Military Monday ~ Letters to an Unknown Soldier - Paddington Station, London

War memorial Paddington station
© Ceridwen

The statue shown here is from London Paddington Station. It was built to commemorate members of the 100 members of Great Western Railway Company staff who perished in the First World War.

The Letter to an Unknown Soldier Project is an opportunity to write the letter the soldier is reading, 100 years on.

The Letter To An Unknown Soldier website will remain open for 37 days, from 28 June when Franz Ferdinand was assassinated, triggering WW1, to 4 August when Britain announced it was at war.

People can post letters on the Letter to an Unknown Soldier website or send letters to the statue at an address at Paddington station. 

Letters will remain on-line up to the anniversary of Armistice Day 2018.

Mastering Genealogical Proof Study Group 2 - Chapter 5

+DearMYRTLE Community

Remembering Mum on Mother's Day

Today is Mother's Day here in the UK, and my first without Mum. There will be a lot of first's. Her first birthday (which we had just two days after Mum passed away), Mother's Day, Easter and Christmas. Even our first anniversary without her.

I always used to joke with Mum that the reprieve of gift buying between Easter and Christmas was welcomed as between February and April, Mum always received her birthday, Mother's Day and Easter gifts. Typically she received something to add to her collection of Aynsley Wild Tudor, which you can see in the back of the photograph here. Mum always referred to it as her predicable surprise!

So many firsts and yet as each one passes, even though Mum passed away just six weeks ago, I feel I have reached some sort of milestone. Whether I have or not is a different matter, but it feels that way. I think of Mum many times each day. I probably always did, but am now just more aware of it.

I came across this poem recently and the first time I read it I was very overcome. Since then I have read it about five or six times and each time I feel just as sad and lost without her, but more reassured, comforted and aware of the strength that I need, and that Mum had.

Today is a sad day, but it also gives me an opportunity to say thanks to Mum for the wonderful memories and the many Mother's Day's we had together.

All is well

Death is nothing at all.
I have only slipped away into the next room.
I am I, and you are you,
Whatever we were to each other, that we still,
Call me by my old familiar name,
Speak to me in the same easy way which you always did,
Put no difference into your tone;
Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow.
Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes we enjoyed together.
Play, smile, think of me, pray for me.
Let my name be the household word that it always was.
Let it be spoken without effect, without the shadow of a ghost on it.
Life means all that it ever meant.
It is the same as it ever was; there is absolutely unbroken continuity,
Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight?
I am just waiting for you, for an interval, somewhere very near, just around the corner.
All is well.

By Canon Henry Scott Holland

Book of Me, Written by You, Prompt 31

Today is week 30 of what is going to be a 15 month project. Each Saturday, at around 12.30 am UK time I will release the prompt for that week's Book of Me, Written by You.

If you are new here, welcome! The details, background flyer and Face Book link to the Book of Me can be found HERE.

This week's prompt is - What makes you proud?

• Your achievements
• Against the odds
• Challenges
• Your Family Members
• Spouse
• Parents
• Grandparents
• Grandchildren
• Children
• Friends and Colleagues

Press Release from FindmyPast and The National Archives - 1939 Register - 29th September 1939

I would not normally share general press release statements here, but this one is an exciting development for those of us in the United Kingdom.

"British-owned online family history world leader DC Thomson Family History (who own findmypast) and The National Archives have today announced a joint project to make records of 40 million civilians held in the 1939 register available online. Once digitised, it is estimated that the collection will comprise almost 1.2 million scanned full-colour images of documents covering the entire civilian population of England & Wales at the outbreak of WWII. 

The 1939 register was taken on 29 September 1939 by the British Government and recorded personal details of individuals in order to issue identity cards and ration books. It later formed the basis of the National Health Service’s records. When complete, the 1939 register will be fully searchable online for the first time, opening up the past to a new generation of family and social historians, just as the 1911 census did on its release in 2009. 

The records contain the address, full name, date of birth, sex, marital status and occupation of individuals, as well as changes of name. Although the Register is literally within living memory for many people, information about living individuals will be kept closed for 100 years from their year of birth, or until proof of death has been authenticated. 

