idea of just what they were volunteering for.  Even as a young child I was taught the significance of ANZAC Day, attended services, and spent my pocket money on ANZAC Day badges, many of which I still have in a container at home, which I still add to annually.

Ernest Green, WW2 postcard from Egypt
Through the National Archives of Australia I have downloaded several family WW1 records and ordered those from WW2 -  the NAA has indexed and digitised Boer War and World War 1 dossiers, which you can search and view online for free. World War II dossiers have been indexed but will only be digitised if a family member has requested it.  Other websites include Discovering Anzacs Whichallows you to add your stories and images, and the Australian War Memorial, which has databases like the WW1 Embarkation Rolls and WW1 Red Cross files.  Researching  newspaper reports in Trove has also been a gold mine, with news of enlistments, farewells, news from the front, even a few letters home were published in local papers.

Monday, April 25, 2022

ANZAC Day

It is April 25th again, and once more I find myself reflecting on the meaning of ANZAC Day.  While I stand and say the Ode today, I will be remembering not only my father and several uncles who served in WWII, and those of my family who went before them, but all of those men and women who have served, as well as those who serve today.  I will remember especially those who did not come home and all of those who came home forever changed, as well as those who did not see fighting, but served in different ways both at home and abroad.

ANZAC has very much become a part of our national vocabulary.  The people who lived though that campaign were ordinary volunteers, just as Australia’s current veterans were ordinary volunteers.  They put their daily lives on hold to serve and protect us all, most with very little clear idea of just what they were volunteering for.

There are many resources available for those researching their family military history.  The Australian War Memorial has several databases available, including the Roll of Honour, Commemorative Roll, WW1 Embarkation Rolls and Nominal Roll, the Australian Red Cross Wounded and Missing Files, WW2 POWs and Missing Persons, and more.  The National Archives of Australia have the military records of many Australian military personnel from World War 1 and earlier digitised online, and researchers can order copies of many World War 2 dossiers as well.  The Commonwealth War Graves site commemorates the men and women of the Commonwealth forces who died in the First and Second World Wars, ensuring they will never be forgotten.  There are many other websites and resources available as well.

Around the world many towns and suburbs have plaques, cenotaphs and memorials commemorating local men and women who have served and paid the ultimate sacrifice for their country.  How often do we stop as we walk past them in our daily lives and spare a moment to remember these people?

I am forever grateful to all of you who have served and sacrificed on our behalf. It is a solemn undertaking to be ready to put your life on the line for your Country. One that is deserving of our gratitude.
Lest we forget.

Sunday, April 24, 2022

National Archives of Australia Digitisation

The National Archives of Australia has over 1 million records documenting the service of Australian men and women during World War II. These include service records for the Army, the Royal Australian Air Force and the Royal Australian Navy.

Over the past 15 years the NAA has digitised more than 200,000 WWII records and made them available to view online through RecordSearch, and in 2019 the Australian Government announced funding of $10 million to help digitise the remaining 850,000 records.

This project was planned to take place over 4 years, with work starting in July 2019.  Since is commenced the NAA has digitised 200,000 additional records, with over 3 million pages made available online.

Large-scale digitisation of the remaining WWII service records began in October 2020.

Army records

Records are being digitised by place of enlistment.

  • Citizen Military Forces personnel service records (Series B884) – digitisation began in October 2020
  • Second Australian Imperial Force personnel dossiers (Series B883) – digitisation due to begin mid-2022

Air Force records

Records are being digitised alphabetically by surname (Series A9300) and by service number (Series A9301).

  • Royal Australian Air Force Non-Commissioned Officers and other ranks personnel files (Series A9301) – digitisation began in July 2019
  • Royal Australian Air Force Officers personnel files (Series A9300) – digitisation began July 2021

Batches of records in these series will be temporarily unavailable to the public while they are being digitised. As records are digitised, the digital copies will be added to RecordSearch and made available free of charge.

The table below provides specific updates on the progress of records being digitised. The NAA updates this table regularly as work progresses.

Series    Batch    Progress
B884    Northern Territory
    Tasmania
    Western Australia
    Completed
B884    South Australia
    Queensland
    New South Wales
    Victoria
    In progress
B884    Papua New Guinea    Early 2022
A9300    AARONS to PEAD    In progress
A9300    ABBOTT to ZUCKER    In progress
A9301    Service number 1183 to 1495
    Service number 14448 to 21142
    Completed
A9301    Service number 21889 to 37057
    Service number 21090 to 27054
    Service number 60141 to 90337
    In progress
B883    All states    Mid-2022

So take a look at the National Archives of Australia and see if there is new information available for you about your WW2 Australian ancestors.

Saturday, February 5, 2022

The Ogilby Muster

Over two million historic documents from First World War regiments are free to search on the new website The Ogilby Muster, which  was launched by the Army Museums Ogilby Trust last November. 

