Showing posts with label Australian War Graves Photographic Archive. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Australian War Graves Photographic Archive. Show all posts

Monday, November 5, 2012

Expert Q&A :: How to research cemeteries in Sydney & NSW

For our Expert Q&A Thursday, November 1 we had Lisa Murray, the City of Sydney Historian join us and answer questions on how to research cemeteries in Sydney & NSW. Thanks again to Lisa for giving us all the benefit of her years of experience. We look forward to having Lisa back sometime soon. Please find the transcript of the Q&A and links.

Don't forget our Expert Q&As happen every Thursday night on the Inside History Magazine facebook page.

When: NSW - ACT - VIC - TAS: 8:30-9:30pm AEDT | QLD: 7:30-8:30pm | WA: 5:30-6:30pm | NT: 7:00-8:00pm | SA: 8:00-9:00pm

Dr Lisa Murray is the City Historian for the City of Sydney and is currently the Chair of the Dictionary of Sydney.

Top tips from Lisa Murray:
  • Tip 1. Best list of cemeteries in Greater Sydney can be found in Johnson & Sainty (2001) “Sydney Burial Ground 1819-1901” Appendices 4 & 5. Use to confirm when cemeteries first opened in Sydney or - if you have no burial ground listed on the death certificate - where your ancestor might be buried.
  • Tip 2. Consult every transcription of a cemetery as earlier ones (eg. from the 1960s) may have details of headstones that have since weathered away or been damaged. A useful index of cemetery transcripts is Killion & Garnsey (1994) “Cemeteries in Australia: A Register of Transcripts”. Also check Australian Cemeteries Index: http://austcemindex.com
  • Tip 3. State Records NSW holds a lot of information about the administration of cemeteries – requests for land grants for cemeteries, surveyors instructions and correspondence about laying out cemeteries, special bundles on particular cemeteries. Check out their Archives In Brief 69 – Cemetery Records
  • Tip 4. Use the digitised newspapers in TROVE http://trove.nla.gov.au/ to identify funeral notices, death notices, obituaries, and in memoriam notices. (What did we ever do without Trove?!!) The Ryerson Index http://www.ryersonindex.org is also good for more contemporary notices.
  • Tip 5. Don't forget that the business records of funeral directors and monumental masons can also provide additional information about your ancestors' burial. Both the Mitchell Library and the Society of Australian Genealogists have such records. Have a look at the SAG's research guide on cemeteries.
George St looking north, showing the old Burial Ground, now the site of the Town Hall ca 1844
Image courtesy of the State Library of NSW

 Summary of links from the Q&A:
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Transcript of Expert Q&A - How to research cemeteries in NSW:

Welcome everyone, thanks for joining us tonight. Try to keep your questions concise and focused on tonight’s topic: how to research cemeteries in NSW. That will help Lisa to answer as many as possible in the next hour.
A. Lisa: Hi everybody! Good to be here.

Q. Rochell: Has everyone been found that was buried at the old town hall cemetery and is it true some coffins were found with scratches on the inside.
A. Lisa: Evidence of where the graves were still pop up regularly, as it seems they weren't very thorough in clearing the site in the 1860s. So there may still be some skeletal remains. I'm not aware of any particular finds of intact coffins with scratch marks, but it is Halloween!
A. IHM: Lisa also wrote about cemetery design in our Issue 10: May-Jun edition - it was our cemetery special.
A. Chez: Hi Rochell - re town hall graves... apparently my grandfather who lived in Sydney used to say that when they excavated and moved coffins some had scratch marks. Not that I think he was alive when they were moved (sorry don't know the date) but it would not be like him to just say something for hype - he used to tell his children who are now 75 and younger...
A. Lisa: A to Chez: Evocative story. I've found a couple of great newspaper reports of graves being uncovered in the 1920s outside town hall, but the coffin disintegrated when it was exposed. There's sure to be more reports on Trove - I haven't had the time recently to indulge my death fascination with Trove.
A. Chez: Well if it was the 1920s my grandfather may well have seen....he would have been an apprentice working around town hall then.

