My Great Great Grandad Was Who? Genealogy for Beginners.

 

Genealogy is a fascinating subject and as a beginner I can lose hours, if not days surfing the net for long lost relatives.  I’m sure there are quicker ways to get results, but I’m having so much fun on my detective mission nonetheless.

As it happens, I discovered this week that my Great-Great-Grandfather on my mother’s side was in the Royal Engineers 223^rd Field Company in WW1.  Having visited the incredible memorial at Tower Bridge in London, I found the realisation that one of my ancestors was in the thick of it quite overwhelming.  Tears were shed.  God help me if I watch the Sainsbury’s advert again!

During the same session, I found out that my other set of Great-Great-Grandparents were born in Dublin and Mayo and travelled over to the UK in the 1800’s.  That must have been quite a trip.

The storyteller in me was buzzing with the; who, what, where, when and how’s of it all.  To work in this field and be able to piece together the puzzle of someone’s life must be so rewarding. 

A Parents Survival Guide to Exams and Revision

At this time of year it's hard to escape exam fever.  Even if you're not actually sitting the summer exams, you probably know someone who is.  My son is primed and ready for his GCSEs to start on May 12th, and as a dutiful mother, I am here to offer my support, words of wisdom and my extensive knowledge of surviving the same experience.

I sat my Maths GCSE on my sixteenth birthday, not my most favourite teen memory! 

However, it would appear that today's teens have their own process for revision and exam preparation and my knowledge is obsolete...allow me to share my recent findings!

A Parents Survival Guide to Exams and Revision: