My article ‘Funeral Faux Pas’ (the second in a trio about the things that went wrong at key life events) is out today in December’s issue of Discover Your Ancestors online periodical. By subscription. http://www.discoveryourancestors.co.uk

When the First World War started in August 1914 a vigorous propaganda campaign persuaded tens of thousands of young men excitedly to sign up and do their bit for King and Country. To fight abroad you had to be at least nineteen, but you could enlist at eighteen. Many boys of 15, 16 and 17,... Continue Reading →

After the Registration of Births and Deaths Acts 1874, it became compulsory to register the birth of a child within 6 weeks (42 days) on penalty of a fine. In order to avoid this, parents who had left registering their children late would often falsify the date of birth on a certificate by a matter... Continue Reading →