Q. Christine: There is a cemetery in Clunes, NSW, with a section for Roman Catholics, however, I cannot find any information on how the Catholics were there, Clunes, was an Ornge town, and only acknowledged one Catholic, the baker, intrigue, one local did say that the Catholics would have had to sneak in at night, because no way the protestants would have let them in!!!
A. Lisa: A. to Christine: The government developed a standardised design for general cemeteries which they applied fairly rigorously across the state of NSW from 1859. The denominational divisions were based on the 1856 census. The Roman Catholics were given one of the larger portions, after the Church of England. So the surveyors didn't really respond to local religious circumstances. They only worried about the topography of the land.
A. Christine: okay, thanks, however, still does not clear up the mystery, and was also told that, at Clunes, and else where, that the boundaries of the cemeteries were not actually what you see, and that many 'unwelcome guests' were buried outside the cemetery lines, what do you think???
A. Lisa: A. to Christine: Many country general cemeteries are actually bigger than what is now fenced. Some towns just didn't develop as rapidly as the surveyors anticipated. There was also a standard design developed in the late 19th century that allowed for a large area to be surveyed but a smaller portion fenced and utilised. This has resulted in some fantastic ecological communities of endangered vegetation surviving. eg the grassy whitebox community. I have seen a couple of instances of crown land plans showing Aboriginal burials outside the cemetery boundary. However, unless documented in some way at the time, to identify them today you would need to use ground-penetrating radar and other tech stuff.
A. Christine: perhaps I should send you the results of my research, it is a fascinating but very confusing cemetery, the Catholics who are buried there are not even recognised as Catholics, and are listed as Cof E.
A. Lisa: Further A to Christine: I suggest (if you haven't already) that you have a look at the parish maps. Parish maps often include a diagram of the general cemetery showing denominational divisions and gazettal dates. A sequence of editions of Parish Maps can show extensions to cemeteries and give leads for crown land plans of individual cemeteries. You can search online at https://six.nsw.gov.au Church cemetery grants are sometimes noted too.
A. Christine: yes, thanks, have all that, perhaps if there was time somewhere else to explain the history of Clunes and all the things that went on, may give you an idea of where I am coming from.

Q. Janelle: when my ancestor was reinterred from the Devonshire Cem to one in Botany, would she have been buried alone or would a bunch have been buried together from Dev Cem? There were no people listed in that contact section on the list of whose body was moved where. There is apparently no headstone for my lady at Botany, but would they know where she is buried? She was Jewish. Thanks!!!
A. Lisa: A. to Janelle: They did try to keep the graves together, so any remains found in one grave would have been transferred and buried together in one grave at Botany. However, since then the area dedicated in Botany to the Devonshire Street Cemetery has been consolidated into a rest park. For the full low down on the history of the Devonshire Street Cemetery and the transfer of remains have a look at Johnson & Sainty (2001) "Sydney Burial Ground 1819-1901".

Q. Denise: Why don't all councils eg Randwick make burial details available on line please?
A. Lisa: A to Denise: Most councils only became responsible for general cemeteries in the 1960s, so some councils in fact don't have the early burial registers for the cemeteries they are now responsible for. There may also be issues of cost and privacy in making such records digitally accessible.
A. IHM: Here's a link at Randwick City Council on cemetery records Denise Dobinson and there's Australian Cemeteries Index: http://austcemindex.com but I can't find Randwick on that site.
A. Denise: Thanks for the link I have already looked at it so looks like a trip to the cemetery for me. I thought that since Botany is online they may be putting the rest up. Thanks for your help.
A. Lisa: A to Denise: You could check with Randwick Historical Society to see if they know if Randwick Council holds the burial registers, or if held somewhere else. I always check the cemetery transcripts before I go out to the cemetery. A useful index of cemetery transcripts is Killion & Garnsey (1994) “Cemeteries in Australia: A Register of Transcripts”.
A. IHM: Here's the link to the Randwick Historical Society.
A. Denise: Inside History Magazine - austcemindex don't have Randwick or Waverly listed. I have been lucky that most of my research has been at Rookwood or Botany. Thanks for the info.

