TheGenealogist has just released a range of records that will appeal to many British family historians with seafaring roots. As an island nation, we have seen countless ancestors go to sea, especially in the two World Wars. Whether our forebears served in merchant vessels or in warships, this latest release has records of interest for those with both types of sailors in their family trees.

Researchers can use these records to reveal names, dates and information about ancestors who were recorded in a number of Navy Lists for the Royal Navy (RN) that cover both WW1 and WW2. Family historians looking for Merchant Navy (MN) mariners killed or who died on service in WW1 will also find something in this release for them, as well as gaining access to names for merchant seamen honoured with medals and awards between 1914-1918. 

For those who have lost seafarers, whether in either the Royal Navy or the Merchant Navy, then this collection of records is a useful addition. Family history researchers will be able to look for ships that were sunk. The new resources include Merchant Shipping Losses 1914-1918, and the British Merchant Vessels Lost or Damaged by Enemy Action During the Second World War 1939-1945. For the Senior Service’s vessels, the Returns Showing the Losses of Ships of the Royal Navy 1914-1918 will give details of the ship and where it was sunk.

Fully searchable by name or keyword from TheGenealogist’s Master Search. The new additions include records from a variety of sources, including:

• The Navy List 1914
• The Navy List January 1916
• The Navy List April 1918
• The Navy List August 1937
• The Navy List October 1937
• The Navy List July 1943
• The Navy List April 1945
• Return Showing the Losses of Ships of the Royal Navy 1914-1918
• Merchant Adventurers 1914-1918
• Merchant Shipping Losses 1914-1918
• British Merchant Vessels Lost or Damaged by Enemy Action During Second World War 1939-1945

To learn more about how this collection of records helped in the research of a mariner whose daring deeds earned him a VC read TheGenealogist’s article: Under the “Red Duster” and the White Ensign.

https://thegenealogist.co.uk/featuredarticles/2023/under-the-red-duster-and-the-white-ensign-2246/ 

About TheGenealogist

TheGenealogist is an award-winning online family history website, who put a wealth of information at the fingertips of family historians. Their approach is to bring hard to use physical records to life online with easy to use interfaces such as their Tithe and newly released Lloyd George Domesday collections. 

TheGenealogist’s innovative SmartSearch technology links records together to help you find your ancestors more easily. TheGenealogist is one of the leading providers of online family history records. Along with the standard Birth, Marriage, Death and Census records, they also have significant collections of Parish and Nonconformist records, PCC Will Records, Irish Records, Military records, Occupations, Newspaper record collections amongst many others.

TheGenealogist uses the latest technology to help you bring your family history to life. Use TheGenealogist to find your ancestors today!

New records from TheGenealogist

Armistice day

To mark the end of World War 1 that came to a close on 11 November 1918 with the signing of the armistice, TheGenealogist has just released over 42,000 records of Officers that died in the Great War, along with additional Rolls of Honour and over 30,000 War Memorials, War Graves plans, maps and listings.

These fully searchable records join an already strong WW1 Collection on the site, providing a highly useful resource for those seeking their ancestors caught up in the conflict.

This new release will allow researchers to:

• Discover Officers who gave their lives in the First World War
• View images of the HMSO’s Officers Died in the Great War Part I & II 1914-1918
• Find an officer’s rank, cause of death, date of death and regiment.
• Look for names commemorated in Rolls of Honour and War Memorials
• See War Graves plans, maps and listings

Family history researchers with ancestors who fought in the First World War will welcome these fascinating new releases that add to TheGenealogist’s well received collection of World War 1 records.

“TheGenealogist has got itself a very interesting collection of niche records that can really help you unlock the story of a soldier.”

Chris Baker from The Long, Long Trail website and www.fourteeneighteen.co.uk

Subscribers to TheGenealogist’s Diamond subscription can search 5.4 million Medal Records; 2.4 million Casualty Lists including Wounded, Missing and PoWs; 666,000 Muster & Pay Book records; 624,000 Soldiers died in the Great War; 506,000 War Memorials; 227,000 Roll of Honour transcripts; and Mentioned in Dispatches records.

