who do you think you are

Is an entire programme on Military service in WW2 realy social history ? yes it is history but not week after week please

It used to be interesting because they researched much farther back, but just concentrating on one person, or two in Jane Seymour's case, isn't quite the same. Also, I don't think she should have decided who she wanted to know about, surely the programme should evolve as it goes along.

Maybe it did, Lona. We do not see all the research.
Derek Jacobi this week, on his Huguenot ancestry.
Will that be interesting enough?

Was just going to say that the Derek Jacobi one had caught my eye; shall certainly watch that one.

I thought the series would be helpful to anyone doing family history research, giving helpful tips and pointers about where to look if you reached a brick wall, as well as researching way back into the family history of these supposedly famous people.

However, this new series is repetitive and hardly delving back into history at all to go back just a couple of generations.

Yes, I hope the Derek Jacobi one will be better, and should go back further if they are tracing his Huguenot ancestry.
I may pick up some tips from that one!

The Derek Jacobi one is supposed to be really interesting.
I am disappointed that so far they have picked on just one or two people to study. We used to get a whole range- going further back.

I was watching Find My Past last night and was fascinated to learn that the Christmas truce in WWI went on for days, sometimes weeks, and that there had been semi truces prior to that anyway [soldiers holding up placards saying 'don't shoot for a while, we're having breakfast' etc]. The higher echelons decided they had to stop it, as it wasn't the way to win a war, but no officers were court martialed over it as they couldn't afford to lose any. Also that some soldiers were shot during the truce, often by Prussians who were far more aggressive that the Bavarians, or sometimes because someone would shoot in another area and others would just let rip at whoever they were close to because of it. Found it interesting because I'd just been to a WWI exhibition at a local country park. Research had been done to find the history behind the names on a war memorial in that village and most of the soldiers didn't actual live there, or even come from there, but had links with the village in various ways. I thought war memorials always had the name of residents of the area. I've bought a booklet about the life of a man who worked on the estate, survived the war and lived into his 90's; thankfully someone in the village said he must write down his memoirs [which he did]. His wife also worked at the house so there is a parallel account of what it was like back home. The exhibition was actually in the hall of the house where the wrestling scene in Women in Love took place. [another thing that I found really touching was that dogs carrying medicine were trained to find wounded and dying soldiers after a battle and that they would not leave their side until someone found them ].

BBC Wales do their own series Coming Home, it's very good, the researchers go back as many generations as possible Susan Sarandon brought ten relatives with her which was rather amusing . They had been told they had Welsh ancestors and wanted to know if it was so, it was. They only make four programmes a year, wish they did more

Annie I didn't know BBC Wales were still doing this. I know they were researching one of DH's (famous) relatives, although we weren't part of it and I have never seen it broadcast.

(Actually, his only famous relative, it sounds as if we have several!!)

Tegan - country park exhibition sounds very interesting. Glad they wrote their memoirs. I suggest to all older people that they should write theirs as sooner or later someone in the family is likely to appreciate a first hand account of how their forebears lived.

They did a play as well, but I didn't watch it. Until I spoke to the lady who'd done the research I hadn't realised how much effort goes into doing something like this. She said a lot of war records were destroyed in a bombing attack. If we meet up in a couple of weeks I'l show you the little book I bought. Annoyingly I have a bullet on one of my shelves and there was someone there that could have told me where it came from; exhibition has finished now.

rosequartz , yes still doing it. If you wish I can let you know when the next series will be aired - if there is a next series

Thanks Anniebach - I had a look and, although they did all the research and groundwork years ago, it was never broadcast and probably never will be for some reason.
However, I did find some family photos which had been published in the local papers!

Although I may well watch some of the other programmes as they look more interesting than WDYTYA

That was great rosequartz , that you found the photographs not that the programme wasn't shown

And a second cousin of DH who came to visit last year! (well, she found us)

Also really looking forward to the Jacobi one- my mum's dad owned a textile mill here in Switzerland and he used to go and buy cloth from Yorkshire- mum also was invited twice to visit the Jacobi family, I believe in Leeds, around 1926/27. She would ahve been 100 this year- and I often wonder if he was part of the same Jacobi family- the programme will probably tell if they were in weaving/cloth making. Can't wait to see it.

If only we could commission similar research for OH's mother's side, and paternal grand-mother- all issued of slave stock in South Africa- Malay and African. I suppose the children born of 'droit de cuissage' between slave owners and slaves were never recorded?!?

I have Huguenot ancestry too, my maiden name derives directly from Huguenot- so many walked across to the Swiss Jura- whereas other fled to London and even the Cape in South AFrica.

I suppose the children born of 'droit de cuissage' between slave owners and slaves were never recorded?!?

Here's one whose life history is well documented:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathaniel_Wells

All mine were welsh miners or welsh quarry workers , not one married outside of Wales , oh yes , my chance to name drop, my great Grandfathers cousin married an English girl, but he isn't in my direct line, Sir Horace Evans physician to the Windsors, much to the annoyance of his welsh family who thought he should have healed the sick in Merthyr not in buck house , London

www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/slavery-or-slave-owners/

For you, Granjura. Hope you can find something, I think.

Thank you both- will have a look- but this was in South Africa- so not sure if it was recorded- and we do not know the names either. We are going to go and visit the Cape next year and perhaps will find out more when we are there. But thank you so much.

They have South African archives, granjura. It might be worthwhile looking at what there is before you go.
TNA Discovery shows you how to research.

OK will look, but we have no idea of exact location and names of slave owners. Both Malays from Indonesia and black africans. DH was very young when family came over at the time of apartheid as the family was broken apart- and little contact since.

In contact again with the next generation- and hope to visit next year and meet them all.