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At this special time of year, War memorials the length and breadth of the land will have been cleaned and prepared for the historic centenary of the 1918 Armistice.

I found this picture of my Grandfather, Joe Beattie (in waistcoat and cap, front right of picture) with one of the many memorials he'd worked on, erected shortly after WW1. As a survivor of Passchendaele, I wonder how he must have felt, chiselling a stone replica of fallen comrades? I find it quite humbling, but I am immensely proud of him.

Stoney

I've returned to one of my 'brick walls' and am still trying to trace an errant relative in my family tree who, thanks to information from a helpful member of RC a while back, apparently ended up dying in Australia, hence no death certificate to be found in British BMD's. There was belated notice posted in his home town newspaper in Carlisle indicating his death and that of another relative on the same day in Castlemaine.

Another RC'er has found mention of what may be the other relative on an ordinary passenger list leaving Britain for Australia, but there's no entry for my 'man of mystery'!

I assumed they'd gone out to join the gold rush but I'm seriously clutching at straws now and wondering if he was sentenced to transportation - are there any lists he'd appear on? (and where would I begin to look?)

Any help or advice greatly received! 

Regards,
Stoney

After a chance conversation the other day, I discovered one of my mother's cousins had served in the Merchant Navy during WW2 and was shipwrecked on the Skeleton Coast (Namibia). I think he was on the Dunedin Star?
Can anyone advise where to find a crew list?

Mods. - please move this if I've posted in the wrong section.
 Many thanks!

Stoney

I've been sorting out cupboards and came across a bag of old Ordnance Survey maps which belonged to my husband's Grandfather.

Some are very old, with cloth backing and are mainly geological survey editions (apt, since Grandad went on to work in the Kolar Goldfields in India, assessing rock structure for mining) - they date from 1907-1914. (see pic)

The others are dated between 1946-1960s and are general OS maps of the era.

All the maps are of the south coast and counties, with the exception of one for Skipton (cloth backed and dated 1913)

My question is - what on earth to do with them?

One bears some handwritten annotation - possibly from when the man in question was studying for his degree, so I think that ought to be preserved with the rest of his certificates and papers. Other than his own signature of ownership there is nothing remarkable about the others.

I'm loath to chuck them out so I'll probably end up putting them in a box and back into a cupboard - how should I best preserve them in that case?

Any help/advice/suggestions gratefully received!

Stoney