Q. Maddy: Hi Lisa. Is it true that Dicken's inspiration for Miss Havisham is buried in Newtown cemetery do you know? Not sure where I heard that...
A. Lisa: A to Maddy: Yes, that's right.
A. IHM: There's a great piece on Eliza Emily Donnithorne of Newtown & Miss Havisham on Scratching Sydney's Surface Maddy Hunt :: 20 July 2012: Miss Donnithorne
Q (b). Maddy: Great. thanks for that. Any further recommendations of fun cemeteries? Any great stories you've come across through your research?
A. Lisa: A to Maddy: There are some great resources about Camperdown Cemetery. The Society of Australian Genealogists has an excellent 8 page guide to Camperdown Cemetery, which lists original records as well as some published histories. There are also some original records held in the City of Sydney Archives, relating to when the cemetery was closed and converted into a rest park. There is also info on the associated Newtown Project website.
A. IHM: Link to Society of Australian Genealogists Camperdown cemetery records :: http://www.sag.org.au/downloads/CamperdownCemetery.pdf
A. Lisa: A to Maddy: Well, now that you ask, I love a good picnic in a cemetery. So Katoomba with the view sounds perfect. If you haven't been to Rookwood Necropolis then you MUST! A great introduction is the tours done by the Friends of Rookwood. I love Waverley Cemetery too which is on the cliff between Bronte and Coogee. My favourite headstone there is of a circus high-diver who died when he missed the tank of water. His gravestone is specially carved showing him just about to leap off!!! I'm also partial to a graveyard and one of my favourites is around the Goulburn area - it's a little CoE at Pejar. Best to visit early spring when the daffodils are in flower. It has a vista across the dam. Very pretty!!
A. Denise: Mays Hill near Parramatta is a nice cemetery too.
Q (c). Lisa, is Waverley cemetery easy to navigate and find graves do you know?
A. Lisa: Good call Denise. Haven't been there for AGES! Must go on a sunny day.
A. IHM: Here's the sources for Waverley records - Waverley Council and Society of Australian Genealogists and findmypast.com.au Aust & NZ have the transcripts for Waverley cemetery.
A. Chez: I have relos at Waverley...and no idea of how easy it is to get to? Is there a who is buried where resource? or do you need to know plot numbers. I know it is supposed to have a great water view!
A. Lisa: A to Denise and Chez: Waverley Cemetery is pretty easy to get to. It's right beside a Sydney Buses route. The cemetery is kept in pretty good condition and pathways are regularly mown. There is often someone in the Cemetery Office who can (for a fee) search their registers. I have some old self-guided tours of Waverley Cemetery. I'll dig them out and I'll ask the lovely people at Inside History and see if they can post them up for me. :)
A. IHM: Waverley Cemetery is also part of the Coogee to Bondi Coastal Walk - one of our favourite walks!
A. IHM: Please find the link for the 6 Waverley cemetery walks available on the Waverley Council Library site.

Q. Maddy: Thanks guys! I have found in my travels that gold rush towns usually have cemeteries with a great ambience. Sofala comes to mind. Also way out west where the ground is hard and the graves are humble.
A. Lisa: Comment to Maddy: your poetic description of Sofala Cem makes me want to head out there right now. Cemeteries can say so much about a place and the history of the town and the people.
A. Maddy: ah no! I was just thinking it might have been Hill End!! can't be sure :)
A. Denise: Both Sofala and Hill End have some good stories on headstones.

Comment: Chez: Katoomba is a cemetery that can be confusing...as until I had to investigate more fully thought my great great grandmother was buried with the Anglicans (I am one) which would have made her turn in her grave - she was a devout Catholic. On researching more I learned that the move the signs to the 'current' area of burial....so she was in fact buried in the Catholic portion! and if you have never been to Katoomba cemetry...worth the visit...view is great...and the old coach cover structure is still there!
A. Lisa: A to Chez: Great recommendation for Katoomba Cemetery. I love it when the old landscape design elements of the cemetery still survive.
A. Chez: Wood Coffill in Katoomba 20yrs ago...still had the original cards used at the time of funerals for the 1920s...even told you the weather on the day...how many horses/carriages etc!
A. Lisa: WOW!! That's amazing. I would love to get my hands on those and do an analysis of all the funerals over a year. How cool would that be?!!? I wonder if they still have them. We should encourage them to donate them to the Mitchell Library or a similar institution. They are a rare and wonderful collection that really could shed some light on funeral practices and burial rituals.
A. Chez: True Lisa: They were so nice when I phoned them all that time ago, photocopied and posted the front and back of the card....It would be a great research piece and there are many branches research could take you so they could be invaluable!!
A. Lisa: Comment to Chez: That sounds really encouraging about Wood & Coffill. It seems they realise their value and it's lovely they took the time to photocopy the card for you. I'd love to see a copy of it - I haven't come across something like that, although admittedly I've focussed more on cemeteries and monumental masons, not so much funeral parlours. (Although still have several research files on them - can't resist:) )

Q. IHM: Time flies! One last one from us Lisa: What do you have in the pipeline that we should be excited about?
A. Lisa: Okay time to sign off. Thanks everyone. It's been a joy! My next big thing coming up is with the City of Sydney - we're launching our new self-guided historical walking tour brochure of Newtown on 12 December at Newtown Library. It’s the 150th anniversary since the proclamation of Newtown Municipality. Come along for the celebrations. And you can find out about all my public talks on my facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/SydneyClio Bye for now!!
A. IHM: Thanks again for joining us Lisa Murray and sharing your knowledge, we'll have to get you back another time! We’ll publish the questions, answers and links from tonight’s session in a blog post this coming week.
A. Lisa: Sure - anytime. It's been fun!

