In 1918 Winifred Sandford was studying at Teacher Training College in London when a government request was made for female students to join the Women’s Army. Winifred decided to go and ended up at Barwick, near Yeovil, where she joined six hundred other women. They were accommodated in tents, with eight girls to each tent. When the weather was good some of them slept outside. During her ten-week vacation, Winifred pulled flax for aeroplane construction. The flax had to be pulled by hand and it was very hard work especially on the hands which often had festering sores.
Expert Connect
June 25, 2009 at 4:00 am (Genealogy)
Many barriers can stand in the way as you try to grow your family tree. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could enlist the help of a professional? Introducing Ancestry.com Expert Connect. This innovative online tool will link you to hundreds of experienced genealogists who can assist you with your research goals. Hire a researcher for a simple task like snapping a photo of an ancestor’s grave, or recruit a professional to tackle a complex project like completing an entire section of your family tree.
Somerset Voices: Cuthbert Rose (b1907) Part 5
June 23, 2009 at 4:00 am (Genealogy)
Tags: Cocklake, Cuthbert Rose, Wedmore
The cider prepared by Cuthbert Rose on his farm in Cocklake near Wedmore was pure apple juice with no additions. Cider makers have personal recipes and techniques; sugar, raisins, ginger, lemons and even beetroot are added to give the cider flavour and colour, as well as helping it to ferment.
Genealogy on an iPhone
June 22, 2009 at 4:00 am (Genealogy)
Tags: iPhone
Shrubs is an easy to use application making it possible to carry your family tree with you at all times. It can import standard genealogy files (GEDCOM format) and allows you to quickly navigate through your tree at the touch of a finger.
Form more information go to http://software.benoitbousquet.com/view.php?app=shrubs
Burial clubs: the unfriendly societies
June 19, 2009 at 4:00 am (Genealogy)
Tags: National Archives
Friendly Societies were popular in the 19th Century, and were regulated by law. Surprisingly, burial clubs, which offered a form of life insurance, didn’t always fall into this category, and provided many incentives to commit fraud – and even murder! Learn more in this podcast from the National Archives
Jacob William Wheeler Ashley (1833-1912)
June 16, 2009 at 4:00 am (Biography, Genealogy)
Tags: Ashley, Bray, Watts
Jacob William Wheeler Ashley was born on March 18, 1833 at Laverton, Somerset, England the eldest son of James Ashley and Joanna Wheeler. The family moved to Hemington where younger brother James was born and the family are to be found in the 1841 and 1851 census returns.
Somerset Voices: Cuthbert Rose (b1907) Part 2
June 15, 2009 at 4:00 am (Genealogy)
Tags: Cocklake, Cuthbert Rose, Glastonbury, Somerset, Wedmore
Cuthbert Rose of Cocklake, Wedmore produced traditional cider for most of the last century. In this recording Cuthbert Rose describes the mill he used to grind up the apples before they were pressed. The Day Iron Foundry in nearby Mark made the mill. The foundry produced a variety of agricultural implements, some of which are on display at the Somerset Rural Life Museum, Glastonbury. Mr Rose used wooden shovels to shovel out the apple pomace from the mill into the cider press. Wooden shovels were used because metal shovels would taint and even poison the cider. It took two men to turn the wheels of the mill.
Titanic Lives: The Crew of RMS Titanic
June 14, 2009 at 4:00 am (Biography, Genealogy, History)
Tags: National Archives
Much has been written about RMS Titanic, but this has tended to concentrate on the ship and its passengers. Using sources such as crew lists, local newspapers, Titanic Fund minute books and the newly released 1911 census, this podcast from the National Archives traces the lives of a crewmen and his family and seeks to answer the question: What was life like for families in Southampton in the aftermath of the tragedy?
Somerset Voices: Cuthbert Rose (b1907) Part 1
June 12, 2009 at 4:00 am (Genealogy)
Tags: Cocklake, Cuthbert Rose, Philippa Legg, Wedmore
Cuthbert Rose was born in 1907. He produced traditional cider on his farm in Cocklake, a hamlet near Wedmore. Philippa Legg recorded Cuthbert in conjunction with her book ‘Cider Making in Somerset’. In this clip Cuthbert is talking about the barrels used in cider making, and the fermentation process.
1911 Census for Wales Goes Online
June 11, 2009 at 4:00 am (Genealogy, History)
Tags: Census, Wales
2.4 million people in Wales were recorded in the census taken on the night of April 2, 1911. The records of those people living in all 13 of the Welsh counties in 1911 are now available online at www.1911census.co.uk, where they join the 1911 census records from England first released in January 2009.
