Having been touring Ancestry myself recently I found it interesting that Michael Palin, famous from all his many TV appearances, would have been doing similar, though he being able to afford a proper genealogist to do much of the hard work for him. However, he had to do his part, aided by documents, diaries, letters and so on that were donated to him from various family members. Luckily, his family dated back into the mid-Victorian era, a time where such people kept all letters for posterity. My Grandfather dated from a similar era and if there are any letters, bar demands for rent, they have disappeared into his first family vaults somewhere. Such documents are treasure trove to a family history detective. They give information and insight into the person like nothing else. That is, if they speak their mind and not just simple messages.
The author decided to investigate the Black Sheep of the family, his Great Uncle Harry. Harry was the 7th child of the Vicar of Linton, a typical well-to-do family, with their own particular history. However, though all the boys attended Shrewsbury School, one of those famous 'Public Schools' that only the rich can afford, two brothers went on to do well, one a doctor and the other a solicitor. Harry failed at school, that is he left after two months, and was clearly not one to follow his family paths.
Palin follows Harry as the family send him to India, hoping the Raj will stimulate what all good Victorians sought, success according to the fashion of the day. He spends 3 years in an unsatisfactory job, at least the railway thought him 'unsatisfactory,' and was then dumped on a tea plantation in the hope he would 'make something of himself.' This too failed. Clearly he as not built for such things.
The story unfolds as Great Uncle Harry, though he would not have called himself that at the time, made his way to New Zealand, worked on a farm, possibly found some happiness, yet when war was declared in 1914 he joined the colours like thousands of others.
What made men beginning a new life thousands of miles from home enlist to save the 'old country?'
We follow Harry through the 'Nzeders' at Gallipoli, and then on to the 'Western Front.' Here, somewhat inevitably Harry perishes on the Somme.
Michael Palin makes a good effort at trying to piece together a story, a story in which so much is missing. No living person spoke to Harry, Harry himself did not reveal much of his thoughts in his letters and diary. So the author has to guess rather too much at what was going through the mans mind as he moved around and 'sought himself,' as the Hippies used to. Though there are gaps in the story I still found it interesting and the book easy to read. Well worth a glance I say.
Another example of Rhiaan's research
