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 Navy
The Normandy landings at 80: stories of courage from our military archives
Discover the courage and bravery of the men and women who helped make the Normandy landings a success The Normandy landings of 6 June 1944, known as D-Day, were a massive feat…
D-Day 80: Four fathers and their D-Day stories – Part 1
Stories from our community for the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings We’ve reached a major anniversary in the history of WWII: D-Day 80, 80 years since the launch of Operation Overlord,…
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…
7 essential military records for discovering navy ancestors
Britain has a strong maritime tradition, and you may have navy ancestors waiting to be discovered. But how do you uncover details of your ancestors’ service with the Royal Navy, and what…
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…
Who Do You Think You Are?: Episode 8 – Chris Ramsey’s navy ancestors
Episode eight of series 20 of Who Do You Think You Are? explored the family history of comedian Chris Ramsey. The episode had a strong naval theme and revealed Chris’s family connection…
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…