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Showing posts with label Facebook. Show all posts

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Expert Q&A :: Getting even more from Trove

For our Expert Q&A Thursday, November 15 we had Virginia James and Mark Raadgever from the Trove team join us and answer questions on how to get even more from Trove. Thanks again to Virginia and Mark for giving us all their time and insights. We look forward to having the Trove team back again soon.

Please find the transcript of the Q&A and links below.

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

As of November 2012 there are 316,919,556 pages consisting of 77,907,016 articles available to search in just the old newspapers on Trove alone! Please find the transcript of the Q&A and links.

Summary of links from the Q&A:

Check out photos and add your own :: Trove: Australia in Pictures on Flickr

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Transcript of Expert Q&A - Getting even more from Trove:

Our Expert Q&A with Virginia James and Mark Raadgever from the Trove team starts in 15 minutes at 8:30pm AEDT. Topic: Getting even more from Trove. Please ask your questions in a comment below and Virginia or Mark will answer in a following comment.

Comment: IHM: Welcome everyone, the Q&A is now open. Thanks for joining us tonight Virginia and Mark. Please ask your questions.

Q. From Christine: Hi there, my research turned up a story, reported in an article in a WA newspaper, called 'peeps at people' the story was about a Gallipoli soldier who eventually ended up as a guide at Galipolii, having had a bad time, prisoner of war etc, I would really like to know who he was.
A. Virginia: @Christine, Wow, what a fascinating story. I take it no names were mentioned.
Q (b): From Christine: there is a photo in Bart Ziinos book of the Irwin family on a pilgrimage to Gallipoli showing them doing a grave rubbing, cannot find the image in Trove or eleswhere, ideas?
A. Virginia: @Christine, Hmmm... difficult one. If the image hasn't been contributed separately to Trove apart from the book you won't be able to find it in Trove. So it may not exist as a digitised image on its own. Even if it is, it may have a different title from the caption in the book so it might be in Trove but need different search terms to find it.

Q. From Alexandra: Hi there...I would like to get more involved in the Trove community...I think I understand what the text corrections are about ...but what are the images and the lists? Also is it possible to set up an automated search in Trove - a bit like Google?
A. Mark: @Alexandra In answer to your three questions 1) Images are photographs (or scans) that are added by individuals to the Trove: Australia in Pictures Flickr group (http://www.flickr.com/groups/pictureaustralia_ppe/), images uploaded to this group appear in Trove after about 2 weeks, as long as they meet certain requirements. 2) Lists are a list of items found in Trove that a user has collated to make it easier for people to find items that are related, for example http://trove.nla.gov.au/list?id=9823 is a list of newspaper articles about Harold Williams the singer. These can be created by anyone, and are particularly useful for sharing relevant items with other people. 3) You can't set up an automated search in the same way that Google does, however you can subscribe to an RSS feed that notifies you when any new items are added to Trove which match your search. The link to this appears at the bottom of your search results. This feed can be set to just results in a specific zone, or for results across all zones.
A. Alexandra: Mark - thank you so much - that's great news....I forgot to say thank you to both of you and the whole NLA team ....Trove is so fantastic ...I bore people witless raving about it....
A. Alexandra: Oooh and I've just discovered your Trove search box which I've just put on my blog...that's useful too...thanks.
A. IHM: The search box is on our blog as well, Alexandra. Here's the link for everyone else: Add a Trove search box to your website :: http://www.nla.gov.au/media/trove/add-trove-to-your-website.html
A. Chris: I have it also, and every now and then someone tells me how handy it is.

Q. From Rosemary: Often multiple lines of an article (eg those in the Family Notices) are missed in the OCR process - is there any way that the OCR can be redone or is the only option to manually correct the entries ourselves? 
A. Virginia: @Rosemary, Unfortunately no. We don't have the resources available to send items back for re-scanning so that's why we love our volunteer text correctors so much!
A. Rosemary: The association of the text with the correct line on the page is generally very good but I have seen some where it is completely unrelated - I have to find the entry by looking for the name of interest. Fortunately not common and I can live with that given all the interesting facts I'm learning about my families.
A. Mark: @Rosemary The information on the lines is based on the output of the OCR engine, which provides each line and word on the page a set of co-ordinates (like a map), if there is an error in the information supplied by the OCR engine, then this may result in the images not quite matching up. Also, if the match is a 'fuzzy' match, these are often not highlighted in either the article text or the article image, you can use your browser 'find' feature to find the items in the text. Also, if a user has changed the text without respecting the original lines (this is permissible if there are not enough lines in the OCR text compared to the original article, however the start of the lines should match where the line is highlighted on the page), this disassociation can also occur. However, the exact reason for any specific article is difficult to say without viewing the article itself

