My grandfather joined the British navy in 1911.  I have his service record and these have now been digitised and are available on Ancestry under UK military Royal Navy registers of seamen;s services 1853-1928.  The service record shows all ships he served on and the dates from and to along with other details.

Over the years I have managed to get some photos of ships he served on but not all of them so I was pleased when the book British Warships 1860-1906 – a photographic record by Nicholas Dingle arrived in the Research Centre.  Chapter 1 is a brief history of the Royal Navy 1815-1860 and chapter 2 is where it all starts.  It is possible that not all Royal Navy ships are covered in the text but a good many are and to top it all off, there are photos of many of them.  Therefore, you may be able to find details such as tonnage, speed, number of guns, date built, names of sister ships etc.

If you have an ancestor or relative who served in the Royal navy before 1906 then this book is worth looking at.  As for me, I found photos of another three ships to add to my collection – may your search be as fruitful or even more successful than mine.

Marie Hickey

On Monday, 18 April, I issued my annual Trans-Tasman Anzac Day Blog Challenge.

Its where I invite people to submit their blogs, written from their research about family members who served in the wars.

This year it was the centenary of the First Anzac Day. Our remembrance day that we share with our mates across the ditch.

Attendances at commemorations were at a record high throughout New Zealand; and from what I have read, they were in Australia too.

Its thought provoking to see so many children and young people taking part in the march, the ceremony, or just as part of the crowd. A large number wearing medals of grandparents or great-grandparents . . .

What is it about Anzac Day that interests so many young people and motivates them to get up to the Dawn Parade, or the Citizens Ceremony a couple of hours later?

Sitting at the bottom of the world, with images of war on the news on TV, maybe makes war seem more real - combined with the learning the children get at school and the ensuing conversations at home about what "Grandad (<insert other family members' title here>) did in the war".

My two girls are in Yr 11 now. Every year since they started school they've learned about Anzac Day. And each year, they have learned more and a bit deeper about the topic, broadening out - like building blocks of knowledge.

This year, we really had some conversations around the dinner table. They had learned such a lot about the First and Second World Wars - how they started, the politics, the Anzacs and the Allies. We discussed the Treaty of Versailles, the great campaigns like Gallipoli and Passchendale, how Hitler came to power and about the death camps.

We also discussed the impact on women (including those who served) and families left behind as well as the stories of the conscientious objectors.

My husband and I discussed with them, members of our own families who had served and what parts they played. It got very sad at times.

I was privileged to be able to guide my girls with their homework and their projects. and send them into my own place of work to do their own research, guided by my awesome colleagues (as it was a non-work day for me).

I don't remember learning this period of history so intensely and wholistically when I was at school, such a very long time ago now. I think the learning at schools these days seems to be alot more objective and delve more deeply into the topic than in my day (at least at my school).

Of course, researchers have been adding to the accumulated knowledge; while museums, libraries and archives have been collecting stories, and retrieving and preserving records. So much more is known by the general public now, than in the years following the return of our service personnel.

The most keen researchers of course, have been family historians. Those that have been researching their family. Apart from assembling genealogies, family historians research to pay tribute to and honour their ancestors by remembering them - even more poignant when it is someone who saw active duty.

It's this personal connection to the past that creates the interest to know what happened. And this I believe is what also brings people of all ages to the Anzac Day services.

This year, my Anzac Day blog challenge was issued late, but a number of bloggers still rose to the challenge.

I share their names and links here, so that you can read their research and stories of their family that they have chosen to share:

Alison: Anzac Day 1916 - Richard O'Brien & Hugh O'Brien 
Jonas Mockunas: Baltic Anzacs in the First World War
Jennifer Jones: Ellenor Calnan – Bangka Island Massacre
Jill Ball: Herb Sullivan - a Fighter joins the fray
Fiona Tellesson: Major Hugh Quinn - The Man Behind Quinn's Post Gallipoli Turkey WW1
Fiona Tellesson: Gallipoli hero Captain Samuel William Harry - 100 years on
Barb: Two great-uncles of mine: Patrick Joseph Stettler and John Harold Stettler
Fran Kitto: Herbert Eric Cleveland Kitto #atozchallenge U – Uncle Eric
Kerryn Taylor: Bugler William John Pike MORGAN of Euroa
Shauna Hicks: The Finn Brothers – 2016 Trans Tasman ANZAC Day Blog Challenge
Pauleen Cass: Anzac Day 2016: Villers-Brettoneux and James Paterson
Alex Daw: U is for HMAS Una (oh allright and Uniforms too)

My grateful appreciation to the people who blogged this year. The majority of these bloggers come back every year and contribute to this blog challenge, and we get to learn a bit more about history through reading their family research,.