Waverley Cemetery | Waverley Council

Next Week: Who's joining us for next Thursday's Expert Q&A? Janda Gooding from the Australian War Memorial. Topic: Lost Diggers & How to use photos to research your military ancestors.

Janda Gooding is Head of Photographs, Film, Sound & Multimedia and Curator for the “Remember me: the lost diggers of Vignacourt” exhibition, which starts at the AWM this Friday, November 2

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Read the previous Expert Q&A transcripts:
[1]  Thursday, July 26 :: How to get the best from Trove Australia
[2]  Thursday, August 16 :: How to get the best from BDM Certificates
[3]  Thursday, August 23 :: Getting the most from NAA
[4]  Thursday, August 30 :: Interpreting photographs for family history
[5]  Thursday, September 6 :: How to get the best from Ancestry.com.au
[6]  Thursday, September 13 :: Using Trove for research
[7]  Thursday, September 20 :: Today's toolkit for the digital historian
[8]  Thursday, September 27 :: Preserving your artefacts with NAA
[9]  Thursday, October 4 :: Studying and doing research at UNE
[10]  Thursday, October 11 :: How to research war graves and Anzac ancestors
[11]  Thursday, October 25 :: What's new at Ancestry.com.au
[12] Thursday, November 1 :: How to research cemeteries in Sydney & NSW
[13] Thursday, Nov 8 :: Australian War Memorial - Lost Diggers
[14] Thursday, Nov 15 :: Getting even more from Trove
[15] Thursday, Nov 22 :: Getting the most from findmypast AU & NZ
[16] Thursday, Nov 29 :: Using NAA defence records
[19] Thursday, Dec 20 :: What's new at Ancestry.com.au




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Thursday, October 11, 2012

Expert Q&A :: How to research Anzac war graves & ancestors

On Thursday, October 11 we were lucky to have the dedicated military historian and war graves researcher, Matt Smith, join us for an Expert Q&A on how to research war graves and Anzac ancestors. Please find the transcript of the Q&A and links.

Don't forget our Expert Q&As happen every Thursday night on the Inside History Magazine facebook page.

When: NSW - VIC - ACT - TAS: 8:30-9:30pm AEDT | QLD: 7:30-8:30pm | WA: 5:30-6:30pm | NT: 7:00-8:00pm | SA: 8:00-9:00pm | Weekly Thursdays

Matt Smith's project, Australian War Graves Photographic Archive, began in 2000, and is committed to procuring a digital photograph of every Australian War Grave and Memorial Commemoration worldwide. This commitment stems from a labour of respect dedicated to the supreme sacrifice made by our Australian military personnel. The searchable database at the core of the site was formally launched for Remembrance Day 2011. The site displays images of the commemorations, and offers a range of free resources to families and researchers of our war dead.

Summary of links from the Q&A:
=====================================================

Transcript of Expert Q&A - How to research Anzac war graves and ancestors, with Matt Smith

Our Expert Q&A with Matt Smith starts at 8:30pm DST. Tonight’s topic: How to research war graves and Anzac ancestors. Please ask your questions for Matt in a comment below & he will answer in a following comment.

Q. Sharon [October 10]: I might miss this week's session. My relative made it home but there is much of his life unknown. He enlisted for WW1 from Torrington, NSW. He came home, spent time in Cessnock. We have his war records but would like to know more of his life story. We know some up until Cessnock but then he moved to Perth and was at a distance from the family in Cessnock. He served in WW2 in and around Perth. I have had trips to Perth but never had time to investigate. He died in Perth. His war medals have gone missing for WW1 and he appears to have died with no money and no possessions. Nothing was sent to the family and it appears the family didn't ask. He is in an unmarked grave in Karrakatta. I have had a memorial done in Rookwood NSW so the family can visit but the details on the plaque are wrong and I haven't had a chance to correct them. So, my questions are - can I do any online searches on my uncle regarding his life in WA? How do I get the memorial fixed? Would it be the war graves people as they approved it? His name is Jack Warland. Thanks.
A. Matt: Hi Sharon, I am getting in early here before the Q and A starts officially. Firstly because I can't help myself and secondly because you might miss the session. That said, I can tell you that John (Jack) Warland was wounded during WWI, but after the war he was a member of the Australian Graves Detachment from April - August 1919. He was burying the dead in France and assisting with the development of the war cemeteries. As you mentioned, he served during WW2 in WA and was discharged in 1946. The first thing that I would do is to contact the Office of Australian War Graves - www.dva.gov.au - (02) 6289 6510 and ask the questions about the status of his war grave in Karrakatta. That will determine if he should have an official headstone or whether the family opted out. If he should have a war grave, then they should provide one. You would need to have him assessed with birth certificate etc etc. Then I would check the census records for WA to see if they have him recorded and where he is recorded. There was a census in 1947, 1954, and 1961, following which it was every 5 years. If you can locate him, you can track him. Also the Births, Deaths and Marriage records would be the next step.

