Discover Your Ancestors
Two critically acclaimed publications are available to family history researchers - the annual print magazine, Discover Your Ancestors, and the monthly online magazine, Discover Your Ancestors Periodical. Click here to subscribe.TheGenealogist celebrates RAF centenary with new data
To mark the centenary of the establishment of the RAF on 1 April 1918, TheGenealogist has released thousands of records of individuals who were recorded in a number of Air Force Lists from 1921 to 1944. Also released at this time are copies of Flight magazine for 1909, 1910 and 1911, plus an important collection of historic reference books.
TheGenealogist has added these new records to its ever-growing military collection for researchers with RAF ancestors to make use of in order to commemorate the formation of the world’s first air force independent of an army or a navy.
Users of the new collections can:
- Read the details of RAF officers in Air Force Lists including name, rank and service number
- Find names of early aviators in Flight magazine
- Get background information on aviation from a collection of reference books
- Use TheGenealogist’s unique ‘SmartSearch’ to link to other military records.
Air Force Lists recorded the details of officers who served in the Royal Air Force and include information on the order of seniority, retired officer lists, and alphabetical indexes.
Flight magazine was founded in 1909 as a journal concerned with air transport and all things to do with flying.
Of particular note are the following historic reference books that have been added in this release: The Air Annual of the British Empire 1930, Book of the Air 1931, Aviation – An Introduction to the Elements of Flying, and The Wonder Book of Aircraft 1930.
Read more about the birth of the RAF in a related article here: www.thegenealogist.co.uk/featuredarticles/2018/celebratingthe-centenary-of-the-raf-withthegenealogists-records-778/
More WW1 service medal records
TheGenealogist has released the records of 29,000 individuals who were decorated with the Meritorious Service Medal (MSM) in the First World War. Researchers can now look for holders of this medal up to 1920 from within the site’s ever-growing military records collection.
The digitised records include copies of the images of the medal cards, showing the theatre of war where the medal was won. Other information includes name, rank, regiment and service number. The unique ‘SmartSearch’ feature links to other military records in the site’s extensive collections.
The medal was first awarded in 1845 to non-commissioned officers in the British Army who had a record of long service in the forces. Given originally for long service of at least 20 years to servicemen who were of irreproachable character and already held the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal of their service, the First World War saw it awarded to those who performed acts of noncombatant gallantry in the performance of their military duty. In the second case the bravery was not necessarily while the serviceman was on active service and may have been in the saving or attempted saving of the life of an officer or an enlisted soldier.
1940s passenger lists online
TheGenealogist has just released 1.4 million passenger records covering the 1940s. This expands the site’s Outbound Passenger Lists to over 25 million records. The new records feature passengers who sailed out of United Kingdom in the years between 1940 and 1949 – these newly transcribed images are from The National Archives series BT 27. The passenger lists will allow researchers to find ancestors sailing to Africa, Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand and other destinations, and include details of ages, last address and intended permanent residence.
Read an article on the new records here: www.thegenealogist.co.uk/featuredarticles/2018/1940spassenger-lists-reveal-evacuatedchildren-war-brides-and-servicepersonel-crossing-the-atlantic-758/