Q. From Fiona: Hi I adore Trove - it's a fabulous resource for researching my family tree. I'm wondering why there isn't much post WW2? Thanks
A. Virginia: @Fiona, that would be because we can only digitise up to 1954 because of copyright issues so that's only 9 years post WWII to digitise.

Q. From Chris: Hi, I'm an avid user of Trove but I need some guidance that you might be able to help with. When I google a name, I can just write it as 'john goopy' + Queensland and for the most part, that's what I will get ...with Mr. Goopy and J Goopy but not much else. When I do this with Trove, I get all manner of Goopys... the bane of my life, don't laugh Cass... How can I get more direct reposnes?
A. Chris: Or responses :-)
A. Mark: @Chris: to reduce the number of results you get in Trove, you may wish to do a phrase search - put the search terms in quote marks (e.g. "John Goopy") to find only those results where the two words appear one after the other, otherwise, you may like to try a 'near' search with an honorific (e.g. Mr) to find only those results which mention a Mr Goopy - for example "Mr Goopy"~2, will find all articles where Mr and Goopy appear within 2 words of each other... You may also need to use the fulltext: syntax to drop some of the less relevant results - see http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/result?q=fulltext%3A%28%22mr+john+goopy%22~2%29 for an example
A. Chris: Thank you, a simple change to what I have been trying certainly helps. Wish I'd asked before. Love OCR... it's often more interesting than the initial reports, even more than my typos. It's good that we have so many correcting though, something I do each time I search, even if it's only a few lines. Thank you for your time.
A. Virginia: @Chris, LOL, I think you might be the first person to say the OCR is sometimes more interesting than the original! And thank you so much for your corrections! Every single one counts!
A. Rosemary: I often get a laugh too from the incorrect OCR - things like the "thin" son instead of the "third" son; lots of interested variations on "passed" in "passed away" too that you would never think of.
A. Mark: @Rosemary I can probably believe almost anything from what I've seen in the OCR!

Q. From Michelle: Is there a possibility of correcting text in a block (like in the Text box) rather than lines separately?
A. Mark: @Michelle This is not something that we intend to introduce at this point in time. The text corrections are completed line-by-line as each line of text is linked to a specific location on the image, and it is not currently possible for us to match these locations with a basic text block rather than the line-by-line system.
A. Mark: This is what allows us to highlight the search results both in the article text and in the original newspaper image
A. Michelle: Thanks @Mark- was just a bit of wishful thinking.

Q. From IHM: Virginia, is there a way to search specifically for images in a newspaper?
A. Virginia: Sure is! Using the Advanced search screen (http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/search?adv=y) you have the option to search in captions only, and to restrict your search to illustrated articles only. The restriction on this is that advertising does not have the illustrations identifed, so this can't be used to find display advertising. You may also use the 'illustrated' facet to restrict your results to illustrated articles, then select a type of illustration.

Q. From Alexandra: Mark/Virginia - how do you choose which newspapers to digitise next?
A. Mark: @Alexandra This process is actually completed by the Newspapers Digitisation Program team (who do an excellent job with the complexities of the digitisation), in consultation with state and territory libraries - more information can be found on the ANDP website at http://www.nla.gov.au/content/selection-policy

Q. From Alison: Do they have plans to collate all the Digger photos under a single catalogue item to make for easier searching. I know newspapers in Brisbane and other port cities often did one page or 2 page spreads of Expeditionary Forces prior to embarkation, using studio portraits, with captions underneath cropped photos just showing the men's faces. I did some text corrections to some Brisbane issues last year, but having trouble now doing an all states search for them for someone else.
A. Virginia: @Alison's question: No, no we don't, but... *big smile* We'd love to have someone create a list of the Digger photos that would make it a single searchable item. So, Alison, there's a challenge for you!

