- Joined
- Oct 11, 2019
- Messages
- 2
- Points
- 33
Hi, All & thanks for admission to the group.
I'm a very old (even ancient ) history buff (both by profession and interest) who has spent the last 20 years and more researching 21 war dead - in the two World Wars and the Falklands - from my village in Worcestershire (although I am and always will be a proud Lancastrian in exile!).
The last of the 21, a lad killed on H.M.S. Sheffield in 1982, was at school with my older son, currently a Professor of Medieval History at York University.
The other fatal casualties consisted of 15 killed in action, died of wounds or died of disease, in a variety of theatres of war in 1914-18, and another 5 in 1939-45.
I suppose it's only natural that the preponderance of Great War casualties has meant that I've spent the greater part of my time on that war, although I am currently doing work on a lad in 4th Coldstream (6th Guards Independent Tank Brigade), who died of wounds on 25th October 1944 in St. Oedenrode in the Netherlands.
This all began when I was idly looking at the village war memorial and being saddened by the total lack of information beyond the christian and surnames of those young men cut off, as they say, in their prime. I therefore decided, because I have the skills, to put together a couple of sides of A4 on each young man, to provide something to help any of their family members who might come back to the village in search of information about their ancestor or, for that matter, to give a start to anyone with a genuine if less personal interest in one or more of those 21 lads.
The couple of sides of A4 is now something of a joke, as fresh information comes to light every year and I could almost fill a small volume on each of some at least of the individual lads. I could also still fill my days broadening my own knowledge of the context of each 'sacrifice', were it not that I have a wife with Alzheimer's and less and less time to spend on my own diversions (please note, anyone who wants to get in touch and wonders why I don't reply 'faster than a speeding bullet').
If nothing else comes of my researches, though, I can be pleased that I have achieved the addition of three names to that same memorial cross; given a great deal of information to the families of several of the lads; been able to carry out research, as a result of the expertise I have built up, for a considerable number of other people wanting to find out about their own grandads, great-grandads, great-uncles or whatever; and, finally, been blessed with a huge increase in my own body/bodies of knowledge and understanding (not to mention my own library!).
I hope that's not too long-winded or boring - but thanks again. I look forward to enjoying and possibly occasionally contributing to what looks to be a fascinating forum.