In addition members can search and view Newspapers from the period (Illustrated War News, The Sphere, War Illustrated, Illustrated London News, The B.E.F. TIMES with which are incorporated The Wipers Times, The "New Church" Times, The Kemmel Times & The Somme Times.)

TheGenealogist’s subscribers also have access to WW1 Stereoviews, Army, Navy and Air Force Lists, Defence Staff Lists and many Regimental Histories.

Read TheGenealogist’s article on Finding Officers that died in the Great War:

https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/featuredarticles/2018/how-to-find-officers-that-died-in-ww1-983/

About TheGenealogist

TheGenealogist is an award-winning online family history website, who put a wealth of information at the fingertips of family historians. Their approach is to bring hard to use physical records to life online with easy to use interfaces such as their Tithe and newly released Lloyd George Domesday collections.

TheGenealogist’s innovative SmartSearch technology links records together to help you find your ancestors more easily. TheGenealogist is one of the leading providers of online family history records. Along with the standard Birth, Marriage, Death and Census records, they also have significant collections of Parish and Nonconformist records, PCC Will Records, Irish Records, Military records, Occupations, Newspaper record collections amongst many others.

TheGenealogist uses the latest technology to help you bring your family history to life. Use TheGenealogist to find your ancestors today!

New avenues of research are opened up by the latest release of unique Great War records online.

During the First World War many servicemen were reported as ‘Missing’ or ‘Killed in Action’ and for the first time you can now search a comprehensive list of these online. Usefully this includes the changing status of soldiers as the facts became clearer over time, as many assumed dead were found alive and those reported missing had their status updated.

This new release from TheGenealogist contains over 800,000 records. Included are 575,000 Killed in Action records, over 226,000 unique Missing-in-Action records and 14,000 Status Updates.

Over 100,000 people previously reported as missing had further status updates:

• 59,500 were later reported as killed

• 47,400 were later reported as PoW

• 2,000 were later reported as rejoined

• 4,200 were later reported as “not missing”

• 8,400 were later reported as wounded

Mark Bayley, Head of Online Content at TheGenealogist comments:

“The telegrams and published lists of Dead and Missing must have had a huge impact on the lives of our ancestors. These records give an insight into what must have been an emotional roller coaster. They also give new avenues of research into what some researchers may have assumed were dead ends.”

These records are now available to Diamond subscribers of TheGenealogist.

Example 1 Thought to be dead

Some people initially reported to be dead may turn out to be alive; the change in status is usually reported in the War Lists. If it had been assumed that an ancestor was dead, from the initial report, it could reopen a closed off branch of a family tree for further research.

An example of this type of positive record status change is Flight Sub Lieutenant Trechmann who was first reported as “Died As A Prisoner” in the Daily Lists of 6th June 1917.

By the end of July 1917 his status changed to Previously Reported Died As A Prisoner, Now Reported Alive and Still a Prisoner.

Finally, in December 1918, his records show that he was Repatriated.

Example 2 Thought to be wounded

A different illustration, on many levels, is that of the 5th Earl of Longford. Within the Daily Casualty List on TheGenealogist for the 6th September 1915, we can find Lord Longford who had previously been reported as “Wounded”.

His status was then changed to be “Now Reported Wounded and Missing” and this alteration appeared in the daily list of the 27th September 1915

During the First World War, Brigadier-General Lord Longford was in command of a division sent from their base in Egypt to Suvla on the Gallipoli peninsula as reinforcements during the Battle of Sari Bair.

The initial attack by other Divisions on Scimitar Hill had failed. With his men waiting in reserve, the 5th Earl and his troops were then ordered to advance in the open across a dry salt lake. Under fire, most of the brigades had taken shelter, but Lord Longford led his men in a charge to capture the summit of Scimitar Hill. Unfortunately, during the advance, he was killed.

Earl Longford's body was never recovered and so, in the confusion of war, he was first recorded as “Wounded”, and then “Wounded and Missing”. Eventually, in 1916, he would be assumed to be dead.

Posterity tells us that the peer’s last words were recorded as: “Don’t bother ducking, the men don’t like it and it doesn’t do any good”.

To read more about these records and to read a featured article on TheGenalogist here.