Q. From Kathy: When I ask for an email to be sent to me when a page is finished being digitised, the time frame given is up to 1 month. Does this need to be revised at all? I am sure I've been waiting longer for notification for some pages.
A. Mark: @Kathy One month is a 'normal' timeframe if the batch that contains the article passes the final quality check, then this should normally be completed within 28 days, if the batch fails the quality check then it can take a lot longer (up to 28 days every time it is resubmitted, the most I've seen is a batch that had to be resubmitted 5 times). If the batch fails the check after you submit your email address, then you will receive notification when the page is available, if it passes, you will get notification that the specific article is available.

Comment: Chloe: I haven't got a specific question but I'm reading through the comments, learning new things from all the other questions. Thanks!
A. Mark: @Chloe Glad to hear that you're getting some tips and ideas from the questions.
A. Virginia: @Chloe, not ignoring you! Are you still getting good stuff from this? If you have any questions you'd like us to answer that you don't want to raise here, just shoot us a message via the Contact Us form.

Q. From Virginia: So... just wondering... does anyone use the rest of Trove? I think the other zones are feeling neglected. ;)
A. Virginia: I only ask because we often have pictures of service men and various ships that may interest family historians.
A. Alexandra: Oh no, don't you worry Virginia, I use Trove for finding books at the public library where I work..we love it...it's the tool we use the most after our own catalogue I think it is fair to say....and I recommend it to all our patrons...I particularly love it for images too...
A. Alexandra: If I have any problems it's usually with the archived websites....I click on the links but I never seem to get anywhere with them...I'm not a very experienced user obviously....
A. IHM: We're always pointing people to books & libraries via Trove and don't tell anyone but we use Trove to search other libraries catalogues instead of their systems... And of course there's all the pictures we find on Trove as well!
A. Wendy: I always do a 'complete' search first cause you never know what else is there :) I also redo the same search occassionaly to catch new stuff ... found a beautiful photo just last week of my great grandfather with convict leg irons he found on a skeleton , the photo is held by Tas State library . It wasn't there the time before , so has been added recently. My maiden name is Frerk, so that make things easier ;)
A. Mark: @Alexandra The archived websites can be a bit interesting to use, the are a snapshot of the website at a particular point in time, so many of the links on the pages will be broken. If you have a specific problem, please use the contact us form so that we can provide more specific results.

Q. From Carmel: I heard the other day where some have tried to fix the text and completely changed the story so their ancestor does not sound bad! this does not change the facts at all but corrections are checked before being authorised is this correct? I never thought of this and think the idea funny, luckily the original article cannot be changed anyway. I usually read the original and only revert to the ocr if I am having trouble reading it as well.
A. Virginia: @Carmel, Ack! If you see this sort of thing you should contact us via the contact us form and we'll look into it! We've been pretty lucky with not much 'vandalism' and yes it's true the original can't be changed, but still!
A. Virginia: But no, we do not check the text before the corrections are authorised.
A. Mark: In addition to Virginia's comment, the corrections are available immediately that the user clicks 'save', and they are normally searchable within the hour. However, to help protect against that type of behaviour, the original OCR text always remains searchable (Trove searches the original OCR and the most recent update)
A. Carmel: have not come across it myself but someone did remark that some had tried. Why get in the way of a good story and I would be recorrecting if it was one of mine.
A. Mark: @Carmel There have been a few occurrences where similar things have happened, though not in the way you've mentioned, so it does happen.

Q. From Tony: Hi Guys, when I use the advanced search or a basic search and then the qualifiers on the left side I often want to limit my search to articles 100-1000 words and <1000 words. This requires two searches or one without limiting article length and full of unwanted items. Is there any way to incorporate a search button for both?
A. Virginia: @Tony, give me a sec to digest that one. So you basically want to limit to results that are between 100 to 1000 words and then results less than 1000 words? Isn't that the same thing?
A. Virginia: Oh! Sorry, did you mean greater than 1000 words?
A. Virginia: @Tony, yes, it's possible but it's probably best if you contact us via the contact us form http://librariesaustraliaref.nla.gov.au/reft100.aspx?pmi=UGSBky1Wle for us to answer that one.
A. Tony: Hi. No that was 100-1000 and over 1000 words... so that would be >1000. Apoloies
A. Tony: Thats Apologies
A. Virginia: @Tony, actually that's what I came round to and there is a way, but we can best answer it if you put in a query via the Contact Us form.
A. Tony: I then use my search parameter in Trove tools to data mine a set series of articles. So having two seperate searches of the same topic is a little disorganised
A. Tony: BTW Cass, I submitted my PhD last Thursday...sitting here working on the oral defence for next Thursday.
A. Virginia: @Tony, do you mean you're using the Trove API?
A. Tony: Thanks for the reply Virginia. I will contact you via query page. I have used Trove's API but I now use Wragge Trove Tools

