Author Topic: PROFESSIONAL RESEARCHERS - FRENCH?  (Read 973 times)

Offline linda51

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PROFESSIONAL RESEARCHERS - FRENCH?
« on: Monday 06 February 17 17:56 GMT (UK) »
Yet another door slammed in my face in my fairly hopeless attempts to find out more about my father's death in Cameroon in 1964. As he was dual French/English and apparently socialising with French friends when the purported accident occurred, I made an approach to the French Consul in Yaounde. Letter received today basically tells me : Je vous informe que la section consulaire de l'Ambassade de France au Cameroun n'est pas en mesure d'effectuer de telles recherches. En effect, la recherche dans l'interest des familles est un service qui n'est plus rendu par l'administration francaise dupuis 2013. Je vous invite donc a adresser vos demandes a des professionels de la recherche privee.

Why, why why is it necessary to get a professional researcher? .........Anyone happen to have contact with someone who would take this up?

Offline MaxD

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Re: PROFESSIONAL RESEARCHERS - FRENCH?
« Reply #1 on: Tuesday 07 February 17 10:40 GMT (UK) »
Presumably you've checked the GRO for overseas deaths (as he had dual nationality his death may have been registered with the British authorities in Cameroon).

maxD
I am Zoe Northeast, granddaughter of Maximilian Double.
 
It is with great difficulty I share with you that in the early hours of 07 August 2021, Maximilian passed away unexpectedly but peacefully.

With deep sadness,
Zoe



Double  Essex/Suffolk
Randle/Millington Warwicks
Sokser/Klingler Austria/Croatia

Offline linda51

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Re: PROFESSIONAL RESEARCHERS - FRENCH?
« Reply #2 on: Tuesday 07 February 17 13:47 GMT (UK) »
Thanks, yes. I have two death certificates - one registered at the British Consul and the other a Cameroon non-native certificate. The cause of death stated on one of the certificates is "immersion".

Many years before this, in 1939, he needed to get out of occupied France and the only way he was able to do this was to join the French Army. His French Army Service record confirms this, and his service in North Africa until 1943, when the Allies won. From that time, he had no apparent involvement with the French again - but the service record shows every post-war date he went into Nigeria and/or Cameroon, as a civilian and with his family who understood he had a civilian job with no military or intellience involvement.
In 1944, he was flown into the UK and recruited by MI6.
Cameroon was a hot bed of political intrigue in 1963/64 and was being carved up by various countries. Hence my wish to confirm the nature of his death..........by hopefully obtaining an eye-witness report!

Offline MaxD

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Re: PROFESSIONAL RESEARCHERS - FRENCH?
« Reply #3 on: Tuesday 07 February 17 14:43 GMT (UK) »
A tangled web!  Only other thought is whether you know who he was working for at the time?

maxD
I am Zoe Northeast, granddaughter of Maximilian Double.
 
It is with great difficulty I share with you that in the early hours of 07 August 2021, Maximilian passed away unexpectedly but peacefully.

With deep sadness,
Zoe



Double  Essex/Suffolk
Randle/Millington Warwicks
Sokser/Klingler Austria/Croatia


Offline linda51

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Re: PROFESSIONAL RESEARCHERS - FRENCH?
« Reply #4 on: Tuesday 07 February 17 14:48 GMT (UK) »
Yes - he was working for Pamol - a subsidiary of Unilever. His job was to set up a new branch of the company and he worked closely with another male employee. I got in touch with quite a few of the men my Dad was have worked with, but unfortunately, the one person who could have told me most was in a nursing home. All the other people told me Dad must have been with French friends.......hence my belief any accident may have been recorded by the Embassy in Younde or Victoria.

Offline jayaygee

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Re: PROFESSIONAL RESEARCHERS - FRENCH?
« Reply #5 on: Wednesday 08 February 17 15:41 GMT (UK) »
If you don't want to use a professional researcher, I should think your best bet would be to try and find a newspaper report of your father's death.  Some French papers have archives on line for 1964, but you may have to pay. Don't know about English papers.

BDF Twigg, Ellingham, Gates
BKM Bilbey, Collins, Brandon, Norwood, Smith
HAM Holloway (Romsey area)
HRT Brooks (Tring area)
LDN Saunders, Beedle
MDX Saunders
MLN Maitland, Robertson, McGlashan(all Edinburgh)
OXF Morby, Cross, Gardner (all Banbury area)
SAL Jones, Mathews, Higginson, Davies, Gobourn, Blount
WAR Pritchard (Birmingham)
WRY Dickinson, Atkinson, Mellon, Pritchard, Ashforth, Helliwell, Hague, Dungworth (all Sheffield area)

Offline linda51

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Re: PROFESSIONAL RESEARCHERS - FRENCH?
« Reply #6 on: Wednesday 08 February 17 18:03 GMT (UK) »
Are these papers searchable by location and/or name? If you could let me know how to find the online archives for the papers, I'd be grateful...............and if you know how I go about finding a professional researcher, preferably someone who speaks French and English..........I'd be grateful for that information too.

Offline MaxD

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Re: PROFESSIONAL RESEARCHERS - FRENCH?
« Reply #7 on: Wednesday 08 February 17 19:26 GMT (UK) »
English newspapers - This guide should help.http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/newspapers/  Some libraries have access to some sites if they are subscription sites.  Look for free trials or free searches which charge only if results come up. 

maxD
I am Zoe Northeast, granddaughter of Maximilian Double.
 
It is with great difficulty I share with you that in the early hours of 07 August 2021, Maximilian passed away unexpectedly but peacefully.

With deep sadness,
Zoe



Double  Essex/Suffolk
Randle/Millington Warwicks
Sokser/Klingler Austria/Croatia

Offline linda51

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Re: PROFESSIONAL RESEARCHERS - FRENCH?
« Reply #8 on: Wednesday 08 February 17 19:45 GMT (UK) »
Thanks Max, I'll give them a try, but I suspect French newspaper archives are more likely to carry a report.