Q. Cheryl: Hi Matt, my great, great uncle emigrated from London to Australia. He died whilst in service with the 52nd battalion AIF on 4 Sept 1916 nr Moquet Farm. 760 Sergeant Charles Emerson Watling. I have his medal awarded in death (was hung in my dads room while he was young but he never asked who it belonged to!) and a photo of his grave. I have tried to search myself for a photo of Charles or even of his battalion for quite some time without success. Your help or advice with this would be so appreciated. Kind regards, Cheryl x
A. Matt: Hi Cheryl, Obviously the first place to start would be the Australian War Memorial collection - http://www.awm.gov.au/search/collections/. Then, I would follow with a simple Google Search - try some combinations of his name i.e. Charles Watling or Watling 52nd Battalion. Then I would try http://ww1wa.gravesecrets.net/w.html - Faithe Jones is the lady at the end of this one. Then follow the other leads such as Broken Hill connections, 52nd Battalion history, WA Archives - remember that the 52nd Battalion came from the 12th Battalion, so that is another connection. Hope that helps?

Q. Wendy: Hi Matt, I have been doing my family history for 2 yrs now and found information on my maternal grandfather Albert James Byron who went off as a cook in WW1 at age 44 in 1916 on the SS Afric, my mother was only 9 when he died and I have never ever seen a picture of him. I did manage to find he is buried in an unmarked grave at Rookwood and I did send off a letter last year to the War Graves Commission and have only just got a reply saying he is not entitled to have his grave site marked with a plaque as he did not see active service or died from war related injuries which I was disappointed to hear. Is there any other places I could try and find a photo of him? I would be very grateful for any assistance, thank you
A. Matt: Hi Wendy, great to hear from you. The Office of Australian War Graves should not have told you that he did not see active service, as that is totally untrue. He was on active service for two years overseas during WWI. And he served in the Boer War, albeit with a non-Australian unit. Here are two links for further research into his Boer War Service. He served in Kitchener's Fighting Scouts. His Boer War service is listed on this web-site - http://www.angloboerwar.com/component/content/article/5-south-african-unit-histories/350-kitcheners-fighting-scouts. - Albert James Byron 2236 Trooper Served in 1st KFS. Joined Durban 16 Apr 02 Discharged 7 Jul 02 disbandment Johannesburg
Source: Nominal roll in WO127 OR - Victorian Wars Forum. A really common story, and very frustrating. Of course the Australian War Memorial is the first port of call for WWI photos, but if no luck there, try this book - Give Me Back My Dear Old Cobbers - 58th & 59th Battalions AIF, Robin Corfield. There are a lot of other connections if you need them. As the for his grave in Rookwood, I would ring DVA Office of Australian War Graves with some more evidence and check availability for a grave again. If they still say no, then contact Rookwood and place one yourself. I hope that helps?

Q. Linda: I have just checked the Commonwealth War Graves website, and was wondering what the 'Civilian War Dead" covered. I was particularly looking for Louie Riggall, a woman from Maffra, Victoria, who died France at the end of WWI. She was a VAD in the British Red Cross, working in a military hospital at Rouen, when she died of fever. After much controversy, she was NOT included on the Shire Honor Roll, as she was not considered "enlisted". Her family had considerable resources, and donated a plaque that is now in the Maffra Library (click for photo on flickr). On my search, I could not find a listing for her. I was wondering if she came within the scope of "Civilan War Dead", if she was in a military or civilian cemetery, and if the War Graves Commission cared for her grave.
A. Matt: Hi Linda, Lousia Riggall is listed under the CWGC. Click for her direct link. The Red Cross, YMCA, VADs etc etc are usually all listed as Auxiliary or quasi-military units.

Q. Christine: Do you happen to know of any records relating to pilgrimages by Australians during the inter-war years? 1919-1939. George Risdon Grimwade, there is a letter written about his death, where would I find this, please?
A. Matt: Christine Alexander, the best place to find these records is the National Archives of Australia. Go to www.naa.gov.au and search for 'Pilgrimage' with the dates 1919 - 1939. I did a simple one just now and came up with some great ones. Not all are digitised, but it is a start! :-)
A. Matt: Christine, Not sure about the letter, but I have found this link: http://oa.anu.edu.au/obituary/grimwade-george-risdon-14824
A. Matt: Christine, http://www.smythe.id.au/letters/
A. Christine: thank you, I wish I could remember the site, it is a collection of letters written by fellow soldiers and officers, about how their loved ones died and where and if they were buried. I actually know a lot about George, his parents carried a 70lb piece of granite to Gallipoli when they visited his grave in 1922.