Q. From IHM: Mark. Is it better to sort by relevance or by date? 
A. Mark: Inside History Magazine - In almost all circumstances it is better to sort by relevance rather than by date. The main reason for this is that Trove, by default, does a 'fuzzy' search, which will introduce non-exact matches into your search results. Also, when looking at newspapers, the article category does influence the considered relevance of an article. The combination of these two means that when sorting by date, the most relevant results may not be visible due to the non-exact matches and advertising matches pushing them out of the way. Where sorting by date is best is when you are specifically looking for the earliest or latest mention of an item. Sorting by date can also be useful if you are using the fulltext: or text: syntax to turn off the fuzzy searching. If you are looking for results in a specific date range, then the best option is to use the date facet or the date search on the advanced search screen rather than trying to sort by date.
A. Tony: And Mark, Trove searches on every word..subject to OCR quality, while many others like Papers Past only search on headlines. Cudos
A. Mark: @Tony very, very true

Comment: Martyn: The ability to text search newspapers has opened up such a wonderfully rich resource. Thank you so much to all concerned!

Q. From Michelle: I have used a lot of digitised newspapers online from other countries and Trove is by far the most skillful research tool on offer in Australia. It is changing the way we present history and the best thing is- it is free. What do we have to look forward to over the next few years from Trove?
A. Virginia: @ Martyn and Michelle, Thank you so much for your comments! As for the future... we'll always be adding content, including more newspapers and hopefully improving things like Lists and things in the newspapers zone and generally tackling all the enhancements people have asked for!
A. IHM: Here's the link for new newspaper titles coming soon in case anyone wants it :: http://www.nla.gov.au/content/new-titles-coming 

Comment: Carmel: I really like the facility where new articles that have not been checked can be ordered to be notified when it is available, only problem is I was sent two pages last week and I cannot remember who I was researching! need to keep a log
A. Mark: @Carmel that is always a risk with those notifications, we actually do have a suggestion in on how to improve it...either email the user immediately to say they've requested notification, with the article details (title, newspaper, page, issue date)
A. Mark: or to try and include more information in the notification email.
A. Carmel: I know Trove has bought many of my ancestors to life, there are things in papers that I would not have found if not for Trove unless I had at least one more lifetime to sit and read every paper from start to end.
A. Mark: @Carmel That is one of the things we believe Trove has been most useful for, as it does allow that access which was not previously available

Q. From IHM: Virginia / Mark: What’s the most exciting thing happening in digital history for you?
A. Mark: Inside History Magazine - In terms of digital history, I think that the most exciting thing that is happening in this field is that it is become much more mainstream, and people are starting to realise that you can do historical research using the online tools, and that these online tools provide significantly more ability to find and analyse the resources that are available than traditional methods do
A. Virginia: For me... in terms of digital history is how Trove is inspiring researchers. We'll soon be presenting a Trove seminar featuring speakers for whom Trove has inspired their research, such as Science in the Australian Women's Weekly and others!

Q. From Alexandra: Just googled Wragge Trove Tools...and I think that's the rest of the night gone for me....why didn't I know about this? I was going to ask about APIs Virginia/Mark...are there any others out there??
A. Virginia: @Alexandra, APIs? Sure! Powerhouse Museum has one, Europeana, the NAA are building one...
A. Virginia: Sorry, that was a short answer, but those are the only ones I can think of off the top of my head at 9:30pm.
A. Alexandra: Thanks for that...sometimes I feel so very ignorant....
A. IHM: Here's the link to Wragge's [Tim Sherritt] Trove tools :: http://discontents.com.au and the transcript to our Q&A with him :: http://ow.ly/fj9Mm | Wragge also wrote a story for us in our Issue 12 about his toolkit and there's follow up coming early in 2013!
A. Virginia: @Alexandra, Don't feel that way, the digital world moves faster than we can keep up sometimes!
A. IHM: Ignorant, not at all Alexandra - we have these Q&As so we all learn! Also look at the State Records NSW API :: http://api.records.nsw.gov.au/
A. Carmel: We are all ignorant in many areas but if we do not ask the right questions will remain ignorant. As they say there is not such thing as a stupid question as if we do not know the answer we need to ask the questions. I guess in a way the ignorant are the ones who do not want to know the answers.
A. Tony: So true Virginia. When I started my thesis I was using microfische to access regional newspapers to confirm details...now I sit at home, structure a search and presto. The expectation for empirical evidence in PhDs will skyrocket due to the digital explosion

Q. From Wendy: What is API ?
A. Virginia: @Wendy, it stands for Application Programming Interface and just basically means a way of machine talking to machine.