From today, anybody interested in being kept informed about the project can register at www.1939register.co.uk. 

Annelies Van Den Belt, CEO of DC Thomson Family History said: “This announcement is great news not just for British family historians and those with British relatives, but for anyone with an interest in history itself; providing a fascinating snapshot of the country as it stood on the edge of the most widespread conflict in human history. 

“This significant project will bring these records to a global audience for the first time, and combined with the 1.8 billion records already available on our websites will make it easier than ever to begin your family history journey and uncover the powerful stories that lie within and that make us who we are.” 

Mary Gledhill, Commercial Director, at The National Archives, added: “The National Archives is delighted to be working with DC Thomson Family History to open up this unique record collection to the world, allowing history enthusiasts to discover more about the people at the outbreak of the Second World War. In the absence of a 1931 and 1941 census, this collection is all the more valuable to family historians trying to trace their ancestors.” 

The 1939 register project is the latest contract to be awarded to DC Thomson Family History by The National Archives. Record sets previously digitised by the company in association with The National Archives include Crime, Prisons and Punishment; outbound passenger lists; British Army Service records; Merchant Navy Seamen’s records; Maritime Birth, Marriage and Death indexes and the 1911 census."

(Disclaimer - I have received no financial reward or otherwise for sharing this information, I am merely a rather excited genealogist!)

I will be back in the next few days with some thoughts and potential discoveries that I hope to make in regard to my own family.

A Trip Down Memory Lane

Spent some time yesterday looking through a couple of boxes Mum had stored away. I was surprised & amazed to come across this ornament .

I was immediately cast back to age 6 or so. I went on a school trip. I was dispatched with about a pound note & lunch.

I spotted this ornament & bought it for Mum. I was so pleased to get back & give this to Mum I tripped getting off the coach & dropped the ornament. I remember sobbing & Mum giving me a hug, telling me it would be fixed & as good as new.

Almost 40 years later I came across the ornament still glued, after 3 house moves.

A really happy memory & acutely missing Mum.

Finding the Genealogy Community

+James Tanner who blogs at Genealogy's Star posed an interesting question on 4th March in his post Finding the Genealogical Community.

The question he raised was "Where do we go or what do we do to find the genealogy community?"

I am going to attempt to answer the question and perhaps the further questions that James lists in his post, but before I do that let me ask a question. What is a community?

Wikipedia states this

"The term community has two distinct meanings: 1) Community can refer to a usually small, social unit of any size that shares common values. The term can also refer to the national community or international community, and 2) in biology, a community is a group of interacting living organisms sharing a populated environment......."

I determine that community is a collective of people with similarities, in terms of a common interest. There is a basic need for us to be part of something, which is why genealogists and family historians strive very hard to not just seek out the details of our ancestors, but to also connect with family members regardless of level of connection.

Like with anything, those interested in a particular "thing" - reading, cricket, knitting, genealogy  tend to locate those within their locality who have a common interest. The internet and search engines make that search all the more easier. Before the internet we typically joined associations and societies, entered our interested surnames into a society facility which was the published in the newsletter or journal. We then communicated by letter with other researchers who may or may not have been related to us. Sound familiar?

Having established what a community is. Let's define genealogy and family historian.These labels can mean different things to different people. In the United Kingdom the term genealogist is akin to the college of Arms. You can read some details here whereas, family historians are to us here the UK are about names and dates and fleshing out the fine details of our ancestors.

Let me now focus on the other questions presented by James. Not everything in the world is black and white. So there are probably others at family history events. There are the exhibitors who are simply exchanging a commodity for cash, there will be spouses wandering along behind the truly interested party. I used to attend angling fairs with my husband and would amuse myself with the tea facilities and always carried a book. My husband would attend family history events with me and took slightly more interest in genealogy that I did in fishing!

Source for Graphic -
http://www.canstockphoto.com/

A genealogical community is therefore made up of a group of people bought together by a common factor - obviously genealogy. The difference is what the catalyst is for attending or connecting with this community.