Comment: IHM: Welcome everyone, thanks for joining us tonight. Welcome also to Matt. Please ask your questions for him in a comment below. Don't forget to keep refreshing your browser to see the answers and questions from others as they appear.
A. Matt: Hi Everyone!! Thanks for having me!
A. Matt: Hi All, It is easier to answer questions regarding individuals if you can provide a name and/or service number. :-)

Q. Link: I'm looking for info on my great grandfather, I have correspondence from the armed forces saying he was part of 1st battalion field artillery but when I search his name on the war memorial website I get nothing! I can find battalion history but no record of him, any suggestions?
A. Matt: Link, Can you throw a name our way??
A. Matt: Link, have you tried NAA for service record ? www.naa.gov.au
A. Link: Hey Matt, His name was Earnest Walter Stanborough, His allotted army number: 205, rank of gunner and he enlisted on the 28th August 1914, He sailed to the mediteranean on the HMAT Argyleshire with the 1st Field artillery brigade! This is all we have!
A. IHM: Hi Link Miller, have you checked the Australian War Memorial Embarkation Roll :: http://www.awm.gov.au/research/people/nominal_rolls/first_world_war_embarkation/
A. Link: No, I haven't checked this page, I've looked on the service roll! Is that "Allotted Army Number" the same as a service number? I'll have to check the embark list tomorrow, unfortunately I have to go to work shortly :(
A. Link: Thanks for your help guys, gotta go to work now, the search continues!!!!
A. Tim: A message for Link Miller - Your GGrandfather is recorded as 205 Ernest STANBROUGH (note the spelling of the surname). And also depending on who transcribed the documents his middle name varies between 'Walter' and 'Walker'. He also served in WW2 and both his service files have been combined into one at the National Archives. Click here to see the record.
A. Matt: Thanks Tim! Great Wingman!
A. Wendy: Yes and a very good 'digger detective' :)
A. Tim: I only hope Link returns here to view the information so his searching doesn't continue fruitlessly.

 Q. Sheryl: Hi Matt, I am looking for a photo of Clarence Raymond Rudolph Gosper b.1889 5th June Australia. d. France (Bullecourt) 3rd May 1917 and haven't yet been successful. Any advice for me would be appreciated. Hi Matt, Sorry. Clarence Raymond Rudolph Gosper 6025 b.1889 5th June Australia. d. France (Bullecourt) 3rd May 1917
A. Matt: Hi Sheryl, It is difficult to locate images of individuals unless obvious like the AWM website. He is a Richmond NSW boy, so I would take that track - http://www.hawkesbury.net.au/memorial/richmond_war_memorial/rrwm080.html. Perhaps approach a local Richmond Genealogist or historical group!

Comment: IHM: There's lot's of useful tools on the Australian War Memorial site :: http://www.awm.gov.au/research/
Q. Carmel: Looking for William George Fox of SA. He died 11 Nov 1917. Egypt would love to find a photo. He was the son of William George Cuttle but took on his stepfather's name. I am not able to find William George in the archives but have newspaper reports of his death.
A. Matt: Carmel, try this link - http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/scripts/Imagine.asp?B=4019564
A. Matt: Carmel, contact the Australian Light Horse Studies centre website - australian.light.horse.studies@gmail.com
A. Carmel: Thanks Matt, but why was my searches not finding him? I have found others without issues. Also I found records of one of my uncles, killed in WW1 which was the same as an inquest, with witnesses and details of his death. I believe it was a Red Cross record and found online. It usually takes me some time to track this record down, do you know if these are available for all who were killed?

Q. Monica: Do you have photos of men who served in WW1, e.g. enlistment photos?
A. IHM: Hi Monica Chappell, you can search the Australian War Graves Photographic Archive online at http://www.australianwargraves.org
A. Matt: Hi Monica, the Australian War Graves Photographic Archive holds photos of the war graves and memorial commemorations. Individual portrait images are being collected, but one of the best sources of 'catalogued' images after the AWM collection is here - http://www.gravesecrets.net/wwi-pictorial-honour-rolls.html
A. Monica: Thanks for the links but no photos for me there. :(
A. Matt: Monica, quite often to find a portrait photo of an individual we need to search at a town or suburb level, rather than a national or state level. Find a location that can link to the person and start there.

