Churchill daughter's WW2 colleagues sought by Cambridge archive

Sarah Churchill in 1966

An appeal has been made to trace three women who appear in a World War Two photograph with one of Sir Winston Churchill's daughters.

Sarah Churchill (1914-1982) served at RAF Medmenham in Buckinghamshire in 1940 or 1941 and a photo was taken of her with three colleagues. Researchers are interested in finding out who the other women with her were. 

Take a minute to read the rest of the story and check out the photo. Perhaps you know one of the women photographed with Sarah.

1945 Rescued Photo & Ration Card Ralph A. Hamilton Jr.

Annette P. has kindly sent Olive Tree Genealogy more wonderful ephemera that she rescues.

This is a photo of Ralph A. Hamilton Jr. circa 1945.

Annette also sent his copy of a Male Officers' Uniform, Clothing and Accessory Ration Card  dated 14 August 1945

His rank in the U.S. Army is given as 1st Lt.




 

I did a search for Ralph in the online military records but there is more than one so I cannot be certain which is this Ralph. If anyone recognizes his photo please leave a comment on this blog post! 

Honouring My Military Ancestors

I have many military ancestors inlcluding my father, uncle, son, paternal grandmother's 5 brothers, maternal grandmother's 3 brothers, and more.

Here are some of those who gave their lives during war:

War of 1812

My 3rd great-grandfather Levi Peer's brother Stephen Peer fell at the Battle of Chippewa during the War of 1812, leaving behind a pregnant wife and young son.

World War 1
 

Philip Edgar Peer

All of my grandmother's brothers fought in WW1. Her youngest brother, Philip Edgar Peer (called Edgar by family), died in France in 1918 just days short of his 21st birthday.

Cecil Sandercock

My husband's great uncles Bill and Cecil Sandercock also fought in WW1 along with their father Samuel. Both Bill and Cecil were killed, one year apart. Bill was killed Aug. 23, 1917, his brother Cecil was at his side. One year later almost to the day, on Aug. 28, 1918, Cecil was killed.  

Bill Sandercock

World War 2

WW2 saw the death of my Uncle, James Nevin (aka Nev) Bonar. He died October 23, 1944 in Belgium at the age of 27.

Please take a few moments today to remember those brave men and women who fought and died, and those who are still fighting in Wars around the world.

Found: A Book that Survived a Bomb Blast in 1940

ABC Adelaide posted on their Facebook page and I thought I'd help share this through my Olive Tree Genealogy blog and Social Media.

Can you help us find the owner or family of this book that survived a bomb blast - probably during the Battle of Britain in the UK? 
Megan Dubois is a book collector who found this rare find in a second-hand store in Cleve so if you know any Goddard’s who used to live around Cleve, or perhaps a McLellen or McHellen family who came out to Australia after World War 2, we’d love to hear from you! 

The inscription reads, "I bought this book in 1935 for 1/- it was in our house when a land mine dropped on it in 1940 Oct 18. I rescued it from the rubble and have used it ever since, I also had a cookery book from the same edition which my daughter Dian McLellen (Possibly McHellen) has. Joyce Goddard (Mrs) 1985."

Remains of Canadian Second World War Soldier identified

The Department of National Defence (DND) and the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) have identified the remains of a Second World War soldier found near the Maas River in the Netherlands, as those of Private Albert Laubenstein from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

Pte Laubenstein was born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, on March 28, 1914, and joined the Canadian Army in 1940. He served with the 102^nd Battalion of the Royal Canadian Artillery and the 4^th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, the Royal Canadian Infantry Corps and the Lincoln and Welland Regiment.

Pte Laubenstein was killed during the Battle of Kapelsche Veer on January 26, 1945, and his body was interred with care in a battlefield grave, which could not be re-located at the end of the war. He was one of 50 fatal casualties suffered by the Lincoln and Welland Regiment during the battle and was 30 years of age at the time of his death.

Continue reading this story

Canadian Military Ancestors & History

Olive Tree Genealogy is very excited to announce a new website for Canadian Military history. The Canadian Military Heritage Project at CanadianMilitaryProject.com is dedicated to presenting Canadian military history ~ the wars, uprisings and conflicts in which Canadians participated. Our goal is to preserve the records and memories of Canadians who served their country, and to ensure that their sacrifices are not forgotten. Through the Canadian Military Heritage Project we hope to maintain the tradition of remembrance and to foster pride in our military heritage.