I could state that the Anglers Rest community is made up of people who connect with me (and my husband) through a variety of interests, which for me is books and genealogy, whilst hubby is the actual fisherman.

I receive comments on various blog posts from an assortment of people, those who connect with me through books, others through genealogy or historical related entity. There are other random people who connect through the sharing of social media. In much the same way as attending a physical cocktail part (thanks to +Jen Baldwin for that phrase in this context), where you mingle with people whilst drinking glasses of bubbly and scoffing on canapés!

The genealogy community of yesteryear has gone in that context and has been replaced with an internet and social media driven community. Indeed, I would not have seen +James Tanner's post had it not been for social media . Nor would I have heard +Jen Baldwin mention the phrase cocktail party in relation to Twitter.

So, have I answered James's initial question? I don't think I have in the way perhaps expected. The biggest thing is to accept that you do not have to be physically present to be part of something, or in a community because of the wonder of social media. Rather than we join the community and mingle, the community now comes to us where we can mingle, explore and meet others.

Does that give rise to these questions - Is there a difference between community spirit and networking? Or are they essentially the same thing, but perceived differently because of status and labelling?

Desk Ramblings.....(18)

It is very hard to believe that the last time I wrote a desk rambling post Mum was in hospital and today, a little more than two months on, Mum has passed away, the funeral has taken place and now the reflections, thinking, sorting and coming to terms with the events needs to take place.

Whilst that is happening, I wish I could say that usual business and alike will be continuing, but it is not, well not in the same way as before. What I have noticed is that whilst I have been busy dealing with the emotional issues of my family, several people have in the business sense have started shuffling into my working arena. I don't feel threatened by their activity, merely disappointed that they are so insensitive. They saw an opportunity and thought that they would exploit the situation. Life is way to short to be irritated by individuals that are of no consequence. I am a firm believer in two things.

1. All that glitters is not gold
2. What goes round, comes around

As I have said previously, people that copy, plagiarise or take my work as their own will be named and shamed, regardless of who they are.

In the coming week, I will reschedule the previously written and unpublished Society Saturday posts. There will be slightly realigned blog postings and there has been a few amendments on the webpage. 

No Story Too Small

I am woefully behind on my 52 ancestors in 52 weeks posts, but they will eventually catch up. I plan to feature specific ancestors this year, identifying what actions I need to work on and then next year share those findings.

The Book of Me

The Book of Me continues to be a success, which I still find amazing. I have just booked a physical workshop session for 2015 and one for 2016. The on-line Geneabloggers group has been fabulous and I have a plan for 2015!

At the present the on-line hangouts have stopped, but I will pick up these again in April. The last few months have been exhausting and whilst I have taken part in a few on-line hangout events and meetings. I found that I needed a little time out.

Several writing projects that were under way when Mum became poorly had been shelved whilst I devoted pretty much all my time to Mum, but I am spending this week refocusing on them. At least one needs to be complete by September for publication in February.  I am though going to be working on a small project initially that will take minimal time to launch once I have finished a little preparation work and emailed a few people who I hope will assist me. Then the project will be a biggish one, but with no firm completion date. Curious? All will be revealed sometime soon!

A final note. Over the last few months I received many, many emails, comments and Facebook messages from people around the globe, family, friends, colleagues (past and present). I am slowly (very) catching up with responding to each and every one. I want to say THANK YOU to everyone who wrote and simply let me know that they were thinking of me and my family.

Whilst I did not get the outcome I wanted. I am my Mother's daughter and somehow have found a great deal of resilience and strength to carry on. Where that has come from I simply do not know, but each day I get up and find that I can navigate the path ahead. Whilst I think of Mum many, many times each day and miss her dreadfully, I am very lucky to have fabulous friends, family and a wonderful husband to support and listen to me as I deal with the loss.

Until next time

Mastering Genealogical Proof Study Group 2 - Chapter 4

+DearMYRTLE Community

Book of Me, Written by You, Prompt 30

Today is week 30 of what is going to be a 15 month project. Each Saturday, at around 12.30 am UK time I will release the prompt for that week's Book of Me, Written by You.

