10
World War One / Re: Admiralty Records Mediterranean
« on: Thursday 08 November 18 09:58 GMT (UK) »
Thank you Shaun I'll follow that up immediately. Nice to be able to pass more information on to his descendants who all live in Canada.
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11
World War One / Re: Admiralty Records Mediterranean
« on: Thursday 08 November 18 09:32 GMT (UK) »
A little serendipity! Whilst researching his brothers I uncovered a press photograph of them all together in which it states that he was an Engine Fitter on HMS Reliance which Wikipedia says was a repair ship, previously the civilian ship Knight Companion. She was purchased in 1912 and was sold in 1919.
12
World War One / Re: Admiralty Records Mediterranean
« on: Wednesday 07 November 18 18:33 GMT (UK) »
I can find no evidence amongst Naval or Military sources that he was enlisted so he may well have been a civilian. If that is the case though wouldn't he have had to have had some recognition of his exemption from enlistment?
Maybe he worked for "Q" & I'm looking in the wrong place ;-)
Maybe he worked for "Q" & I'm looking in the wrong place ;-)
13
World War One / Re: Admiralty Records Mediterranean
« on: Wednesday 07 November 18 15:43 GMT (UK) »
Sorry, should have been clearer, he served in the First World War.
14
World War One / Admiralty Records Mediterranean
« on: Wednesday 07 November 18 15:17 GMT (UK) »
Hi,
One of my gt gt uncles Henry Alfred Ballard, born 19 Oct 1889 Hastings, Sussex, stated in a press cutting (n.d. possibly 1944) "I was in the Eastern Mediterranean during the best part of the last war, on special duty for the Admiralty,..." According to his grandson Christopher Ballard "I enjoyed the 1944 quote by Henry, saying he was on “special duty with the Admiralty.” He was busy reverse-engineering a captured German submarine (I have a piece of it on my mantel), and in his “spare” time building gasoline bombs to drop on Turkish wheat fields (I have his sketches), and, according to family lore, adding sugar to drums of German diesel hidden in sandbars meant to refuel submarines. He always was a tough old bugger."
I can find no trace of any information on WWI captured U-boats & haven't been able to track down his service record through Discovery for the TNA or via Ancestry. Can anyone offer any suggestions as to where I might pursue this further please?
Paul
One of my gt gt uncles Henry Alfred Ballard, born 19 Oct 1889 Hastings, Sussex, stated in a press cutting (n.d. possibly 1944) "I was in the Eastern Mediterranean during the best part of the last war, on special duty for the Admiralty,..." According to his grandson Christopher Ballard "I enjoyed the 1944 quote by Henry, saying he was on “special duty with the Admiralty.” He was busy reverse-engineering a captured German submarine (I have a piece of it on my mantel), and in his “spare” time building gasoline bombs to drop on Turkish wheat fields (I have his sketches), and, according to family lore, adding sugar to drums of German diesel hidden in sandbars meant to refuel submarines. He always was a tough old bugger."
I can find no trace of any information on WWI captured U-boats & haven't been able to track down his service record through Discovery for the TNA or via Ancestry. Can anyone offer any suggestions as to where I might pursue this further please?
Paul
15
Berkshire / Re: Newbury Remembers
« on: Friday 13 July 12 21:50 BST (UK) »Hello Newburychap,
I know about Paul Ballard's site. Although a lot of it is very accurate, some of the very early stuff I had proved is not so reliable. The links originally made between the Ballards of Ufton and those of Thatcham are particularly iffy and incomplete, but the site has proved useful to me as a starting point in the past.
Always happy to have corrections to the material on my website - after all it will remain "iffy" If no one tells me about it.
Paul
16
Pembrokeshire / Re: Gwyther & Jenkins, Begelly area of Pembrokeshire
« on: Wednesday 27 July 11 14:27 BST (UK) »
Orielbenfro,
Thank you for taking the time & trouble to look for Gwythers for me, very much appreciated.
Paul
Thank you for taking the time & trouble to look for Gwythers for me, very much appreciated.
Paul
17
Pembrokeshire / Re: Gwyther & Jenkins, Begelly area of Pembrokeshire
« on: Monday 25 July 11 07:53 BST (UK) »
Hi Jon,
You are a star! Absolutely spot on with the William Jenkins Will as it mentions several of his children that I know from the Willof Thomas Jenkins. Several of the family seemed to have lived around Cold Harbour too. Any more light that you can shed on William Jenkins would be much appreciated.
I think it is also pretty certain that Stephen Gwyther is the missing husband of Elizabeth Jenkins but I am struggling to compile a definitive list of their children - don't you just hate it when they don't even name them in their Wills! Looks like I shall have to make a trip to Haverfordwest now!
Many thanks for your sterling piece of research.
Paul
You are a star! Absolutely spot on with the William Jenkins Will as it mentions several of his children that I know from the Willof Thomas Jenkins. Several of the family seemed to have lived around Cold Harbour too. Any more light that you can shed on William Jenkins would be much appreciated.
I think it is also pretty certain that Stephen Gwyther is the missing husband of Elizabeth Jenkins but I am struggling to compile a definitive list of their children - don't you just hate it when they don't even name them in their Wills! Looks like I shall have to make a trip to Haverfordwest now!
Many thanks for your sterling piece of research.
Paul
18
Pembrokeshire / Gwyther & Jenkins, Begelly area of Pembrokeshire
« on: Sunday 24 July 11 15:59 BST (UK) »
George Gwyther was the son of Elizabeth Jenkins and an unknown Gwyther. He entered into business as a nurseryman with his maternal uncle Thomas Jenkins (born c1760 probably in the Begelly area of Pembrokeshire) and they traded as Jenkins & Gwyther from New Road, Marylebone and also had a nursery in Regent's Park. George married Henrietta Anne Leslie twice, firstly on 4 October 1806 at Deptford St Nicholas and again on 4 April 1807 at St Marylebone. Henrietta Anne was the oldest daughter and heir in her own right of the 13th Earl of Rothes and she became Countess of Rothes in 1817 at which time George Gwyther adopted the Leslie surname and Arms by Royal Warrant. Quite an elevation from nurseryman to consort of a Countess!
George witnessed the marriages of Margaret Gwyther to James Aris (28 Feb 1815 at St Marylebone) and Martha Gwyther to Thomas Dunnell (27 Nov 1815 at St George's Hanover Square). Martha Gwyther is my 3 x Gt Grandmother and I am trying to confirm the baptism details of George, Margaret & Martha in or around 1780 and again probably in Pembrokeshire. I know that their mother Elizabeth was widowed before 1829 and remarried to a John Lewis, this is independently confirmed in the Wills of Thomas Jenkins and George Leslie (formerly Gwyther).
I would be glad to hear from anyone who knows anything about this family and would be happy to exchange information.
George witnessed the marriages of Margaret Gwyther to James Aris (28 Feb 1815 at St Marylebone) and Martha Gwyther to Thomas Dunnell (27 Nov 1815 at St George's Hanover Square). Martha Gwyther is my 3 x Gt Grandmother and I am trying to confirm the baptism details of George, Margaret & Martha in or around 1780 and again probably in Pembrokeshire. I know that their mother Elizabeth was widowed before 1829 and remarried to a John Lewis, this is independently confirmed in the Wills of Thomas Jenkins and George Leslie (formerly Gwyther).
I would be glad to hear from anyone who knows anything about this family and would be happy to exchange information.