Our pages will provide historical background as well as genealogy records for each conflict, chronological timelines, statistics, battles, weaponry, uniforms & equipment, famous Canadians, biographies of soldiers, heroes and their stories, contributions of women, other countries who participated, muster rolls for conflicts before 1900, Letters Home (from soldiers at the front), music and poetry, guest authors’ submissions, links to other online resources, and Research Libraries.

These pages will be of interest to educators, students, genealogists, military historians and those who are interested in the stories of the participants themselves.

National Archives UK opens it's POW 1715-1945 collection

More than 764,000 records of servicemen, women and civilians who were taken captive during the Napoleonic Wars, Crimean War, Boer War, First World War and Second World War have been published online

The entire Prisoners Of War 1715-1945 collection now contains over 2 million records.

First page of lists of POWs captured in Boer War

From the site: "The records are incredibly diverse and not only include military personnel, but also civilians, diplomats, missionaries and merchant seamen. The nature of these documents varies owing to the enormous scope and scale of the collection. Some will consist of lists of deaths, files on escapees and detailed records of daily life, while others will reveal additional biographical details about individual inmates including physical descriptions, witness statements, medical reports and more."

How to Obtain Canadian WW2 Military Service Files

My Father in WW2

World War 2 Canadian records are restricted. But they can be accessed and they can include documentation about enlistment, discharge, military units served with, and may also include other documents concerning medical history, medals awarded, personal evaluation reports and dental charts.

Library and Archives Canada holds military service files for those who served after 1918. Their website explanation of who can access what files and how to obtain them is a bit confusing, so I'll share  with you what I did to send for the military records of my father's brother, Clarence E. McGinnis. I knew Uncle Clare had been in WW2 as I have several photos of him in uniform. But I never knew where he served, what unit he was in, or what he did during the War.


I wrote a one page letter requesting the complete military service files for [individual's name] who was born [individual's full birth date or estimated year] in [name of city/town plus county and province in Ontario] to parents [names of father and mother].
 

Uncle Clare in WW2

 
I included my uncle's death date and a photograph of his tombstone as proof of death. Interestingly enough they actually returned the photo to me!

That was it. I mailed the letter and photo to

ATIP and Personnel Records Division
Library and Archives Canada
395 Wellington Street
Ottawa, ON  K1A 0N4

You can also fax your request to them at this number: 613-947-8456

Your request can be written as a letter or you can print off a blank copy of the Application for Military Service Information form [PDF 663 KB]  which should be filled in, signed and sent by mail or fax. 

Using the ATIP Online Request service is another way to submit requests.

 

After a wait of about 5 months a very large package arrived with Uncle Clare's complete military file. I estimate there are about 80 or more pages.  The wait was not unexpected as it is made clear on the Library & Archives Canada website that they are backlogged and requests can take up to 6 months to fill.
There was a lot of interesting information in the military file for Uncle Clare - such as details of his work history prior to enlisting. It include what he was paid! I wish my dad's files had been as complete.

 
 

I am really pleased to have some more details to add to my knowledge of my uncle. I knew him quite well but he never spoke of his military service or his early years. I suppose I was too young for him to think I'd be interested.
 
Plus he was quite old-fashioned regarding males vs females and since I was a female he'd be less likely to talk to me about what he would consider "man stuff"  
 
But I'm really enjoying reading through his files to find out where he went during the war (to England and France) and what he saw and did during that difficult time.

For WW1 personnel files you will be able to view these online very soon. Library and Archives Canada is busy scanning and uploading the full files to the online CEF Searchable database.

FOUND WW2 Dog Tag James J. Bell of Idaho

Mick B. wrote to Olive Tree Genealogy with this request to help return a WW2 dog tag to its owner or descendants:

Found at Seething Airfield England a dog tag marked James J Bell

Number 0-742831  T4243.

It would be great to return it to the family - is this something you could help with.

As my readers can see from the image on the left, the dog tag contains more clues. The name Emma E. Bell is there, as is a location of Harrison, Idaho

Hopefully some of my wonderful readers will jump in to help Mick find James, Emma, or descendants.

Lorine's Research

I found information showing James was a pilot and a 2nd Lieutenant during WW2. Source http://www.americanairmuseum.com/person/109318

There is also a pdf file which indicates 2nd Lieutenant James J. Bell was the pilot of REPLACEMENT CREW #21 - Aircraft #41-28595 in the 713th BOMBARDMENT SQUADRON ordered to England.