If you are new here, welcome! The details, background flyer and Face Book link to the Book of Me can be found HERE.

This week's prompt is - Your First day of School

• Do you remember the day?
• The weather 
• What you wore 
• How you got there
• Who took you to school
• Where was the School
• Any stories?
• Friends
• Teachers
• How old were you?
• Were you perhaps home schooled or taught in a different way to the usual traditional methods - such as were you in a remote area and lessons conducted using the phone etc
• Do you have any other memories or thoughts of your first day of school?
• Or perhaps ask a sibling, parent, child etc

Caution - do not spend lots of time on your junior school that will be in another prompt!.....

Mastering Genealogical Proof Study Group 2 - Chapter 3 Revisited

The Hangout discussing Chapter 3 of Mastering Genealogical Proof



+DearMYRTLE Community

The In-Depth Genealogist - Digital Magazine - Issue 14 - OUT NOW!

The next issue of the free digital magazine is available NOW!

You can read my Introduction post HERE and you can follow the column by visiting The In-Depth Genealogist website and subscribing via email or via twitter and Facebook.

This month's Across the Pond column is about Medical Genealogy - Sad Next Steps. This edition is dedicated to the incredible women who was my Mum who passed away on 14th February 2014 and will always be in my thoughts.

Happy reading & researching!

Book of Me, Written by You, Prompt 29

Today is week 29 of what is going to be a 15 month project. Each Saturday, at around 12.30 am UK time I will release the prompt for that week's Book of Me, Written by You.

If you are new here, welcome! The details, background flyer and Face Book link to the Book of Me can be found HERE.

This week's prompt is - What's in your bag/pocket?

• Do you routinely carry a bag or holdall?
• What do you carry?
• Why do you carry it?
• What do you carry it in?
• Do you carry differently things on specific days or to specific places?

The Fishing Fleet – Anne de Courcy

A year ago today I wrote a review of this book and you can read it here. Then last week, I was sent the link to an interview that the author did in Australia, for Adelaide Week in March 2013.

I have to say I was very surprised and enjoyed hearing the author talk of her findings and how she wove the details together into the book.

The subject is fascinating and my own interest, because I have family who left rural Surrey in the 1760's to head to India, has been reawakened and I am therefore inspired to re-read the book.

Tuesday's Tip - Creating a Memorial

Part of the way I have grieved for my Mum has been by creating a memorial of various things from the funeral service. This has enabled those overseas or unable to attend the funeral to see, hear and to feel part of saying goodbye. The memorial is of course quite a nice thing to have and keep for future generations.

I thought it might be quite nice to share with you how the presentation was created and how I have shared the final memorial.

The memorial was created with Power Point which is part of Office 365, but equally could have been produced using Google Docs or any other presentation software.

Having created the memorial I saved the first slide as a PNG image as you can see here.

The contents of the memorial can be whatever you want to include. I chose to write a short section on the events leading to our conclusion. I also included a collage photograph that I had previously created for my Mum's birthday. I included the eulogy that I had written. Mine ran over four slides. My husband wrote his own and that ran a little over one page.

I included a copy of the obituary and a link to the on-line memorial that the newspaper offers. I also uploaded the music to the slides as M4A files.

At the end I wrote a short piece about the support we received from family and friends. I shared a photograph of some flowers received and sympathy cards. All of which will be kept. I gave thanks to the medical teams and then wrote a few final words.

The presentation was a little over 13 minutes and was a heavy file, so much that Google refused to email it.

That caused an issue. A further issue was how could this be viewed if you did not have Power Point? Saving a PDF was possible, but the audio files failed to play. Sharing the file via Evernote experienced the same fate. I pondered on adding a page to my website, but for some strange reason that did not feel right. Loading to YouTube was again not an option because the music is copyrighted, but even if that had been acceptable I was not sure.

A few days later and after much thinking I discovered the perfect solution. The solution is so simple that I don't know why it took me about 4 days to think of it. Here are the steps in the solution.