 
The Trust holds over two million records, photographs, letters, diaries and more from 75 participating collections, with more scheduled to join in 2022.

The Hon. Mrs Katherine Swinfen Eady, Trustee of the Army Museums Ogilby Trust, said: “With the opening of the TOM Platform, we are given a wonderful key to unlock history. As historians this is an invaluable gift, as family members researching their beloved lost relatives, it is equally as important. TOM allows us to piece together the truth left behind by the subjects, to build up that wonderful pattern of a jigsaw and find the missing fragments of information. It is especially important as it will help us all further our knowledge and understanding of not just the military side of the First World War, but the social aspect of an event in history that affected and shaped this country and the world.”

The Ogilby Muster allows researchers to search the website’s collections for free, with images of each document available for purchase, usually at a fee of £4 for non-commercial use.  Documents on the website date from 1900 to 1929, but the primary focus is on the ordinary men and women who served in the British Army during the First World War.

 

Thursday, November 11, 2021

Remembrance Day

Remembrance Day, once known as Armistice Day, is one of our most important commemorative dates. On 11 November 1918, the guns on the Western Front fell silent, and the armistice with Germany to end the fighting on land, in the air and at sea was signed.

Each year on 11 November we pause as a nation at 11am for one minute of silence to honour all those who have suffered and lost their lives during wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations.

For the second year in a row, Covid will impact our Remembrance Day commemorations around the country and the world, but like ANZAC Day many will still gather to remember and thank those who have served.

A wonderful resource for hosts of a Remembrance Day service, or those commemorating at home, is available from the Department of Veterans Affairs.  Through their ANZAC Portal, they have a free Remembrance Day Kitbag.  It includes the order of service, music, making a speech, the Ode of Remembrance, a brief history, suggestions for a personal commemoration, guidelines to making a paper poppy, and more.

So wherever you are at 11am this morning, take a minute to pause and remember those who have served to protect our freedoms.

Lest We Forget.


Thursday, April 22, 2021

ANZAC Day

As April 25th approaches again, I find myself reflecting on the meaning of ANZAC Day to me, to my family and to the community.  And while we say the Ode on Sunday, I will be remembering not only my father and several uncles who served in WWII, and those of my family who went before them, but all of those men and women who have served.  I will remember especially those who did not come home and all of those who came home forever changed, as well as those who did not see fighting, but served in different ways both at home and abroad.

Russell Clark, WW2

ANZAC has very much become a part of our national vocabulary.  The people who lived though that campaign were ordinary volunteers, just as Australia’s current veterans were ordinary volunteers.  They put their daily lives on hold to serve and protect us all, most with very little clear idea of just what they were volunteering for.

My family was extremely lucky, in both world wars, to have most of those who served not only come home, but come home fairly unscathed.  Once second cousin was killed in France in World War 1 ; one uncle died in the Merchant Navy in World War 2.  All the other relatives who served – my father, uncles and great-uncles - returned safely to their loved ones.  While they all had to live with the memories of the conflicts, they were mostly uninjured by their experiences and able to rebuild their civilian lives. 

Leonard Clark, WW2
So many others were not so fortunate.  Numerous Australian families endured the loss of loved ones on foreign soil, or the return of family members forever scarred by their service.  So many who returned faced a lifetime of ruined health or years of recovery and rehabilitation.  My family was lucky indeed.
 

For those in my familywho served in Australian forces, the National Archives of Australia has been invaluable in my research, providing military dossiers of many family members.  The Australian War Memorial has also been a fantastic resource, with Embarkation Rolls, Red Cross files, Unit Diaries and general information about the battles in which family members fought.  Researching  newspaper reports in Trove has also been a gold mine, with news of enlistments, farewells, news from the front, even a few letters home were published in local papers.

I am forever grateful to all of you who have served and sacrificed on our behalf. It is a solemn undertaking to be ready to put your life on the line for your Country. One that is deserving of our gratitude.
Lest we forget.

Tuesday, February 18, 2020

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Week 7 - Military Service

Considering the number of relatives I have who served in the two World Wars, my family was certainly more fortunate than many.  We had few injuries and even fewer deaths during military service, but I do not doubt that all who served - and those who waited at home for them to return - were profoundly and permanently changed by the events they witnessed.

Russell Nicholas Clark
My maternal grandmother, Gladys Daisy Clark, was born 30 June 1906, the 5th child (and 5th daughter) of James Nicholas Clark and Pricilla Veronica (nee Mulholland).  Eventually she would be one of 12 children, plus another 2 half siblings from James' first marriage to Eliza Hawley.  Unusually for the time, all the children survived to adulthood.

Leonard Rupert Clark
Gladys had 5 brothers in total, and 4 of them would see active service in World War 2.  Her 5th brother, Norman William Clark, was tragically killed at the age of 20 in a shark attack.