Q. From Alexandra: So really Virginia when someone comes into the public library where I work and wants to donate photos the best thing would be to suggest that they upload them to Trove - as long as they own the copyright of course, yes?
A. Alexandra: And I'm talkiing about photos with historical significance of course...not just photos of my guinea pig.
A. Virginia: @Alexandra, Absolutely! What we suggest is that they scan them into digital format and then create a Flickr account if they haven't already got one and then upload the images with good titles and descriptions and tags to our Trove: Australia in Pictures group on Flickr.
A. IHM: Here's more info on the Trove: Australia in Pictures group :: http://ow.ly/fjaBO | And the group itself :: http://ow.ly/fjaM9 | Thanks again Virginia and Mark!

Comment: IHM: Thanks again to Virginia and Mark for joining us tonight! That was an excellent Q&A, as they always are with Trove! We’ll publish the questions, answers and links from tonight’s session in a blog post very soon.
A. Alexandra: Thanks guys...really enjoyed it!
A. Mark: Thanks all, it is always a pleasure to answer the questions - if you have any further questions, please use our contact form - http://trove.nla.gov.au/contact
A. Virginia: Thanks! We do love doing these sessions.
A. Wendy: Thank you every one , love these sessions
A. Michelle: I know the session is over but just think back a few years ago those of you who were researching- trolling through newspapers in hardcopy or on film spending hours looking for snippets then compare our research today where we can do such sophisticated searches in our PJs in front of the TV or on our devices coming home in the train. I can remember spending days searching the SMH for references to the 1867 flood at Windsor for mybook and can now do the same, with heaps more results in mere seconds
A. Katrina: Well, I've been using Trove for a couple of years, and I didn't understand any of the above!
A. IHM: Trove, crowdsourcing & digital history - it's changing the way we research and write history, and so much for the better Michelle. I'd like to read that book of yours one day. Let us know if you have any follow up questions Katrina but we'll have Trove back again soon!

Next Week: Who's joining us for next Thursday's Expert Q&A? Vicki Dawson & Rosemary Kopittke from findmypast.com.au Aust & NZ. Find out how to get the most from findmypast

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.

See you next Thursday, November 22 for more on findmypast.

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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



                      Read more Trove tips  in our Issue 12: Oct-Sep edition.
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Thursday, October 25, 2012

Expert Q&A :: What's new at Ancestry.com.au

This week we talked about what's new at Ancestry.com.au with Brad Argent. Thanks again to Brad for sharing his knowledge and for agreeing to visit us again for another Facebook Expert Q&A on Thursday, 20th December. 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

Brad Argent is content director at Ancestry.com.au. Australia’s leading family history website, with more than 10 billion searchable records in its Australian, NZ, UK, Europe and US collections.

Top tips from Brad Argent:
  1. Make the most of wildcard searching; use an * and three letters either side or replace a single character with a ?
  2. Think outside the box you live in; if you keep getting a hint or search result that suggests your ancestor was in another country – check it out to rule it out.
  3. Use other people’s trees with caution – their research might not be as thorough as yours. Think of them as signposts on a journey – they point you in a direction but they shouldn’t stop you going there yourself to check it out.
  4. If you get stuck use the customer service line - 1800 251 838 – you pay for it so make the most of it!
Summary of links from:

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Transcript of Expert Q&A - how to get the best from Ancestry.com.au:

Our Expert Q&A with Brad Argent, from Ancestry.com.au starts at 8:30pm AEDT. Tonight we’ll be discussing what's new at Ancestry.com.au and how to get the best from it.

Comment: IHM: Reminder: Keep refreshing your browser to see the answers & questions as they appear. Welcome everyone, thanks for joining us tonight. Brad is here to answer your questions on all things Ancestry.com.au. Welcome Brad!

