I have spent much of this week in a daze. Another of those bugs has been irking me and my concentration levels have been low. A pain as I had the museum meet on Monday and found myself involved with preparations for the 2014 centenary of the Great War. The bug meant I ate little so was quite content to play couch potato and sit at this brute of a laptop and look for dead soldiers, some of whom I actually found. (By found I do not mean I discovered a dead soldier in the back garden, I mean a record of his death. I know one or two of you are a bit slow.....) However I was dragged out to the museum to discover I had been volunteered for more work. How nice I thought, although I am yet to be let into the secret as to what this entails. I hope it's not brain work, I tend to fail at that.
Tonight however as the bug had worn off, I decided to eat without burning the chips (yes oven chips can be burnt) and look for dead relatives. My granddad married grandma when both had been widowed. Three kids she left as he drunk too much and for this reason dad, and my aunt, rarely if ever spoke of him. I think it made my dad very family orientated later. Aunt Annie did allow some information eventually, but she was always very careful with what she revealed. It appears two previous sons may have taken poison, but I wonder? I looked tonight in all the (free) places where info might arise and found nothing. Plenty of relevant names to be found, all the wrong ones, and almost all in the US!
I did however go through that strange emotion again of wondering about the lives of those who went before. Each link brought information which while irrelevant made me wish to wander off down alleyways into stories untold, well to me at least. It was as I allowed my mind to wander through the grimy smoke filled streets of the past that I realised my chips were done, well done. I think I will have salad tomorrow....
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7 comments:
Sometimes you find unexpected information. - My Grandfather told the family he fought at Gallipoli and at the Somme. I found his war service record recently - He signed up as a territorial and was called up for active service on 5th August 1914. He was discharged 61 days later as unfit for active service, due to a problem with his testicles.
No one in the family knew the truth!!
Be assured that I also wonder about who may be part of my family tree. I realize that it doesn't really matter, but I would still like to know.
Mametz, A friend searched her past and discovered her grandfather (great grandfather?) had enlisted in the Canadian army in 1914. His widow claimed the army pension to discover his widow already had it! When in Louisiana he had married there also! Aged aunts who knew had kept very quiet.
Jerry, it is interesting to find out, but some secrets are always hidden.
I only hope none of your family from generations ago followed Hibernian. Think of the shame...
Mike, There are no reports of lunatics in the family....
My grandfather won a medal which we have had great difficulty in tracking details down of - I mean, him winning it - everything really. Apparenty we have to go to Kew Gardens or something. It seems impossible but would like to be able to do it for my mum, as it was her dad and she has always wondered.
Jenny, is this WW1? All records are at Kew these days. However many were blitzed during the war and destroyed or damaged. Can I help? (Nosey me?)
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