Australian WW I Records Finder

Recently I was alerted to this tool for looking for First World War records in the National Archives of Australia, Australian War Memorial and Commonwealth War Graves databases with one search. The Australian WWI Records Finder was created by Tim Sharratt and can be found at http://wraggelabs.com/ww1-records/.

For this example I typed the name and Service Number of Arthur Andreas Anderson 801 into the search boxes. The results showed the link to his records on National Archives of Australia site and also the link to the record in the Commonwealth War Graves Commission database. However this search did not provide links to the records on the Australian War Memorial website although there is actually a record for him on the Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour.

I checked this site on a couple of different days, sometimes using different names, usually with the same result though for one name the link for the record on the World War I Red Cross files appeared. Sometimes the search timed out.

Tried it on the computer at work using Chrome (used Mozilla Firefox at home) and had the same result.

 This tool has potential but it may be necessary to double check the Australian War Memorial resources if you suspect there should be an entry and you cannot locate one in Australian WWI Records Finder.

Information about creating this tool can be found in a Discontents post.

Mapping our Anzacs replaced

Mapping our Anzacs, a major project of National Archives Australia for many years, no longer exists but has been incorporated into a new National Archives of Australia online resource, in association with Archives New Zealand - Discovering Anzacs.

"Explore a growing selection of government records about Australians and New Zealanders in World War I and the Boer War. Enhance a profile dedicated to the wartime journey of someone who served. Uncover the personal stories of service men and women through original archival records".

Searching Discovering Anzacs is easier than searching the previous resource and you can still view the files relating to each person who enlisted.

You can also add relevant stories and photographs about servicepeople listed in the database.

If you register on the site you can fill in the blanks from the official documents on to the summary screen for people who may be part of your research.

People you are researching can be added to your Favourites List.

Documents relating to servicemen can be exported or printed.

Australian Anzacs in the Great War - 1914-1918

A recent database of Australian men and women who served during the First World War is the AIF Project - Australian Anzacs in the Great War 1914-1918.

Information for each person in the database has been collected from a number of official sources.

Search by Surname or Regimental Number. You can also search by Address. A search for Vermont produced 30 names. Some of the records referred to a house or street named Vermont but most were records where Vermont in Victoria was provided as an address. Ticking the Next of Kin address box provides additional information.

The information provided in each records is largely a summary of information that can be located in the documents in Mapping Our Anzacs.

A search for the name Anderson and the address Vermont provided records of the three Anderson brothers from Vermont who enlisted.

This will be another useful resource for family history researchers and those undertaking other World War I projects.

Life in England Prior to World War I

This talk was recorded at Who Do You think You Are Live 2014 in England and has now been made available on YouTube. Sir Tony Robinson reviewed life in England prior to World War I and how the researching of documents, directories and other resources is providing an insight into how people lived and thought in the nineteenth and early twentieth century.