Q. Hi Brad, we were wondering what's your favourite story from the new NSW Police Gazettes 1854-1930 collection?
A. Brad: Hi everyone! As for the Police Gazettes there are so many great stories – every page is full of stuff. When we were testing the collection I asked one of the guys in the office to give me the names of their ancestors to check. First cab off the rank and – jackpot. This colleague’s ancestor was arrested for doing something rather ‘unsavoury’. I won’t go into details but it was something of a surprise– they’re saving the story for the Christmas dinner table. Needless to say it’s riddled with my ancestors, but then I already knew who the dodgy ones were.
A. Leonie: Hi Brad, just dropped in to say "Hi"!
A. Brad: Hi Leonie :-)
Q (b). Chez: Hi Brad...<3 that the police gazettes came on line today...did a precursory search this morning and will be going back to really look later tonight - what advice can you give as to the best way to search this new resource
A. Brad: Hi Chez, This collection was indexed by the community and they recorded names dates ages (if given) locations and 'type' of mention. If you see your ancestor come up in a search with Theft next to their name it only records the age (estimated) of the perpetrator - everyone else listed is usually a victim. BTW Chez, these records make great browsing material.
A. Kerry: Just a quick hello from me too Brad - unfortunately i have to be somewhere else shortly. I was thrilled to find a couple of records where a direct ancestor was being sought, for the physical descriptions included. Also interesting was to find my g.grandfather's shop was robbed, for the list of items taken & values.
A. Christine: OMG I knew of one theft my GGGrandfather did but I have just had a look and he has a long history with the police haha
A. Brad: Hi Kerry. Thanks for the feedback.
A. Seonaid: Just a quick hi from me too Brad. Am off to bed, nearly 11pm here. Our favourite database is the Birmingham, Warwickshire, England, Pub Blacklist, 1903-1906 - a really quirky one with photos we like to look at.
A. Brad: I love that one Seonaid!
A. Seonaid: Anyway, Keep up the good work, love the new data coming through! Good night all.
A. Beverly: Hi Brad, love your work and ancestry.com.au. Can't wait to go for a search in the Police Gazettes as I'm sure there's a few of mine in there.
A. Brad: Hi Beverly, with over 1.5 million people listed in the Gazettes I'm sure you'll find someone - even if they were just a victim. I always find it interesting to see what was stolen and what it was worth - who'd have thought that it was worth going to the police over a stolen bucket ?

Q. Hi Brad, after the success of the Police Gazettes project, what's your next crowdsourcing project for the World Archives Project
A. Brad: As for the next crowd-sourcing project well there’s always a heap of projects on offer. I’ve got two really big ones coming up for Australia – Fairfax Public Notices (18?? – 2009) and Col Sec Papers (1826 -1856). Lookout for these in the first half of 2013.
A. IHM: Here's the link to the World Archives Project for everyone :: http://community.ancestry.com.au/awap

Comment - tip: Wendy: My tip of the day to Ancestry users is , before you save a 'document' to your tree , save it to your hard-drive !! My sub has run out so I have Trees full of census , bmd reg , shipping records , etc that I can't access .... very annoyed with myself.
A. Brad: Good tip Wendy. Online trees are for sharing - not storage!
A. Kerry: My tip to Ancestry users is to follow up when Ancestry advises you that someone else has saved or downloaded a record about your direct ancestor. I followed up one such recently & found a new 3rd cousin, with info solving one of my puzzles.

Q. Pam: Hi, I looked up the Londonderry Journal but cant read it, I know my ancestors appeared in another early Londonderry paper, can I print it out?
A. Brad: Hi Pam, You should be able to print out any records you find on the site but remember the resolution will only be as good as the source. As the Newspaper comes from microfilm the images can, at times, be hard to read. If you’re having trouble you can call Customer Services on 1800 251 838.
A. IHM: Here's the link to the Ancestry.com.au How To YouTube videos as well :: http://www.youtube.com/user/AncestryAU
Q (b). Chez: Brad talking about printing , sometimes when printing the document is hard to adjust size wise....suggestions? Even if saved to the computer if enlarged, with some images pixelate when enlarged to read on the computer
A. Brad: Hi Chez, There's so many variable when it comes to printing. I usually download the image and then print it, rather than printing from the screen as it gives me more control. Give the Customer Service team a call next time you get stuck and they can talk you through your specific issue (1800 251 838).
A. Chez: Thanks Brad....as the trouble actually occurs after downloading and trying to print!
A. Brad: Sounds odd, Chez. Give the Customer Service people a ring and see if they can fix it...

