A new online database covering British War Memorials has been launched  on thegenealogist.co.uk. Currently the database comprises over 100,000 records, providing valuable details about civilians and soldiers killed during conflicts ranging from the Boer War to the more recent clashes in Northern Ireland. Each record  includes details of the memorial with overview images of the [...]

Researching WW2 family members can be awkward at the best of times. There are things that can be done – my blog post ‘Researching Your WW2 Ancestors‘ covers the most common research avenues, however, for service records and medal information you have to be a direct family descendant, and you need to know some basic [...]

We have a new Facebook page – www.facebook.com/militaryresearchUK – and we would love it if you join us. On our page you will find pictures, photos and stories from our military history, plus tips and tricks on how to track down your military ancestors. We have over 800 ‘likes’ already and lots of interaction going [...]

Earlier this week saw the 100th anniversary of the birth of the Royal Flying Corps, so as a tip of the hat to the pioneers of British military aviation, I thought I would write a few words on how to uncover your aviation heroes. But first a history of the RFC in about 3 paragraphs: [...]

I haven’t posted on here for a while, and lots have been going on. My new website is very nearly done – hopefully all will be live before the end of January, this will incorporate an updated version of thegreatwar100.com website, my stand-alone microsite dedicated to enabling kids, teenagers and adults alike to learn about [...]

I am working on a new pet project aimed at giving, teenagers and adults easier access to information about The First World War. I speak to hundreds of people every month  about both world wars and it is clearly evident to me that there are thousands of people out there that have a real interest [...]

As I was taking part in the annual event that is clearing out my garage yesterday, I came across one box of my book  – For Conspicuous Gallantry…Winners of the Military Cross During The Great War (Volume 1: 2 Bars and 3 Bars). As well as possibly having the longest book title in the world, [...]

Details of thousands of Boer War soldiers have been digitised and compiled into a single on-line collection, making it much easier for family historians to search for their family heroes. The records are at www.findmypast.co.uk  and list more than 260,000 soldiers, nurses and civilians who served with the British Imperial Forces between 1899 and 1902. [...]

The stats helper monkeys at WordPress.com mulled over how this blog did in 2010, and here’s a high level summary of its overall blog health: The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads Fresher than ever. Crunchy numbers A Boeing 747-400 passenger jet can hold 416 passengers. This blog was viewed about 7,900 times in 2010. That’s about 19 full [...]

If your ancestors served in the Militia it may seem that trying to trace their careers is significantly more difficult than those men that served in the regular army. But there are some great websites that can help you in your search. What is the Militia? The Militia was a part-time voluntary civilian force organised [...]