1. Load the complete Power Point to OneDrive (https://onedrive.live.com/)- if you do not have an account it is easy and free to do so.
2. Go to Wordpress (www.wordpress.com) and create a blog. What I created is located at http://christinejoycebutcher.wordpress.com/
3. Then open select create new post and then select text tab.
4. Meanwhile head back to your OneDrive location and enable the share function for the file you have just loaded. Then select the Power point and click on the embed option which is situated across the top. This provides the HTML code. It automatically gives small dimensions and I increased them slightly once I had inserted the HTML onto the text tab on the blog page.
5. Having uploaded the file, I then spent about an hour creating the site as I wanted it. Simple, crisp and without lots of clutter. I added a short write up on the About page and created a contact me form in case someone comes across it in the future and wants to get in touch.

I usually use Blogger which is part of the Google family, but didn't because the possibility to load a Power Point file is not an option. Wordpress is not a facility that I enjoy using on a regular basis, but for this, it came up trumps and overall I am very pleased with the result and that I can now share the site and the Power Point with the people that I want to.

For me this is a perfect way to share the file and commemorate someone who was a real inspiration and influence in my life.

(Thanks to both +Tessa Keough and +Susan Petersen for being my beta testers as I clarified and tested the various options)

Mastering Genealogical Proof Study Group 2 - Chapter 3

The Hangout discussing Chapter 3 of Mastering Genealogical Proof

+DearMYRTLE Community

Society Saturday - Using Google Hangouts & Embracing Social Media

Using Google to embrace interaction between a group of people is not only a great idea, but it is free. There are two kinds of Google Hangouts

1. A private conversation or meeting between no more than 10 people 
2. A Hangout that will be recorded and archived at YouTube

How can I or my Society do this?

1. Create a Google Community for yourself or your Society. I have the Book of Me, Written by You community, some other familiar on-line faces with communities are +DearMYRTLE +Society for One-Place Studies, +Tessa Keough who hosts the Legacy Virtual Users Group, Guild of One-Name Studies and +Jill Ball who hosts the GeniAUS community.
2. Once you have a community you can host hangouts that are scheduled, invite people and comments on the hangouts and much more.

Once the community is created that will be the home of your on-line hangouts and is the gateway to interaction 

1. Members of the community will see the scheduled hangout in their Google stream. By members responding Yes or Maybe the event will be added to their Google calendar in their time zone
2. The stream will allow comments that can be shared or addressed in the hangout
3. The hangout typically has one or two hosts, and then 8 spaces are available for interaction - known as JOINers. Should you not wish to participate but simply want to watch whilst the hangout is in progress you can and are a VIEWer. 
4. If the event is missed completely because you were at work , walking the dog, taking a nap or you simply didn't know then you can view via the archived version which is located on the relevant YouTube Channel.

Here is a few Q & A that I created for the Book of Me Community and the Society of One-Place Studies community.

There is even a good video created by +DearMYRTLE and Cousin Russ(+Russ Worthington) which explains how to schedule and create a hangout.



The on-line world has never been so easy. There are friendly faces across the globe who will be more than happy to answer questions and assist.

So go ahead, embrace the free facilities that Google offers!

Book of Me, Written by You, Prompt 28

Today is week 28 of what is going to be a 15 month project. Each Saturday, at around 12.30 am UK time I will release the prompt for that week's Book of Me, Written by You.

If you are new here, welcome! The details, background flyer and Face Book link to the Book of Me can be found HERE.

This week's prompt is - Parents

• Names / Nick Names
• Where were they from?
• Where were they born? - 
• Were they migrants? Born somewhere else from where they were living
• How did they meet?
• Photos
• Anything you want to share about your parents

Christine Joyce Butcher - (1947-2014)

Today is the very sad day of Mum's funeral; in fact at the very moment this is published at 1pm GMT, I will be standing along with my husband and family saying a sad farewell to Mum.

So I am just going to share with you a picture collage that I made for a recent post in remembrance of Mum's birthday and a poem that just seems perfect.