Please do take the time to read through these amazing blogs - and follow them as I know they will have more outstanding stories to share.

Happy reading

Seonaid


Lest we forget . . .

Anzac Day is just a week away and this year's Anzac Day is the centenary anniversary of when it was first observed in New Zealand.

The deadline for this blog challenge is Monday, 2 May; and we ask you to write about a person or a family that you have researched that were involved in war.

When you have published your blog, please include the name(s) and link in our comments section at the bottom of this post by Monday, May 2, and your entry will be collated with all the others and posted on a follow-up Kintalk blog on Monday, May 9.  If you don't have a blog, perhaps you could email it to kintalk@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz instead, and I will post it on the Kintalk blog for you.

Reviews and blog honour roll of previous blog challenges can be seen here:

2011 Trans-Tasman Anzac Day Blog Challenge
2012 Trans-Tasman Anzac Day Blog Challenge
2013 Trans-Tasman Anzac Day Blog Challenge
2014 Trans-Tasman Anzac Day Blog Challenge
2015 Trans-Tasman Anzac Day Blog Challenge - unfortunately the review for this year appears to be missing, but you can check out the links that other bloggers left in the comments of the original challenge blog and also here.

 To help you get started on some research:

• the Auckland War Memorial Museum;
• the Australian War Memorial site
• Archives New Zealand Archway - Discover World War One
• Discovering Anzacs - the joint initiative between the National Archives of Australia and Archives New Zealand
• the National Archives of Australia or look further by 
• using the resources listed on Cora Num’s website.
• National Archives of Australia Facebook page about their Shellshocked Exhibition and some of the personal stories that they have collected might also be of interest.

Helen Vail's blog 100 NZ WW1 Memorials 1914-2014 is a mine of information about WW1 memorials, and individuals that she has researched. Helen's goal is to personally visit and collate information from 100 New Zealand World War One Memorials throughout New Zealand by August 2014 to commemorate the 100 year Anniversary of the start of World War One and to honour those who paid the ultimate price.


Remember Ancestry, Findmypast and the Genealogist are all free to use with any of the 55 Auckland Libraries sites.

Happy blogging

Seonaid

The wonderful people from the Auckland War Memorial Museum delivered an Artefact Digitisation Unit (ADU) to the Central Auckland Research Centre.

A what? I hear you say . . . .

Artefact Digitisation Unit (ADU) from Auckland War Memorial Museum

It is an awesome piece of technology that looks kind of like an ATM machine - a kiosk with a computer, touchscreen monitor and a camera.

With its connectivity to the internet, it has direct access to the new Online Cenotaph. 

People can use the ADU to search the Online Cenotaph direct from the Research Centre, and contribute information about the person they are researching - this includes the ability to photograph documents and objects to upload to a subjects record.

The Online Cenotaph itself has been completed re-designed and had been re-launched in January.

There are more than 140,000 service personnel listed, and alots of new content has been added:

• approximately 2,000 new images from Auckland Libraries’ Schmidt Collection of portraits
• direct links with servicemen’s sketches, poems and writing held in the Troopship magazines, which the Museum has now digitised
• around 2,000 additional records of New Zealand servicemen who served in the Australian Imperial Forces (AIF) – purchased for Online Cenotaph by the Ministry for Culture and Heritage
• linking of of 437 records from the Māori Pioneer Battalion with a digital image of their signatures on the Pioneer Scroll, on display in the Scars I gallery
• digitising of the Mickle Album, including the 60 photographs of friends from Birkenhead who volunteered and left New Zealand to fight in WWI

3/4 portrait of Sapper Bertram Charles Robinson, Reg No 12074, of the New Zealand Engineers, No. 2 Field Company. Killed in action in France on 15 November 1916. (Photographer: Herman Schmidt, 1916). Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 31-R984. No known copyright

Centenary photographs from Auckland Libraries Heritage Images

The Leith brothers, David and James, both served with the New Zealand Tunnelling Company. Auckland Libraries, 31-L688.

