Find Ancestors

Hi all
Update so far, have found a report in the Times newspaper dated 20th March 1942 two days after the deaths:
Lawrence Julian Hatcher and Lewis Jerald Hatcher, twin brothers, aged 13, of Wraysbury, Bucks, and a 13-year-old evacuated boy, Reginald Jacobs, were found dead after an explosion had been heard in a spinney near the Thames at Wraysbury on Wednesday night.
Will be discovering more tomorrow at local library.
Samantha

n

Samantha,

I'm sure all us on this thread would be interested to know what you learn.

Hope you have a successful day!

Diane

Hi Diane
Thanks for your reply, the local library for Wraysbury is going to be Windsor as i spent a whole morning last week phoning everywhere including newspaper offices for info and this is where i will be going on monday 19th this month, if interested and wish to be keep informed i shall let you all know how i get on if i find anything.

Samantha

Samantha,

I guess you need to google a bit! Depending on the archives available at the actual local paper offices, they may be able to help you with an email enquiry.

Also, I wonder if you realised what I meant about the National Newspaper Archive, as I understand it they have copies of ALL newspapers, local and national, and are based in Collingdale, London. So one visit there could kill several birds with one stone, if you see what I mean. I haven't been myself, but I know others who have.

Finally, I wouldn't discount emailing the local library itself, not only will they also have the local paper archive, they may be prepared to do a lookup for you, all depends how busy they are. Also is there a local museum covering the area? They also may have the paper archives, so an email there may also be worthwhile.

Hope you find something out, somewhere!

regards

Diane

Hi Diane
Apart from going to the local library is there any other way of finding this infomation do you know.
Regards
Samantha

Samantha,

there's also the National Newspaper Archive at Collingdale which would have local as well as national paper archives. Local papers may have described the incident and the boys more in detail.

Thanks Gail
Ishall look at the library first and if no joy then take your advise

Samantha

Hi Samantha

I don't know if any archive papers for that area are online.

Usually for local papers it is 'hands on' which is what you are doing soon anyway.

Have you got anything going out over the radio or in the local newspapers to see if anyone remembers anything. I know it is a subject which has to be handled with care but with the right wording it might bring some response.

Good luck with the research and the article.

Gail. x

Hi Gail
Do you know how i can access the online newspaper reports as im pretty new to all of this.
Samantha

Hi Gail
I have the news article from the Times and have ordered the death cert of the twins im going to Windsor library on the 19th of Nov as they have every thing on file there so hope to gain more info.
i have been asked by the people of Wraysbury to write an article of what happened so need to get my research correct first.

Samantha

Hi Samantha

Have you checked out the newspapers and the Times Online, or did you only really want another 'first person' account so to speak.

Hopefully his death cert may give more clues and once you can fill some more family details in you can have a search on Genes and see if anyone has him in there tree. Someone might be related but not know that he had such a tragic end to his short life.

Hope you find someone as it must have been a devastating time for all concerned to have three 13 year old boys killed in one accident.

Good luck

Gail x

n

hi Guys
Sorry i have not back to any of you sooner have been a little busy,
The twins names were Lawrence J & Lewis J Hatcher born 1928 i have the birth & death cert numbers just need to apply for them.
i just wondered if anyone out there was related to Reginald that might of known what happened i have heard what my nan has told me as she was there, but always two sides to a story.
Samantha xxx

Could you send for Reginald Jacobs death certificate and see what that said. I see in the Times it gives the names of the twins but just says Reginald was an evacuated boy.

Gail.

Reginald J Jacobs 13 Eton 3a 2286

what are their names?

Im not sure if there would be anything there, the children were playing with this item at the time when it blew them up
Samantha

http://www.cwgc.org this site does have some civilian war dead on the register
Janice

Hi
Wonder if any one can help or know anything, my great uncles died when 13 yrs old back in 1942 they were killed by an hand grenade along with an evacuated boy from London called Reginald Jacobs, in Wraysbury Buckinghamshire (now Middlesex)
Are you related to the evacuated boy?
Do you know anything about what happened.
Would love to hear from anyone
Regards
Samantha