Author Topic: Anyone had any luck visiting Kew?  (Read 612 times)

Offline Chris Anderson

  • RootsChat Extra
  • **
  • Posts: 99
  • STAND SURE
    • View Profile
Anyone had any luck visiting Kew?
« on: Friday 09 February 18 19:42 GMT (UK) »
Was it worth going? What did you find? 

Any info/advice for me  :)

Offline hallmark

  • ~
  • RootsChat Marquessate
  • ****
  • Posts: 17,525
    • View Profile
Re: Anyone had any luck visiting Kew?
« Reply #1 on: Friday 09 February 18 20:16 GMT (UK) »
Go prepared.
Give a man a record and you feed him for a day.
Teach a man to research, and you feed him for a lifetime.

Offline Girl Guide

  • RootsChat Marquessate
  • *******
  • Posts: 6,428
  • Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
    • View Profile
Re: Anyone had any luck visiting Kew?
« Reply #2 on: Friday 09 February 18 21:43 GMT (UK) »
I see Hallmark was suitably brief.

What you need to do is make a list of what you want to look up, then check that Nat. Arch. have the records that you wish to look at before you go there.

The link below tells you all about visiting them.  Click on each section and thoroughly read it.

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/about/visit-us/

In other words do plenty of pre visit research before you leave your house.  :) :)

Ashford: Somerset, London
England: Devon, London, New Zealand
Holdway: Wiltshire
Hooper: Bristol, Somerset
Knowling: Devon, London
Southcott: Devon, China
Strong: Wiltshire
Watson: Cambridgeshire
White: Bristol
Windo - Gloucestershire, Somerset, Wiltshire

Offline BushInn1746

  • RootsChat Marquessate
  • *******
  • Posts: 3,108
  • My Family's Links 19th Cent
    • View Profile
Re: Anyone had any luck visiting Kew?
« Reply #3 on: Friday 09 February 18 22:27 GMT (UK) »
Hello

Great success and disappointment best sums up the place. You find a brief reference to your war incident of interest in a file with an original file reference. However, the original file is simply not in the paper indexes or on Discovery, or the file is held there, but the Report or part you want has been removed, per Minute Sheet.

Make sure you have all the correct documentation with you, to prove who you are and where you live, to get a Readers Ticket, to see original documents.

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/about/visit-us/

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/about/visit-us/researching-here/do-i-need-a-readers-ticket/

If you are looking for WW 2 Naval stuff and it does not appear in the catalogue, you have to search in large Admiralty Digests (by code numbered subject headings) first and hopefully get an original file reference or War History Case number, which you have to convert to a current catalogue reference.

Lots of stuff, including individual incidents, are often hidden behind a short file title.

Mark


Offline Bookbox

  • RootsChat Marquessate
  • *******
  • Posts: 7,896
  • Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
    • View Profile
Re: Anyone had any luck visiting Kew?
« Reply #4 on: Saturday 10 February 18 01:05 GMT (UK) »
Any info/advice for me  :)

Without knowing what you're looking for, it's hard to offer pertinent info/advice.

But it isn't the first time this question has been asked, and you might find this thread useful ...
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=775248.0