Private Cyril Gladwin Jonkers and family. Auckland Libraries, 31-J1890.

Trooper Thomas Robert Catton with his sisters. Auckland Libraries, 31-C1942.

The 100th anniversary of the First World War has meant there has been a huge flurry of activity to make research resources available worldwide.

A large number of books have been reprinted, some have been revised and updated and a number have been newly written.

My Family History shelves are groaning with new resources, and I know that other non-fiction and reference collections throughout Auckland Libraries are similarly bulging with new books.

Here at Auckland Libraries we have created a webpage on our website devoted to the centenary commemorations, which includes links to a themed page or new and recommended reading list including selected family history titles. This is just a small sample of new items we have - we have many more resources on the shelves.

Additionally, we also have developed the Our Boys, Your Stories website, where we have curated digitised versions of our collection.

Have a look at the Resources page on the Our Boys website to see what has been developed to assist you! Particularly the "Our Boys, Our Families" research guide that has been developed to assist you with your research. Feel free to download the guide to your computer.

Anzac Day is the day that is a national day of remembrance for Australians and New Zealanders who died during armed conflict.

This is the fifth year that Auckland Libraries and the Kintalk blog have issued a Trans-Tasman Anzac Day Blog Challenge.

Do you have a story to share about an Anzac?

Stories we'd like to hear about could be about their service, or the way their sacrifice shaped or impacted on their family history. Maybe you want to blog from the perspective of those that were left behind?

Your story doesn't have to involve a serviceperson who lost their lives - during times of war, families had all sorts of experiences.

And you can write about those who also served in other wars, as all who served in Australia and New Zealand are now recognised as Anzacs.

Maybe you have written about your Anzac before, and have more research to add to the story?

To participate:

• See if your service person is included in the Our Boys website. If he/she is please create a free account and add your story or
• Write a blog post about an serviceman or woman and/or their family, and the impact war had on their family's story or
• Post a comment with the URL to your blog on the comments section of this post or
• If you don't have a blog then you can email us your story at kintalk@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz and we will share it for you
• Publish your post by 26 April 2015.

• the Auckland War Memorial Museum;
• the Australian War Memorial site
• Archives New Zealand Archway - Discover World War One
• Discovering Anzacs - the joint initiative between the National Archives of Australia and Archives New Zealand
• the National Archives of Australia or look further by 
• using the resources listed on Cora Num’s website.
• National Archives of Australia Facebook page about their Shellshocked Exhibition and some of the personal stories that they have collected might also be of interest.

Helen Vail's blog 100 NZ WW1 Memorials 1914-2014 is a mine of information about WW1 memorials, and individuals that she has researched. Helen's goal is to personally visit and collate information from 100 New Zealand World War One Memorials throughout New Zealand by August 2014 to commemorate the 100 year Anniversary of the start of World War One and to honour those who paid the ultimate price.

Remember Ancestry, Findmypast and the Genealogist are all free to use with Auckland Libraries.
Blog away
Seonaid

This year's blog challenge is late - primarily due to the fact that in March I was attending the 2015 AFFHO Congress (Australasian Federation of Family History Organisations) in Canberra (more about that in a later blog), and there was much I had to do to prepare before I left.

The 100th anniversary of the First World War has meant there has been a huge flurry of activity to make research resources available worldwide.

A large number of books have been reprinted, some have been revised and updated and a number have been newly written.

My Family History shelves are groaning with new resources, and I know that other non-fiction and reference collections throughout Auckland Libraries are similarly bulging with new books.

Here at Auckland Libraries we have created a webpage on our website devoted to the centenary commemorations, which includes links to a themed page or new and recommended reading list including selected family history titles. This is just a small sample of new items we have - we have many more resources on the shelves.

Additionally, we also have developed the Our Boys, Your Stories website, where we have curated digitised versions of our collection.

Have a look at the Resources page on the Our Boys website to see what has been developed to assist you! Particularly the "Our Boys, Our Families" research guide that has been developed to assist you with your research. Feel free to download the guide to your computer.

Anzac Day is the day that is a national day of remembrance for Australians and New Zealanders who died during armed conflict.

