In times of war tracing female ancestors in the forces & service

We ended last month looking at the soldier’s pocket books of the 19th century. Sadly very few of these documents survive. They are NOT included in any Army papers that have been stored over the years.

War art is often associated with male heroics – sketches dashed off under fire, or epic battlefield paintings filled with flags and explosions. Yet the value of women’s war art is that it helps captur

KATHERINE COBB is a member of AGRA based in Somerset REBECCA PROBERT is professor of law at the University of Exeter STEVE THOMAS is a genealogist with over 20 years’ experience PHIL TOMASELLI is a mi

I remember, many years ago, a potential client making a very specific request. They wanted me to research their family but they were only interested in the direct male line. ‘I don’t want to know abou

This World Mental Health Day (10 October), take a moment to reflect on the experiences of our ancestors who were mentally ill. How were they looked after, and where? Before the mid-18th century, the U

We’re going to start our coverage of the Army, at the time of the War of the Three Kingdoms, or as it is colloquially known The English Civil War (1643-1651). (It wasn’t only English units involved an