A Princess Mary Gift Fund Box was a treasured possession of many veteran soldiers of the First World War, here we look at what the box contained, who received them and how many were sent out.
Year: 2016
QUICK GUIDE TO – Researching YOUR Somme Tommy.
The Battle of the Somme was Britain’s biggest and bloodiest battle and there is a high chance that a member of your family fought there. Helen Tovey, Editor of ‘Family Tree Magazine’ runs through 16 key sources that can help you trace them in WW1. READ M
The Unknown Warrior: Gone, But Never Forgotten
The Unknown Warrior is a powerful symbol that embodies a host of contradictions. He is an ordinary soldier, but one who has been given a place of extraordinary honour; he has no name, yet every family whose relative never returned from the Great War feels
Facts about Remembrance Day and why we wear a Poppy
The first Remembrance Day was held in 1919 throughout the Commonwealth. It was originally called “Armistice Day” to commemorate armistice agreement that ended the First World War. Every November 11th there is a two-minute silence at 11am for people to rem
19 OCTOBER 1914 — Blood, Mud and Rain as the First Battle of Ypres Officially Begins
Today has an important significance because on the 19 October 1914, a savage and bitter battle for the strategic town of Ypres, in western Belgium, was taking place READ MORE HERE
First speech of Princess Elizabeth, the future Queen
The first public speech by a young Princess Elizabeth, which was made at the height of the Battle of Britain to the children of the Commonwealth on 13th October 1940
1917 The First Battle Of Passchendaele – The Battle Of The Mud
The first battle of Passchendaele (sometimes called the Third Battle of Ypres) took place on this day, 12 October, in 1917 in the Ypres Salient area of the Western Front. Fought during the First World War, the Allied plan to capture Passchendaele village
Only the Valiant: The Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross & Bar ONLY three have ever been awarded & here are the three recipients. READ MORE HERE
The first Air Raid on London by the Luftwaffe
From the outset of World War Two, Britain had been expecting a great German air assault on its soil. This fear was realised when bombs fell on the capital on the 24th of August 1940. ‘The Blitz’ was about to begin
Finding your Submariner Ancestor
Genealogy hints and tips on how to discover your submariner ancestor – Taken from the Forces War Records Monthly e-magazine.