This is the fifth year that Auckland Libraries and the Kintalk blog have issued a Trans-Tasman Anzac Day Blog Challenge.

Do you have a story to share about an Anzac?

Stories we'd like to hear about could be about their service, or the way their sacrifice shaped or impacted on their family history. Maybe you want to blog from the perspective of those that were left behind?

Your story doesn't have to involve a serviceperson who lost their lives - during times of war, families had all sorts of experiences.

And you can write about those who also served in other wars, as all who served in Australia and New Zealand are now recognised as Anzacs.

Maybe you have written about your Anzac before, and have more research to add to the story?

To participate:

• See if your service person is included in the Our Boys website. If he/she is please create a free account and add your story or
• Write a blog post about an serviceman or woman and/or their family, and the impact war had on their family's story or
• Post a comment with the URL to your blog on the comments section of this post or
• If you don't have a blog then you can email us your story at kintalk@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz and we will share it for you
• Publish your post by 26 April 2015.

• the Auckland War Memorial Museum;
• the Australian War Memorial site
• Archives New Zealand Archway - Discover World War One
• Discovering Anzacs - the joint initiative between the National Archives of Australia and Archives New Zealand
• the National Archives of Australia or look further by 
• using the resources listed on Cora Num’s website.
• National Archives of Australia Facebook page about their Shellshocked Exhibition and some of the personal stories that they have collected might also be of interest.

Helen Vail's blog 100 NZ WW1 Memorials 1914-2014 is a mine of information about WW1 memorials, and individuals that she has researched. Helen's goal is to personally visit and collate information from 100 New Zealand World War One Memorials throughout New Zealand by August 2014 to commemorate the 100 year Anniversary of the start of World War One and to honour those who paid the ultimate price.


Remember Ancestry, Findmypast and the Genealogist are all free to use with Auckland Libraries.
Blog away
Seonaid

Access  New Zealand WWI and WWII military service personnel files.

     New records added to




If you have not looked at the website, findmypast recently, you may be unaware of their current scheme to add 100 record sets in 100 days.  This will cover parish registers,  military records, death and marriage notices from newspapers.  New record sets from around the world will be released weekly.

Image from www.findmypast.com.au website

To date, the following records have been added:

New York City marriage and death notices 1835-80
[USA] Civil War – soldiers, sailors, prisoners, medals of honour 1861-65
pre 1901 Irish census (some counties only)
Shropshire parish registers 1538-1900, Banns 1760-1900

Military
Malayan Emergency  - Commonwealth Deaths 1948-60
Welsh Guards 1914-18
Palestine Conflict British deaths 1945-48
Cyprus Emergency deaths 1955-60
Royal Artillery other ranks casualty cards 1939-47
Royal Artillery attestations 1883-1942
Australian Imperial Force – embarkation roll & nominal roll 1914-18
Royal Navy seamen & officers 1899-1919
Royal Marines 1899-1920
Royal Fusiliers – Stockbrokers Battalion 1914-18 & 23rd Battalion (1st Sportsman’s Battalion) 1914-18
South Down Battalions (11th, 12th & 13th Royal Sussex)
Salford Pals (15th, 16th, 19th & 20th Lancashire Fusiliers)
Liverpool Pals (17th, 18th, 19th & 20th King’s Liverpool Regt)
Glasgow Pals 1914-18
Edinburgh Pals 1914-18 (15th & 16th Royal Scots Regt)
1st Bradford Pals (16th West Yorkshire Regt)
Birmingham Employers’ Roll of Honour 1914-18
Birmingham Pals 1914-18

Sailors from the German naval ship Alexandrine which visited New Zealand in 1891. Sir George Grey Special Collections, 4-RIC176.

This looks as if it is going to be a very interesting and useful collection of records when the project is completed -- well worth checking on for new additions.

Next time you visit your local library, findmypast is accessible from the Family History eResources & databases in the  Digital Library.

Marie Hickey

The Auckland Weekly News was filled not only with news and advertisements, but with an excellent assortment of photographs, and a service it offered during the war years was to publish a passport sized photograph of your wounded or killed family member. These photographs have all been indexed in to one easy-to-use volume, although its worth noting it does not included those photographs published in the Weekly News supplement.