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Hi all,

I hope this isn't a duplicate thread, but just wanted to share that I have noticed www.familysearch.org is currently indexing Cambridgeshire Bishop Transcripts, so it looks as though those of us with Cambs roots might finally get to see some images soon. The FS site says about 8% have been verified, so we might have to wait some weeks yet.

I remember visiting CRO a few years ago and all of their PR's were transcribed. If like me, you like to have copies of the images instead, this is a welcome step forward.

Just thought I'd share!

Kind regards,
Matt.

Hi again everyone.

Apologies - the notification of replies had gone into my junk folder - rude!

Wow - what can I say?

Thank you for all of this fantastic information - especially the obituaries and the newspaper reports into James Mackie's murder. That has come as a real shock but one that has meant I can now trace his descendants to try and make contact with them. It's a sad, sad story, isn't it?

I have been trying to find Isabella for years now and have often thought something within this family seemed awry. No marriage to be found for her in the UK and her husband disappears without a trace before she and Constance move to Canada. This now helps me close a specific part of the story, but I'm still fascinated.

i'll have a look through the Montreal Gazette papers when I get some more spare time as I'd quite like to find out what happened to the men who killed James. the report from the funeral certainly seems to paint a picture of it being quite an event.

It must have been awful for Constance

Thanks again - I sincerely appreciate the help

Matt.

Hello all,

I hope that someone may be able to add some clarity to a problem I have researching an ancestor of mine who fought in the First World War.

The man I am researching is my great, great grandfather, Sergeant 15471 Thomas James Griffiths, who served with 5th (Pioneer) Battalion South Wales Borderers from 1915 and was demobbed in 1919. According to the medal rolls compiled in 1920, he is listed as being 'attached to 19th Machine Gun Corps'.

So here's the issue I have: Thomas' service record does not survive so I am relying on a medal card to give me the date he went overseas and the war diaries of the 5/SWB. But because he is listed as being attached to the Machine Gun Corps, I am confused as to precisely which war diary I need to look at.

A brief look at the war diary for the 5th Bn SWB tells me there was indeed a machine gun section in the battalion which occasionally conducted duties away from the bulk of the battalion, but what I really would appreciate some clarity on is whether I rely on the SWB war diaries for Sgt Griffiths' movements or is there a MGC diary somewhere that I need to find instead/as well?

Any help that any of you awesome people could provide on this would be warmly welcomed; it's difficult not having his service record and as a result I am relying heavily on war diaries, and so I'm obviously keen to get his movements correct.

Thanks for reading this post and in anticipation,
Matt.

Hello everyone,

I am trying to find an answer to the above question and thought I'd ask here in case someone has had similar experience.

I am trying to find information regarding the regimental service record of Private 4408 B(ernard) OWENS who was born in Downpatrick, Ireland in 1871 and died whilst on service in South Africa in June 1901. His death was due to sickness and heart disease as opposed to being killed in military action. He was in the 1st Battalion Highland Light Infantry and had gone to South Africa at the beginning of the war in 1899. Previous to this he was in the Hamilton Militia in Scotland and was a sailmaker through the early 1890's so I presume not a full time soldier.

However, despite trying (a lot!), I can't locate his army service records anywhere for when he was a full-time soldier. Does anyone know why this may be? Could they have been lost or destroyed for some reason? I am not sure if casualties had their records destroyed at this time and so any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Kind regards,

Matt.

Thank you for your responses. I think I'm just a bit dismayed that the records aren't there.

I've just contacted Mary McHugh who has directed me back to St. Pat's. I will email them again and ask if it might be possible for me to check the records for some remaining baptisms I have on my list/ That way while I am at it I may be able to check for those confirmation dates.

Apologies if I came across as impatient or ungrateful. I am still just a little bit miffed at the response.

Onward  I plod...thanks again for your help

Regards,

Matt.