For a family with 4 brothers serving in the war, they were extremely lucky to see all 4 come home safely.  Mostly they saw active service in the Middle East, with 3 surviving the siege of Tobruk - brothers David, Leonard and Russel.  Gladys' eldest son, my uncle David Pummeroy, also served in World War 2, a pilot in the Air Force.  He would also return home uninjured.


Having heard many family stories over the years about the various war experiences of these men, and the home experiences of the women in the family (none of my female ancestors were nurses, etc), it surprises me how many of them, including my father, saw the war as a chance to travel, see a bit of the world, give the 'enemy' a black eye and all be home by Christmas.  My father was always rather disappointed he never actually made it out of Australia during his time in the Air Force.  His brother Ernest (known as Squib) sent the postcard below to their sister Nancy from Egypt.
Squib's WW2 postcard from Egypt
Through the National Archives of Australia I have downloaded several family WW1 records and ordered those from WW2 -  the NAA has indexed and digitised Boer War and World War 1 dossiers, which you can search and view online for free. World War II dossiers have been indexed but will only be digitised if a family member has requested it.  Other websites include Discovering Anzacs Whichallows you to add your stories and images, and the Australian War Memorial, which has databases like the WW1 Embarkation Rolls and WW1 Red Cross files.  Researching  newspaper reports in Trove has also been a gold mine, with news of enlistments, farewells, news from the front, even a few letters home were published in local papers.

Wednesday, May 22, 2019

Operation War Diary


In the first eight weeks since the launch of TNA's Operation War Diary project - which is being jointly run with Imperial War Museums and web portal Zooniverse, more than 10,000 people across the world have volunteered to tag names, places and other key details in the diary. For more information on the project or to register to volunteer, visit the website at www.operationwardiary.org

Now The National Archives has released the second batch of its WW1 unit war diaries, comprising almost 4,000 diaries which relate to the last of the Cavalry and the 8-33 Infantry Divisions deployed to the Western Front in the First World War. It also covers the period of the units’ involvement in France and Belgium, from their arrival on the front, to their departure at the end of the Great War.

“This second batch of unit war diaries provides detailed accounts of the actions of the next troops to arrive on the Western Front,” explained William Spencer, author and military specialist at TNA.  “They show advancements in technology that made it the world’s first industrialised war with many mounted troops going into battle, at first with swords on horseback before ending the war with machine guns and tanks.”

Data gathered through Operation War Diary will be used for three main purposes:

  • to enrich The National Archives' catalogue descriptions for the unit war diaries,
  •  to present academics with large amounts of accurate data to help them gain a better understanding of how the war was fought
Operation War Diary depends on the work done by The National Archives to digitise the unit war diaries, and they've made individual pages available free of charge on the Zooniverse platform for this project. Whole war diaries are available from Discovery, The National Archives' catalogue, where they can be searched free of charge and downloaded for a small fee.


All of the data produced by Operation War Diary will eventually be available to everyone free of charge- a lasting legacy and a rich and valuable introduction to the world of the War Diaries.

Thursday, May 2, 2019

Saluting Our Military History

For those with an interest in World War 2 or who have Australian family who served during the conflict, the Australian government has just announced a plan to digitise Australia’s World War Two records of service men and women, as part of a new program that is ‘focused on recognising the service of our veterans’.

In a joint release from Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Minister for Veterans’ Affairs Darren Chester, the pair announced that ‘digital records will make them easier to access so Australians can discover the as yet untold stories of their relatives and how they defended our nation during times of war’.

The government has also announced the expansion of the Saluting Their Service grants program, providing an extra $10 million in funding.  The program is designed to preserve Australia's wartime heritage and to involve people throughout the nation in a wide range of projects and activities that highlight the service and sacrifice of Australia's servicemen and women in wars, conflicts and peace operations, and promote appreciation and understanding of the role that those who served have played in shaping the nation.
Two categories of grants are available under the STS program:
  1. Community Commemorative Grants (CCG) — Grants up to a maximum of $4,000 are available for community-based commemorative projects and activities. This includes, for example, the building of community memorials and the preservation of wartime memorabilia that is significant locally but is not necessarily nationally significant.
     
  2. Major Commemorative Grants (MCG) — Grants are available for projects and activities that are significant, from a national, state or territory perspective and that contribute to Australia’s understanding of its wartime heritage and honour the service and sacrifice of its servicemen and women.