Comment - tip: Wendy: AIF Project is also a handy resource and Mapping Our Anzacs for photos in the Scrapbook, although they can be a little out with transription :) For eg, looked up a bloke from Picton NSW and MOA had Picton Cananada, when clearly his record stated NSW :) Google is great for Battalion pages and ancestors who have put war diaries and letters etc online. I've found some amazing stuff while researching :)
A. Matt: You are right Wendy!! We have to approach research with open eyes and don't always believe everything that you read or see in the first instance. Find some back up research or data to support.
A. IHM: Here's the link to the AIF Project for everyone here :: http://www.aif.adfa.edu.au/index.html
A. Matt: The best thing about the AIF Project is the Embarkation Roll links and the fact that we can now search for a place of birth or origin. For that ease of research I am happy to trawl through a few mistakes. Great site! I use it daily.
A. Wendy: Agree Matt :) Have you looked up where you live now?
A. Wendy: Totally agree with you Matt, I was knocked over by how many photos were at our Historical Society when I started researching Wedderburn's WW1 Diggers and if there isn't one in uniform you may find them in Cricket or Footy Team photos or the Firebrigade it was popular with our lads. Please also contact the RSLs associated with your digger before and after service, have come across incredible portrait dedications. Our local CFA has huge portrait pics of their boys who served and a local flour mill even built their own memorial. If they were a teacher in Victoria check out Victoria Educations WW1 Book or contact me and I can look them up .... I know where 2 copies are :) Newspapers also printed lots of photos of Diggers so check "TROVE" under name and Battalion. Will list any more avenues when I think of them :)
A. IHM: Great advice, Wendy Stewart - I think we have to mention your FB page if we're talking about your research :: http://www.facebook.com/WW1lostboys And another resource is ANZACs Online :: http://anzacsonline.net.au

A. Wendy: Thanks IHM We Will Remember Them is the page for our local reasearch project using the Wedderburn, Korong Vale and Woosang Memorials as a basis. WW1 LB began as a means to identifying the other 13 Tunnellers in the profile pic with my Great Grandfather Mannie Penneyston, he's front and centre. I may have id the young man at the back 2nd on left, he's missing half of his index finger and joined within days of Mannie. Anyway the page has grown beyond anything I imagined thanks to some wonderful people who are happy to share knowledge on all things military. I have had the great pleasure of sharing so many stories and have helped family 'discover' who the Digger is in their family :) On the project side I have been blessed with meeting several sons and daughters of 'Our Diggers'.

Q. Matt, What would be your top tips for researching your military ancestors?
A. Matt: First and foremost, have an idea of what it is that you are trying to achieve!!!! Do a Google search!!! :-) If it is an ancestor who died, check on the Australian War Memorial website – www.awm.gov.au, or the Australian War Graves Photographic Archive website – www.australianwargraves.org – to see if they died or survived the war. Or go to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission - www.cwgc.org. If your ancestor survived or died, then the AWM is your best start. Then do a search on the National Archives website - www.naa.gov.au for their service record. Then, in the service record, look for ‘place’ locations that you can identify in current Australia, or on the battlefield areas. These will assist with making sense of service. Look for the Red or Blue handwritten text in Service Files. This can provide the key for research links. Use other individuals that may have been in the same unit or at a location at the same time as your ancestor to assist with filling in missing information. Look to the Red Cross Wounded and Missing Files at the AWM website - https://www.awm.gov.au/research/people/wounded_and_missing/. Treat them with caution as to accuracy, but if you can corroborate a number of eyewitness accounts then there is a fair chance that the story is accurate. It is all relative though.

Q. Matt, What do you have in the pipeline that we should be excited about?
A. Matt: The biggest thing at this stage is the photos of the individual war graves and memorial commemorations of Australia’s War Dead that are being prepared for upload to the Australian War Graves Photographic Archive website – www.australianwargraves.org. It is a slow process, but will be great when completed. I am undertaking research on the Australian Graves Detachment, Australian Grave Services and Imperial War Graves Commission between 1919 and 1926, which is turning up some great connections. And, for anyone interested, I will be leading a battlefield research tour to ANZAC Day at Villers-Bretonneux, France in April 2013. All are welcome. We will also be at Gallipoli for 10 days after that in mid-May. Contact me for details - australianwargraves@bigpond.com. Still in preparation stage but I can furnish details.