This photo is of James and his crew in front of their airplane. According to the names on the verso (back) of the photo, James is the third man from the left in the front row.

Photo: The James Bell crew, from the 2^nd Air Division Digital Archive http://www.2ndair.org.uk/digitalarchive, catalogue reference MC 371/349, USF PH 7/1. Published on Olive Tree Genealogy blog with permission of 2nd Air Division Memorial Library

If you choose the third photo at this photo link you will see another great image of James. He is the third man from the left in the front row.

James' obituary was found online:

OBITUARIES DR. JAMES J. BELL

Oregonian, The (Portland, OR) - Saturday, November 8, 2003

A memorial service will be at 2 p.m., Monday, Nov. 10, 2003, in Sunnyside Little Chapel of the Chimes for Dr. James J. Bell, who died Nov. 5 at age 82.

Dr. Bell was born Jan. 16, 1921, in Spokane. He served in the Army Air Corps during World War II and graduated from the University of Oregon Dental School. He was a dentist who lived in the Portland area most of his life and practiced in Lake Oswego. In 1948, he married Euretta "Peggy" Field.

Survivors include his wife; daughter, Kit; son, Jeff; and four grandchildren.

Remembrances to Friends of Tryon Creek State Park.

Oregonian, The (Portland, OR) - Saturday, November 8, 2003

Oregonian, The () , obit for OBITUARIES DR. JAMES J. BELL, GenealogyBank.com (https://www.genealogybank.com/doc/obituaries/obit/10064B9D95E0558F-10064B9D95E0558F : accessed 28 March 2018)

Find Your Ancestors in Alien Registration Records USA

Alien Registrations are a valuable genealogy resource for finding ancestors. An alien was any individual who had not naturalized.

From November 1917 to April 1918 all those considered alien enemies were ordered to register with the U. S. Marshal in the county where they lived.



World War I Alien Registrations in the United States
All states were required to complete alien registrations but not all records were kept.

Alien Registration Records 1940-1944
The Alien Registration Program began 1 July 1940. Every alien resident of the USA had to register at a local post office. Aliens entering USA had to register when they applied for admission. All aliens over 14 fell under this law. Forms filled out by aliens were sent to INS (now BCIS), along with a registration number. They are known as "AR-2" files

Registrations from 1940-1944 are on microfilm at INS. To obtain copies of AR-2 Files, you must submit a request identifying the immigrant by name, date of birth, and place of birth to the INS (now BCIS), Freedom of Information Act program.

The following Alien Registrations can be found on NaturalizationRecords.com

* Index to Alien Registration Affidavits: U.S. District Court, Phoenix Division, February 6, 1918-June 28, 1918

* Index to Enemy Alien Registration Affidavits 6,000 affidavits created by U.S. Marshals, Kansas Judicial District, 1917-1921 [NaturalizationRecords.com]

* McKeesport, Alleghany County, Pennsylvania Alien Identification Card for Elizabeth Koval 1940 includes her immigration date and port of entry

Links to the following registration for Aliens are also found at NaturalizationRecords.com

St. Paul, Minnesota Alien Registrations, 1918

Alien Personal History and Statements, Iowa 1942-1946

Alien Applications for Permission to Depart from USA, 1919-1920, U.S. District Court, District of Kansas

Alien's Personal History and Statement (DSS Form 304), 1942-1945, for Michigan

Alien Personal History and Statements, Minnesota 1942-1946

Alien Personal History and Statements, Missouri 1942-1946

Alien Personal History and Statements, Nebraska 1942-1946

Alien Personal History and Statements North Dakota, 1942-1946

Are You in this Photo Taken at Ajax Public School 1945

Are you or anyone you know, in this photo taken at Ajax Public School in 1945? The only person I can identify is my cousin Charles Bonar who is the young boy sitting behind the girl holding the sign. Charles is wearing a striped shirt and suspenders.

Ajax is in Ontario Canada and was a small village in 1945, built primarily to house workers in the Munitions Factory during WW2.

Dutch Love Child, Son of Native Canadian Vet, Granted Citizenship

Will van Ee from Holland had searched for his father for many years. Mr. Van Ee, the illegitimate son of an aboriginal Canadian soldier and a Dutch girl who met during the Second World war never knew his father or his father's name. His mother was Hendrike Herber and after Will's birth she married Albert Van Ee whose surname Will used.

