This is a reprint of an article that was in the Looking 4 Kin newsletter in 2004 ... How time flies!
REMEMBRANCE DAY Whether you have Remembrance Day, Veterans Day, Memorial Day or you have some other name in your part of the world, this week is a time when we look back and think of those who gave their lives for us in various conflicts over the years. Some of those reading this will have lost a parent, grandparent or other close relative in such a conflict. To them this may be a particularly difficult time, and our thoughts are with you.
In England, as well as the large service/ceremony at the Cenotaph in London and numerous smaller services at war memorials countrywide, we have an annual Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall. Towards the end of the ceremony, poppy petals fall from the roof - one petal for each life lost in conflict - very moving for anyone who has watched on TV and, I am sure, a life long memory for those who have been fortunate enough to attend the event.
We can be forgiven for thinking that Remembrance Day relates to the more major conflicts of the 20th century but this is not the case. Remembrance Day is for the fallen of all conflicts and, as I watch the petals fall this year, I will be conscious of the fact that a few more petals have been added - for those servicemen who have died in Iraq and elsewhere in the past 12 months.
If you want to see the history of the various forms of remembrance throughout the world take a look at these sites …
Australia -
Remembrance Day TraditionCanada -
Canada Remembers - Veterans Affairs CanadaNew Zealand -
Remembrance - History of Armistice DayUK -
Remembrance Day - Poppy DayUSA -
Veterans Day Home PageUSA -
Memorial Day HistoryThere will be others, I apologise if I have left anyone out.
As genealogists, this time of year should also remind us of the wealth of information available in the military records of our own ancestors - some of whom are still living. Did your father, grandfather, or even great grandfather, serve in any of the conflicts of the 20th century? If so, have you looked for the papers that are available in relation to their service? One word of warning though - I have the attestation records of some ancestors, but in one case I have two sets of records for the same man, each showing a different birth date. Always check the information you are presented with - it is not always correct!!
Often, people view genealogy as the collection names and dates to arrive at a 'family tree'. But genealogy should also encompass family history - the research of where our ancestors lived, what schooling they had (if any), what they did for a living and what part they played in important events of the past.
Not many of us will find an ancestor that was famous, like Churchill or Patton, but I am sure we all have reasonably recent ancestors who took part in conflicts. It is surprising how easy it is to find information to answer an often unasked question - 'What did you do in the war granddad?'
For starters, take a look at the
Military/War War links at Looking 4 Kin. After that, why not try a search in Google or a similar search engine. If you come across any good links that are not on the Looking 4 Kin site, let Just_M know (a contact e mail is available on each page of the site) and they will be added on the next occassion the page is updated.
Labels: Australia, Cold War, Family History, Genealogy, Military, New Zealand, Remembrance, UK, USA