Q. IHM: Thanks for joining us Matt Smith. Well, we're out of time, we'll finish with one last question: What is your favourite or most moving story you’ve found in your research?
A. Matt: Thanks Inside History Magazine, I do have one favourite story that has stuck with me all these years of research and contact with people regarding military history.....A few years ago I was contacted by an elderly lady in Brisbane who was seeking information about her brother who was killed in WWII. She mentioned that he had been killed near the Philippines but she didn’t know any more than that. I was able to do a quick search and found out that he was buried in Sai Wan War Cemetery in Hong Kong. Sai Wan Cemetery was the nearest main Commonwealth War Graves receiving cemetery to the Phillipines at that time. He had been killed on a Merchant Navy vessel during the Battle for Leyte Gulf as an Australian Army anti-aircraft deck gunner. I mentioned to the lady that I had a photo of her brother’s grave and then I asked if she was ‘Letty’ or ‘Brenda’. She asked me how I knew her name. I explained that there were names listed on the grave within the epitaph. She was amazed to think that her mother had included the names of her and her sister on the grave in their shortened versions, when her whole life she was discouraged from being called anything except ‘Violetta’. So Letty was linked to her brother’s grave in perpetuity. I think that is priceless!!!
A. IHM: I have a feeling that you don't want to stop answering questions! Thanks again for joining us tonight! We'll get to any questions that need follow-up tomorrow and publish the answers and links from tonight’s session in a blog post this coming week. Thanks Matt.
A. Matt: Thank you Inside History Magazine and thank you everyone. If you have photos of war graves or memorial commemorations, get on touch at australianwargraves@bigpond.com. We can use them on the website!
A. Sheryl: Thank you Inside History and thank you Matt Smith.
Q. Kerryn: Both WW2 and WW2?
A. Matt: Fire away Kerryn!
A. IHM: What is your grandmother's brother's name Kerryn Taylor?
A. Kerryn: Morgan ADAMS. Regimental number 1903. He came home but died a couple of years later
A. IHM: Hi Kerryn Taylor, here are the details for Morgan ADAMS - Regimental number 1903 in the National Archives of Australia WW1 records. Click for record.

A. Kerryn: Thanks I have his service record he was 5th reinforcements 7 battalion but I can't find a company number. Perhaps there isn't one?
A. Wendy: Kerryn Taylor here's a link to the other guys that went over seas with Morgan. I had a quick look at his file and could not see a 'Company' just 7th Bn but I would imagine that some became his good mates :) http://www.aif.adfa.edu.au/showUnit?unitCode=INF7REIN5
A. Kerryn: Thanks Wendy
A. Matt: Well done Wendy, that was my next suggestion for Kerryn!! Thanks!
A. Kerryn: I just found info on my 1st cousin twice removed on the Red Cross search link you gave. I put his picture on this wall earlier. They described him as dark haired and dark complexion ... Bugler William John Pike Morgan
A. IHM: That's great news Kerryn Taylor, time for a little happy dance? :)

Killed in action in the Australian Armed Forces Private William John Pike Morgan was in the 14th Battalion No 893 and was killed in Gallipoli 8/8/1915 - he was 18 years and 3 months old. He lived at McGuinness Street, Euroa with his mother and father Thomas Fitzherbert II and Sarah (nee McNay) and attended Euroa State School before joining the Victoria Railways in Seymour, Victoria. William belonged to the 10th Unit Volunteer Cadet Corps Jnr and Snr. William's brother Private Benjamin Robert Morgan, killed in Gernamy as result of P.O.A in Crete. William is bured in 6 Lone Pine memorial Panel 73. Source of Information: AWM 145 Roll of Honour cards, 1914-1918 War, Army.
From Kerryn Taylor, October 11 on Facebook. Lest We Forget.

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Read the previous Expert Q&A transcripts:
[1]  Thursday, July 26 :: How to get the best from Trove Australia
[2]  Thursday, August 16 :: How to get the best from BDM Certificates
[3]  Thursday, August 23 :: Getting the most from NAA
[4]  Thursday, August 30 :: Interpreting photographs for family history
[5]  Thursday, September 6 :: How to get the best from Ancestry.com.au
[6]  Thursday, September 13 :: Using Trove for research
[7]  Thursday, September 20 :: Today's toolkit for the digital historian
[8]  Thursday, September 27 :: Preserving your artefacts with NAA
[9]  Thursday, October 4 :: Studying and doing research at UNE
[10] Thursday, October 11 :: How to research war graves and Anzac ancestors
[11] Thursday, October 25 :: What's new at Ancestry.com.au
[12] Thursday, November 1 :: How to research cemeteries in Sydney & NSW
[13] Thursday, Nov 8 :: Australian War Memorial - Lost Diggers
[14] Thursday, Nov 15 :: Getting even more from Trove
[15] Thursday, Nov 22 :: Getting the most from findmypast AU & NZ
[16] Thursday, Nov 29 :: Using NAA defence records
[19] Thursday, Dec 20 :: What's new at Ancestry.com.au
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