Then one day a cousin gave van Ee an old photograph. Hendrike is shown alongside a beaming Canadian soldier named Walter Majeki. Van Ee’s aunt told her nephew that Walter was his biological father.

Van Ee then enlisted the help of Olga Rains, a Dutch war bride in Peterborough, Ontario dedicated to reuniting other WW2 children with their Canadian families. In 1984 Walter's brother was found. Sadly Walter had died several years before, but Will flew to Toronto to meet his new-found family.

After meeting his uncle and cousin, Van Ee became a full-status member of the Sagamok Anishnawbek First Nation in Northern Ontario, and later was granted Canadian citizenship.

Read the rest of this poignant story at Dutch love-child fathered by First Nations’ Canadian veteran finds lost identity, gets citizenship

Image credit: Screenshot from http://www.nationalpost.com

Belgian Woman Searches for her Canadian soldier father

Florence Heene never knew her father. She first saw a photo of the man she believes is the soldier who is her biological dad when she was young. Now 71, Florence posted the photo on Facebook hoping it might be shared and that someone in Canada would recognize him.

Her mother had told Heene that her biological father was a Canadian soldier who was stationed in Ghent during the Second World War. It is believed his first name is Herbert. Library and Archives Canada (LAC) believes from the photo that the man in question was a Sergeant in the Royal Canadian Military.

 Read Searching for a Canadian soldier: Belgian woman makes last-ditch effort to find her father

Since writing this blog post, the mystery of Herbert has been solved. It's as fascinating  (and sad) a story as Florence's search for him.

Read Mystery solved: Belgian woman finds 'new family' in Canada in search for soldier father

Holocaust Jacket Leads to Life Story of Ben Peres

 A woman hunting for bargains at a tag sale on July 4, 2015, found a blue and grey striped jacket hanging in the back of an upstairs bedroom closet.

She immediately recognized it as a jacket worn by a prisoner at the Nazi Dachau concentration camp during World War II. The number 84679 on the front of the jacket confirmed that it had indeed been worn during the Holocaust.

After purchasing the jacket she donated it to the Kuperferberg Holocaust Center at Queensborough Community College, where it is the centerpiece of an exhibit about the life of the man who wore it,  Benzion Peresecki — who was rescued from Dachau Concentration Camp and later came to America and became Ben Peres.

The jacket is a piece of history and allows the story of Mr. Peres to be shared with the world. Read the full story at  Holocaust jacket found at tag sale leads to a life story

70 Year Mystery of Missing US Airmen Solved

On 27^th November  1945 a C-47 Aircraft carrying U.S. Airmen Judson Baskett, a Flight Officer, William Myers, a First Lieutenant, and Donald Jones, a First Class Private, left Singapore for Penang. It was never seen again and the fate of the three men remained a mystery.

Twenty years after their disappearance the wreckage of an airplane was supposedly spotted in the Malay Peninsula but no followup was conducted. In 1985 hikers stumbled on the wreckage.

Finally in 2009 the U.S. Embassy in Kuala Lumpur was notified of the sighting and in 2015 the remains of the crew were flown to America for forensic testing. 

Read the full story Mystery of Three US Airmen Who Vanished in Malayan Jungle Finally Solved after 70 Years

Help Find Clarence Victor Sheppard 1929-1996 to Return Military Items to Family

Recently a request for help was posted on the Simcoe County Genealogy page on Facebook. Deborah C. posted (in part):

1972 Voters' List Orillia Ontario

"A few weeks ago, a friend of mine successfully bid on a soldier's service book and a few other items belonging to a man from Orillia. Clarence Victor SHEPPARD was born in Orillia 9 May 1929; died 17 November 1996 in the same area. He is buried at Bethel Cemetery in Kilworthy.  Clarence Sheppard enlisted in Toronto 5 June 1953; his service number was 24870. RCIC High Depot is written in his book, and POT driver mech. noted.  if anyone knows of any family members of Clarence Victor SHEPPARD, let us know so that we can contact them to see if they'd like this soldier's book etc that we found. "

If you have any information please post here as a comment or on the Facebook page or in private email to me ([email protected]). Let's see if we can find the family this soldier's items should go to.

Who Do You Think You Are? With Katey Sagal

 Be sure to watch this Sunday’s episode of Who Do You Think You Are? featuring actress Katey Sagal

Katey Sagal and Dr. Kara Dixon-Vuic
an Associate Professor of History
at the Texas Christian University

Katey Sagal lost her parents at a young age and has no family to fill in the blanks of her ancestry. She goes on a journey to understand her beloved mother’s life as a performer for the USO during World War II, and gets emotional connecting for the first time with the only person she’s met who knew her mother when she was young. 

