Q & a

Q I can’t find any information about my great grandfather, William Smith (1871–1907), before 1893. In the 1901 census, he declares himself to be William Thompson, a “Traveller CT”, born in Scotland. H

All family historians hit brick walls, and this is the story of the techniques (and luck) that enabled me to overcome a tough challenge. My 3x great grandfather Thomas Hoskin lived on the beautiful Go

If your ancestors lived in the UK in the 19th and 20th centuries, the chances are that one or more of them saw some sort of military service. When we think of our ancestors serving in the British mili

Q My great uncle, James Athey Hunt (here seated on the left), was from Stocktonon-Tees and would have been 18 in February 1916. He was at Salisbury Plain during the First World War, but I have no idea

Further to Dr Mike Esbester’s article “The Reign of the Railway” in the October issue, may I add another angle to the fascinating story of our railways and what they can tell us about family history –

The uniforms of the British Armed Forces and those of the Empire, Commonwealth and dominions across the sea all looked alike with subtle differences. This same rule can be applied to the other branche