If roses grow in heaven 

If roses grow in heaven,

Lord please pick a bunch for me,

Place them in my Mother's arms

and tell her they're from me.

Tell her I love her and miss her,

and when she turns to smile,

place a kiss upon her cheek

and hold her for awhile.

Because remembering her is easy,

I do it every day,

but there's an ache within my heart

that will never go away.

Anonymous

May my Mum rest in peace and know that she will be in our hearts forever.

Talking and Playing with Evernote

I really should have been doing other "stuff" this morning, but put off a few things in order to join the GeniAus Hangout with +Jill Ball. I have written before that I am a OneNote girl, but I do have an Evernote account and have found that I am using it more and more and in tandem with OneNote.

Here is the video from this mornings hangout



Here is the links to my previous posts:

• Tuesday's Tips - Evernote and Saving Emails
• Tuesday's Tips - More on Evernote - (looks like the free upgrade I talked about is still available for UK O2 customers)
• Tuesday's Tips - Embracing OneNote

There are some great Evernote resources out there:

• Evernote Website
• +Evernote (Google Community)
• +Evernote (Unofficial Google Community)
• +Evernote in Genealogy (Google Community)
• Evernote on YouTube
• Shannon Thomas - Blog Post & Video about using Evernote
• Tania's Roots take on Evernote & OneNote
• Relatively Curious Blog about Evernote & Recipes
• Relatively Curious Blog about Evernote & Genealogy
• Caroline Pointer's YouTube Video about Evernote

Today's hangout was a great one, friendly and informative and as always +Jill Ball is the perfect host!

Happy Evernote playing!

Those Thursday Places - Britain From Above 1919 - 1953

Image from
Britain From Above

A few days ago I came across this fabulous site Britain from Above 1919 - 1953 which I shared with the +Society for One-Place Studies community. As with many sites you can register and then select images to be saved your own account. What is truly wonderful as a One-Place Studies member is that value these add to my individual studies, well two of them as my third is in Sicily. They also add value to our individual wider family history.

The site has indeed been generous enough to state on the terms and conditions page

"Terms & Conditions for the Use of this Image
You may: copy, print, display, and store for your personal use at home and you may copy to a blog or personal web page as long as the page is freely available with no login restrictions and no charges"

 What a wonderful resource to have quite literally at the click of a button. I shared three photographs from 1948 to my Puttenham One-Place Study, and one to the Walnut Tree Close Study.

Have you explored the site and found some gems of your own?

52 Ancestors:# 5 ~ George Butcher (1908 - 1974)

No Story Too Small

This post is for week 5 of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge by Amy Crow from No Story Too Small.

You can read the list of my posts HERE

George Butcher circa 1940

I am way behind with this weekly look at my various ancestors, but what better way than commemorating what would have been my Grandfather's 106th birthday than to write about him this week.

My Grandfather was born to Charles Butcher and his wife, Annie Prudence nee Harris in 1908 in Wanborough Surrey. He was one of 9 children who survived into adulthood from a family of 12.

Here he is aged 3 years old on the 1911 Census for Flexford a hamlet very close to Wanborough.

Image courtesy of Ancestry Surrey Collection

Class: RG14; Piece: 3098; Schedule Number: 44

The family remained at Wanborough until about 1925 when the family moved to Strawberry Farm at Worplesdon and then to their final destination of Manor Farm, Onslow Village Guildford.

Once working at Manor Farm he and his brothers took to having a "swift half" referring to a pint of beer, at The Plough Farnham Road Guildford. We know from my late Grandmother that, that was the same pub used by her brothers and I guess that is how the two families met. My Grandfather married my Grandmother in 1939 and his sister Marge married my Grandmother's brother in 1938.

I wish I could say that was the only family connection between the two families, it was not the other though took place about 100 years or so previously making my Grandparents 6th cousins!

My Grandfather worked on the land, along with his brothers and the majority of his brother in law's, and at some point moved to nearby Shackleford to live with his sister Ellen and her husband. In 1939 he married my Grandmother and they moved to Bright Hill Guildford.