Q. Pam: I wrote to ancestry once and told you your Griffiths valuations are not complete for Tyrone, and I dont believe it was fixed
A. Brad: Hi Pam, with 10 Billion records maintenance takes a little time. I'll have to check back with the team in the US to see where we are at with that particular update. As always if you see an issue please let us know.

Q. Andrew: Hi Brad, is there any new WA content coming on soon that you can hint about!?
A. Brad: Hi Andrew - we're working on the Perth Rate Books. Might take a while but will be an fantastic asset once it's up and running.
A. Andrew: Thanks Brad! Myself and the Carnamah Historical Society & Museum will be looking forward to that addition.
Q (b). Hi Brad, that sounds exciting about WA. We get lots of questions about Tasmanian content, can you hint about any future projects from the apple isle?
A. Brad: I'd love to do some more stuff from Tassie - indexing their fantastic collection of colour convict records for a start. It's definitely on my list.
A. IHM: Here's a link to the Tasmanian Archives Convict Index
A. Wendy: Another really interesting site for Tas Convict info is this project , they have combined all their records so you can find info like family members .... http://foundersandsurvivors.org/

Q. Hi Brad, we've had a question from twitter. Q. Any advice for checking the accuracy of data on personal family trees?
A. Brad: Great question. With Trees multiplying at a terrifying pace one is best served by treating them with caution. Any online family tree (Ancestry or anywhere) one should always check to see that the data is sourced and then CHECK THE SOURCE. Online trees are a great way of finding stuff out but they are not substitute for doing your own research. Think of them like a map that guides you to a destination, but you still have to do the travelling.

Q. Andrew: Hi again Brad, another question! Are there plans to index digitised records that are presently un-indexed?
A. Brad: Hi Andrew, which records in particular?
A. Andrew: For example, only some years of the Australian Electoral Rolls are name indexed.
A. Brad:  Funny you should ask that Andrew... :-) That project is underway right now.
A. Andrew: That's exciting! It will be amazingly useful to more closely track the movements of people. Any additional years being added!?
A. Brad: Not yet Andrew. 

Q. Hi Brad, we know that the Irish love a good craic, what's your favourite story from the 30 new Irish newspapers [1763-1890] just added to Ancestry :: http://ancstry.me/UoOQnz.
A. Brad: I came across an interesting wedding notice. The bride was 16. The groom, 92 was carried into the service in a chair. Can’t be sure if it was a real notice or just…Irish…
A. IHM: lol, leave them laughing we say :) Thanks again Brad for joining us tonight and giving us your tips and hints about the future!
A. Brad: Always a pleasure.
A. Andrew: Thank you Brad, Ancestry.com.au and Inside History Magazine! Will be keenly following new additions :)
A. IHM: We’ll publish the questions, answers and links from tonight’s session in a blog post this coming week. Visit http://www.ancestry.com.au for a free 14 day trial or share your stories and ask your questions on https://www.facebook.com/ancestry.com.au. Brad will be back in December for another Q&A.

Next Week: Who's joining us for next Thursday's Expert Q&A? Lisa Murray from the City of Sydney & the Dictionary of Sydney. Find out how to research cemeteries in Sydney & NSW. Dr Lisa Murray is the City Historian for the City of Sydney & is currently the Chair of the Dictionary of Sydney.


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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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Friday, October 19, 2012

Author Q&A :: Unnatural Habits by Kerry Greenwood

From time to time, we'll be talking to great Australian authors about their local history and what inspired them to start researching and writing their stories.

This week we talk to Kerry Greenwood, author of the Phryne Fisher novel Unnatural Habits released by Allen & Unwin and we're giving away 5 copies of her new book over on our facebook page. Click here to enter!

The Phryne Fisher series includes Cocaine Blues, Flying too High, Murder on the Ballarat Train, Death at Victoria Dock, Blood and Circuses, The Green Mill Murder, Ruddy Gore, Urn Burial, Raisins and Almonds, Death Before Wicket, Away with the Fairies, Murder in Montparnasse, The Castlemaine Murders, Queen of the Flowers, Death by Water, Murder in the Dark, Murder on a Midsummer Night and Dead Man's Chest.

