Was your ancestor one of the hundreds of thousands of Allied prisoners captured during the Second World War? Discover details about their time as a prisoner with our WWII, Allied Prisoners of…
Tag: Royal Air Force
D-Day 80: Four fathers and their D-Day stories – Part 4
Stories from our community for the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings In part 4 of our D-Day 80 community stories series, we meet James Tough Gibson, whose squadron was involved in…
The Great Escape: a true story
Researching the names of all 76 escapers during the real Great Escape. What does the term ‘great escape’ mean to you? For many, it conjures vivid images from the iconic 1963 prisoner-of-war…
Author’s pick: top 5 WWII records to help you research your military ancestors with Forces War Records
Our subscribers have access to a diverse range of WWII records, from medal records and casualty collections to officer lists. Below are my top five records to help you learn more about…
National Service Records: what’s available to researchers?
Did your family member serve with the armed forces under National Service? Perhaps they shared stories of their time in uniform with you, or you’ve stumbled on a photo in an album…
Researching WWII ancestors: overcoming the challenges
Why can researching WWII ancestors be so challenging? Military Genealogist Simon Pearce tackles the question and provides advice on how to make meaningful discoveries. Intro Many of us have family members who…
Story behind the image: smoke floats and WWII rescues
In the above photo, munitions workers at a factory in the south of England stack smoke floats for aircraft in October 1941, ready for despatch. These curious-looking items played an important role…
Operation Chastise – Dambusters WW2 80th Anniversary
Dambusters 80th Anniversary The 16th May 2023 marks the 80th anniversary of the Dambusters Raid, also known as Operation Chastise. An attack on the major dams of western Germany using the bouncing…
Researching British WWI Ancestors: Part II
In our second instalment of Researching British WWI Ancestors, Forces War Records (FWR) Military Genealogist Simon Pearce delves deeper into the collections available to our subscribers. Part I of my blog focused…
Researching British WWI Ancestors: Part I
Our Military Genealogist, Simon Pearce, shows you how to start researching British WW1 ancestors. Researching your British WW1 ancestors’ military service is a rewarding and exciting part of family history. Knowing where…