My Grandfather was at this point working at Unigate Dairies when he remained working, apart from his military service until he retired in 1973.

In 1940, my Grandfather joined the Army. A man of principle. My Grandmother told me that she was really cross that he joined up rather than return to the farm where his family were, but the principle was his Country needed him and he was therefore doing his duty. How wonderful was that?

His military life is well documented. I called for his service record back in 2008 and I recall Mum and I being so excited when it arrived. I talked about ordering it in this blog post. My Grandfather spent about two and a half years in West Africa. When he passed away he left a lovely piece of material which he had embroidered on symbols reflective of his time in the military in Africa, which now hangs on my landing in a lovely frame. His pay book and his medals, which now hang framed on my landing.

J Goucher - October 2008

There is so much of his life that I still want to unravel, and those appear in my actions list below.

After the war, my Grandfather returned to Unigate Dairies. He worked up until he was 65 and was presented with a gold watch in recognition of 30 years loyal service. I still have that watch. As retirement neared, he was, along with another colleague asked to stay on whilst someone was on sick leave. He and the other colleague did.

Then serendipity struck. The colleague who also stayed on beyond retirement for a few months, was taken ill about the same time as my Grandfather. They were diagnosed and admitted to the same hospital with the same condition. They both died on the same day, 20th July 1974 at exactly twelve hours apart, my Grandfather at 9am. It was more than a decade later when I was at senior school I realised that I was class mates with the grandson my Grandfather's colleague. The cause of both deaths was lung cancer, caused by a mixture of smoking, inhalation of coal fumes, asbestos and whoever knows what else.

As a small child I loved to sit and snuggled with my Grandfather. He was, like my Mum taken before their time, both at the age of 66 years. When he was at Milford Chest Hospital I would be taken to visit him. I was never frightened of the cables, wires and strange hospital machine noises and perhaps it was that, that in some way made me quite comfortable with hospitals, the machines and illness.

Perhaps it is those early memories that encouraged me to become the person I have in the profession I chose; undertaking my time in the hospital environment. A complete contrast to my Mum who hated hospitals with a passion because of her early experiences. Those experiences which without doubt made my Mum's last few months difficult for her and it was a pleasure for me to support her. Sometimes in life it would seem, there are these curiosities, coincidences, and things that happen for a reason.

After my Grandfather died in July 1974 he was cremated at Guildford, the Crematorium has the Book of Remembrance on-line which can be searched here

From the Book of Remembrance at Guildford Crematorium
Sourced 3rd March 2014

What is interesting about the entry, is that I am completely missing from the entry. I have the original bill for the funeral and the bill for the entry into the Book of Remembrance, so perhaps it was around cost that I was omitted. Who knows? As a child, we routinely visited the Crematorium to see his name in the book on the anniversary of his death date. We would ask the Crematorium always to look at his entry on his birthday and at Christmas. Why my Grandmother did that I don't know, but it is something that my Mum continued and now I shall. My Grandmother lived another twenty one years and missed her beloved George every day.

Actions

1. Decipher military record
2. Check directories 1939 - 1974
3. Unigate History and Employment Record
4. Update George's War more frequently
5. Research meeting with George Formby

Mastering Genealogical Proof Study Group 2 - Chapter 2

The Hangout discussing Chapter 2 of Mastering Genealogical Proof



+DearMYRTLE Community

Book of Me, Written by You, Prompt 27

Today is week 27 of what is going to be a 15 month project. Each Saturday, at around 12.30 am UK time I will release the prompt for that week's Book of Me, Written by You.

If you are new here, welcome! The details, background flyer and Face Book link to the Book of Me can be found HERE.

This week's prompt is - Cars and Transport

• Did you have a car in your family whilst you were growing up?
• What methods of transport were there? And what did you & your family typically use?
• Your Driving Test
• Where Did you learn? - Can you drive?
• Your first car?
• Your Favourite Car?
• Do you name your cars?
• Can you remember the registration details? And perhaps explain what the registration means.