Thursday, April 25, 2019

ANZAC Day


As April 25th comes around again, I find myself reflecting on the meaning of ANZAC Day to me.  And while we say the Ode today, I will be remembering not only my father and several uncles who served in WWII, and those of my family who went before them, but all of those men and women who have served.  I will remember especially those who did not come home and all of those who came home forever changed, as well as those who did not see fighting, but served in different ways both at home and abroad.
ANZAC has very much become a part of our national vocabulary.  The people who lived though that campaign were ordinary volunteers, just as Australia’s current veterans were ordinary volunteers.  They put their daily lives on hold to serve and protect us all, most with very little clear idea of just what they were volunteering for.

My family was extremely lucky, in both world wars, to have most of those who served not only come home, but come home fairly unscathed.  Once second cousin was killed in France in World War 1 ; one uncle died in the Merchant Navy in World War 2.  All the other relatives who served – my father, uncles and great-uncles - returned safely to their loved ones.  While they all had to live with the memories of the conflicts, they were mostly uninjured by their experiences and able to rebuild their civilian lives. 

So many others were not so fortunate.  Numerous Australian families endured the loss of loved ones on foreign soil, or the return of family members forever scarred by their service.  So many who returned faced a lifetime of ruined health or years of recovery and rehabilitation.  My family was lucky indeed.

I am forever grateful to all of you who have served and sacrificed on our behalf. It is a solemn undertaking to be ready to put your life on the line for your Country. One that is deserving of our gratitude.
Lest we forget.

Thursday, November 29, 2018

First World War Shipwreck Database

Forgotten Wrecks of the First World War was developed by the Maritime Archaeology Trust with money from the Heritage Lottery Fund to record these forgotten traces of the First World War before they are lost forever. It covers wrecks off the south coast, but there are many more in other parts of the sea around Britain.

During the 2014–2018 centenary of the First World War, 322 volunteers spent 1,821 days working on the project, including diving on wrecks, conducting fieldwork and surveys, and recording more than 700 new artefacts.  The project also carried out outreach sessions to schools and the general public, and organised 44 different exhibitions, which were attended by over half-a-million people.

Now, members of the public can search the map or click on the colour-coded dots to find out more information about the wrecks. The website lists details of each location, such as the type of vessel; her launch year; the flag she sailed under; the departure port and destination; the cargo; the name of the master; the number of crew; the date of loss; and the number of fatalities.  Information about the vessel and how she was wrecked is available too, along with an archaeological site report ; where available there are photos of the wreck and of artefacts recovered, videos and 3D site reports.

Tuesday, October 30, 2018

Week 42 - Conflict - 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

Week 42 is about conflict, and like so many other families, mine has had a number of individuals serve in the military in various conflicts.

My family was certainly more fortunate than many, with few injuries and even fewer deaths during military service, but I do not doubt that all who served - and those who waited at home for them to return - were profoundly and permanently changed by the events they witnessed.

For those who served in Australian forces, the National Archives of Australia has been invaluable in my research, providing military dossiers of many family members.  The Australian War Memorial has also been a fantastic resource, with Embarkation Rolls, Red Cross files, Unit Diaries and general information about the battles in which family members fought.  Researching  newspaper reports in Trove has also been a gold mine, with news of enlistments, farewells, news from the front, even a few letters home were published in local papers.

With so many commemorations and activities surrounding the centenary of World War 1, the last few years has seen an explosion of information become available about military ancestors and the conflicts in which they served, and I an sure I am not the only family history researcher who has found out so much about various family members as a result.

Friday, October 12, 2018

World War 1 Soldier's Pension Records

Ancestry.com has recently undertaken a major new project to digitize First World War soldiers' pension records, and stage one of the project has now gone live.  This initial set comprises 50,485 records from naval pension ledgers and Merchant Marine cards.  Ancestry has added searchable transcriptions of the records, with 18,270 digital images of the originals available to subscribers of Ancestry's partner website Fold3.  The record release was made possible by Ancestry's partnership with the Western Front Association (WFA).

This first tranche of records consists of cards used by the Ministry of Pensions to monitor payments to injured merchant navy veterans or the families of the dead. The naval ledgers, meanwhile, list married men in the Royal Navy who were lost at sea, and whose widows and children were eligible for pensions.  Both sets of records can include the seaman's name, rank, service number, date of birth, date of death or injury and the ship he served on.  They also list each widow's name, date of marriage, and the names and dates of birth of any children.

In November 2012, the WFA acquired an archive of approximately 6.5 million First World War pension records index cards and ledgers from the Ministry of Defence.  In December 2017, it announced that scanning and indexing of the records was underway, following a deal with Ancestry. 

These records kept track of pensions paid to soldiers, sailors and airmen injured in the First World War and also recorded payments to the widows and dependents of men who were killed.  They are one of the largest surviving sets of records of British forces in the First World War, since many records and individual dossiers were destroyed in air raids in 1940.

Ancestry plans to upload more records before Remembrance Day on 11 November and to complete the set by early 2019.  WFA is also planning to allow its members to access the records via its website without an Ancestry or Fold3 subscription.