Then she digs deep into her roots, uncovering a surprising link to early American Amish settlers, and discovers the shocking story of a fierce attack her ancestors endured. She finds her family torn apart and struggling to reconnect after years of separation, which challenges her own morals on motherhood.

The two-time Emmy nominated series WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? returns this spring to follow more of today’s most beloved and iconic celebrities as they embark on personal journeys of self-discovery to trace their family trees.
 
Ancestry.com, the leading family history company, is teaming up again with TLC as a sponsor of the upcoming season. As part of the show sponsorship, Ancestry provides exhaustive family history research on each of the featured celebrities to help make discoveries possible and build out the story of each episode.
The series is produced for TLC by Shed Media and Is or Isn’t Entertainment, and is based on an original format created by Wall to Wall Media and Alex Graham. More information can be found at TLC.com/WDYTYA. ‘Like’ Who Do You Think You Are? on Facebook.com/WDYTYA and follow @WDYTYA on Twitter.
Image credit: TLC

True Love Finds a Way - Sweethearts Reunite after 72 Years Apart

True love finds a way.

Norwood Thomas was a 21-year-old paratrooper when he met 17-year-old British girl Joyce Morris in London just before D-Day. They dated for a few months before the war intervened and saw Mr Thomas sent to Normandy.

After the war ended, Norwood went back to America, and settled in Virginia Beach, while Joyce ended up in Australia. They lost touch until recently.

Yesterday they reunited in Australia, courtesy of first-class tickets from Air New Zealand, and donations from complete strangers.  

Read the heart-warming story of 93 year old Norwood  and 88 year old Joyce  at Wartime Sweethearts Reunite after 72 years apart

Help Return Silver Cross Medail to Descendants of Eviva Carr

Recently this Silver Cross medal was found and the finder wants to return it to family.  The medal is engraved with the name S.J. Carr and the service number F2079. 

The medal was presented to Eviva Carr of Manassette Lake, Guysborough County, Nova Scotia whose son Samuel James Carr died on May 23, 1944 in Italy.

The Canadian Virtual War Memorial shows that Carr, a private, served with the West Nova Scotia Regiment. 

An obituary published in The Chronicle Herald indicates Eviva Carr died in 1980. She had several relatives, including four daughters and 21 grandchildren.


Olive Tree Genealogy's Research shows: 

St. Francis Harbour Roman Catholic Church Cemetery, St. Francis Harbour,
Guysborough County, NS
Carr, Howard 1890 - 1935
Wife Eviva M. Diggins: 1888 - 1980

If you are a descendant or you know any of this family please get in touch by going to the story Silver Cross quest: Martins River Man seeks information on WWII relic

Image credit:  The Chronicle Herald

Don't Miss Free Access to Ancestry's Global Military Records

In honour of Remembrance Day, Ancestry.ca has launched an extensive collection of military records containing over 29,000 service files of Canadian military personnel killed in action during the conflict. Ancestry is also offering free online access to this, and its entire collection of global military records from November 6 to 11.

The WWII Service Files of War Dead, 1939-1947 collection includes a variety of different documents for each soldier from attestation papers to medical history forms, and even correspondence to family members back home in Canada, as well as more than two million images.

This dataset was of particular interest to me because my uncle James Nevin Bonar was killed in WW2 and his complete file is found there. The image on the left shows one of the dozens of pages in his file. 

Some of the most heroic Canadian soldiers' records found are:

•                    John Robert Osborn (1899 – 1941) who was the first Canadian awarded a Victoria Cross in the Second World War, after bravely sacrificing himself by throwing himself on a grenade to save his comrades.

•                    Samuel Moses (“Moe”) Hurwitz (1910 – 1944) who was the most highly decorated non-commissioned member of the Canadian Grenadier Guards, earning the Military Medal in August and the Distinguished Conduct Medal

•                    David Ernest Hornell (1910 – 1944) who was the first member of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) to be awarded the Victoria Cross for his last and final mission when he successfully sunk a German U-boat under extreme fire.

Don't wait to check out the free online access to Ancestry.ca's entire collection of global military records from November 6 to 11.  I am not sure if this free access is also on Ancestry.com so if one of my readers discovers that it is available there, please leave a comment in the comment section below.