Genealogy Chat

Dear Sharon - thats really interesting. My dad was in Burma with the RAF. I wonder ............. This document isnt really important but it may be an interesting bit of stuff to flesh out the family tree - its the first criminal - albeit white collar - that Ive found in my lot. The Hansons - who this person is a grandchild through Mary, sister of my GGFx2 - are a strange old bunch, forever trying out new things, straining and stretching themselves for a better way of living and occasionally failing dramatically and ending up as a suicide. I was just interested in what this guy's personality may be like as Ive often been told Im a 'real Hanson' by elderly family members. (Should I worry?) Im not very good at Records Offices (Phoenix can bear that out - though to be fair I had a tooth abscess when I was with her!) and Id love to be able to go to places like Kew but Im sure Id faff about for hours and not find anything I wanted. Id like to look up Customs Officers for one of my GGPx4 and lots of other stuff - like my Grandads merchant navy record. I did get a researcher to look up his war Royal Navy record but it didnt give me any info as to what he did before. Also my GGF Navy record would be interesting. And then theres all the apprenticeships of my lot, cabinet makers, lightermen, one was a Pilot at the Customs House. Oh well. I may spend the £8.50 and just see what the doc says. It would cost me £50 or more to go to Kew.

As Phoenix said I had a really good ten pages of a document. Digital, colour pictures not a copy of microfiche/film. I was really pleased! As part of the message back I was told the whole document was over 50 pages so I was really dubious. Should I ask for an estimate or just ask them for the whole thing. As there was a trip to Kew I decided to just go down and have a look at the whole document myself. I would have like the next five pages but not the whole document, although reading the whole file I learnt alot about the government and British POW's in the Japanese hands and the money borrowed to try and keep our servicemen alive was repaid by the Red Cross and St Johns Ambulance, when by rights it really should have been paid by the British Gov. Funny co incidence as I was sith the St John Ambulane for a good few years and with out realising had done a small thing to repay what they had done after the war for dad and his fellow POWs. From that I really got the bug and managed to find some documents from the war crime trials ( conducted by the Dutch) and found out what happened to the people dad had told me about by name that ran the camp and actually how mad war is and how people abuse their postions of power in those situations but that is another story and one for debate. I've since found out that they have a diary of another POW. I hope to read this when I go back in August. I'm also going to bring a list of people I know were on dads ship and possibly some others in the camp. The Archives hold cards that theBritish gov asked people returning to fill in, so I hope to try and fill in( the gaps) some other stories that dad told me. What I also hope to find out is something about the Runway they built for landing planes. Dad had mentioned it ( they were made to sleep on it to stop the Americans bombing it) and also the story of men suffering with Berry Berry, Dysentry, malaria and add ten times more illnesses when they were less than six stone in weight being made to run 26 miles one christmas day. :'( I've seen stuff on the internet that agrees with the story but it was told through others in the camp that were working in the mines rather than on the runway. So it confirms what I have been told. Anyway to cut a long story short........ If it's a member of your family you are really interested in then go for it! I was really impressed by the service and it's got me thinking about what else I can look for. If you are not too sure I'm more than happy and I'm sure that others are too, that we'll have a look and report back and then you can make up your mind about if you want to order the document. If you would like to know the quality send me a PM and I'll email you a couple of pages so you can take a look. Best wishes sharonx

Well I'm definitely going in August and might squeeze in a visit before. You know me: anything to get my teeth in! Now I must get back to work, or I'll end up having to do research as a living, rather than a hobby!

Chris, they must have changed it a bit - now its 10 pages for £8.50 next day or £17 in an hour or something. Wish they did a £2.50 - youll get it next week, that would do me. Phoenix IF IF IF you wouldnt mind - Id like to see it if possible. Its the loony Hanson bunch again and you know how they do weird and wonderful things - well this guy is a grandson but no doubt as loony as the rest of them (us?). He is living with his dad who has a coffee shop in Southwark (but gives his occupation as engineer on his second marriage - figures) in 1881 this son is shown in coffee shop down as Solcitors clerk. In 1883 he is getting 3 months for 'acting as a solicitor'. Shall I download the £8.50 worth and if it ends 'and the most important point - ' then Ill creep to you?

Well, you could always ask me nicely: you know how nosy I am! Seriously, Sharon, who's going on the August visit, did get a ten page download. As it was just like a cliffhanger, she had to go to Kew to read the rest. And I think in her case that it was quite a lot, with more to tempt her once she was there.

This was a reply to an enquiry I made in mid-Feb: << Thank you for your e-mail. You can order the documents through both the Digital Express Pilot and Estimate Order Form. Digital Express only allows you to order up to 5 copies of your choice from a document for £6.50. This can become very costly, if you have more than one document, and you have a limit of up to 5 pages. The up side to this is that you can receive your copies in the same day as ordering. You can read more about digital express (including target times and terms and conditions) on our website: <http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/legal/digitalexpress.htm>http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/legal/digitalexpress.htm If you were to place an Estimate Request (Order Form), you can have up to 5 document references for £10.00 (which will go towards the copying costs). We will spend a maximum of 20 minutes identifying what you need copied from the references you have given us. If the requested material cannot be found within the allocated time or your order is not taken up, the £10 initial charge covers any work carried out in respect of the estimate and is therefore, not refundable. For more about the Order Forms, please visit the web page: <http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/recordcopying>www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/recordcopying >> Chrisitne

I keep wondering about spending that £8.50 but say I get to the bottom of page 10 and the last line says, 'So in conclusion, the most important aspect of this case is .............. What do I do then?

I've just nudged one of the Digital Express threads. Unfortunately GR doesn't let you thread search on only 3 letters - I tried ''TNA'' which, I think, is in the title of the other thread. Christine

Can't find the other thread now! Glen

Woo hoo, Glen, you are alive - we thought you were trapped in your loft.

There is a thread about a trip to Kew which has some info about documents,I'll see if i can find it and nudge for you. Glen

No, you can download it now - Im dithering over a court case as it says the gold option or whatever is £8.50 for up to 10 pages. Well, as I and Olde Crone says, how do we know how many pages our document covers? Its the new digitised thingy they have brought out. But it isnt clear how much you get, is it. What document are you interested in buying?

Oh well, that scuppers that plan then!! Thanks anyway.

I think if you request a document you have to go to kew to see it, it's just reserved for you allong with a table to read it at

When you go on there and find something and there is that option to 'request this' - what is it that you get? Just the couple of bits of info you see on the screen or is there more there??