The Phryne Fisher series (pronounced Fry-knee, to rhyme with briny) began in 1989 with Cocaine Blues which was a great success. Kerry says that as long as people want to read them, she can keep writing them. Find out more about the series at: www.phrynefisher.com and follow the brilliant ABC TV series, Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries.

 Below we asked Kerry about her writing and happily she answered. You can also find more from Kerry Greenwood in our Issue 10: May-Jun 2012 edition, where Emma Sutcliffe spoke with Kerry about Phryne Fisher and her adventures. Click to buy Issue 10.

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IHM. Q. What inspired you to start researching and writing?
  • Kerry: I have always loved stories, and history is a collection of fascinating stories, so I combined the two - and when I have researched enough, the story demands to be told. It's intoxicating.
IHM. Q. Which resources did you find most helpful?
  • Kerry: Newspapers. Extra information. What Umberto Eco calls the 'relished inessentials'.
IHM. Q. Favourite website? Kerry: Trove
IHM. Q. Favourite library? Kerry: State Library of Victoria

IHM. Q. What resources did you come across when researching your books that hasn't been widely used by others?
  • Kerry: People. I got to interview people who were around in 1928. So I listened to the voices, the accents, the slang, and I also had the privilege of asking questions.
IHM. Q. Was there any information you uncovered that stopped you in your tracks?
  • Kerry: I found a brave policeman in Castlemaine who stopped an anti-Chinese riot. He had no name, just a number from a system of which all records were lost, but I found him, gave him his name, and he has a plaque on the wall at the new Castlemaine police station. Until I found him and named him his courage was forgotten...
IHM. Q. Which stories affected you the most in your research?
  • Kerry: The miserable cruel lives of the women in the Magdalen Laundry. Reduced me to pulp, and I had to keep on reading.
IHM. Q. Which stories amused you the most in the course of your research?
  • Kerry: I really laughed at the method of producing ortolans en brochette in Australia. And I found a minties ad of one man hanging on to another man's shoe which is coming off as they both dangle from a girder high up above the ground. The caption is 'Stop laughing, this is serious!' There's something very Australian about it.
IHM. Q. If you could track down one thing you haven¹t yet managed to find out, what would it be?
  • Kerry: I won't know until I start researching the next Phryne. There is always something... Do I get a wish?
IHM. Q. What¹s your best tip for people wanting to write a history book of their own?
  • Kerry: Read novels set in the time, then read all the newspapers and magazines you can find, before wandering in and out of a few museums... and see how many voice/oral history tapes you can find. Voices are important. And if you are writing your own memoirs, consider what your audience wants to know ie. what you had for breakfast, who cooked it, what was your school uniform like, how did you get to school, who were your friends... all that sort of thing - and how you FELT... rather than a potted history of your time. There are plenty of them but only you know how you hated wearing gloves, and how that starched collar scored your neck.
IHM. Q. How did you go about bringing the characters to life?
  • Kerry: They tell me how to write the book. Imagine them well enough and for long enough, and they'll start talking to you.
IHM. Q. How do you know when you¹ve written a good book?
  • Kerry: Someone else tells me and people buy them. I have no judgement at all about my own books.

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"The attack came suddenly. Out of the hot darkness in the notorious Little Lon came three thugs armed with bicycle chains. The tallest lashed his against the crumbling side of a building. It hit a metal sign advertising Dr Parkinson’s Pink Pills for Pale People, which rang like a drum.
‘An ominous noise,’ commented Dr Elizabeth MacMillan.
‘The natives are restless,’ agreed her companion. 
She was the Hon. Miss Phryne Fisher, five feet two with eyes of green and black hair cut into a cap. They were not the target of this assault. They were blamelessly approaching the Adventuresses Club bent on nothing more controversial than a White Lady (Phryne) and a dram of good single malt (Dr MacMillan) and an evening’s exchange of views on weather, politics and medicine. But Little Lonsdale Street was always liable to provide unexpected experiences. However, the person who was fated for a good shellacking appeared to be lone, female and unprotected, which could not be allowed. Phryne turned abruptly on her Louis heel and, putting both fingers in her mouth, whistled shrilly. 
‘Look out, boys!’ she yelled. ‘Cops!...........'"
From Chapter 1 of Unnatural Habits. Click here to read more from the Unnatural Habits, from our friends at Allen & Unwin

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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:
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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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