Partnered with our new client Forces War Records, The View took a trip to the home of all records, The National Archives in the beautiful location of Kew, South West London.
It took three flights of stairs before we reached registration and were issued a reader’s card: The red, rectangular pass that gives us the right to search through years of military history!
Walking into what can only be described as a detective’s room, we were faced with a sea of hexagonal tables, with researchers on each corner delving into ancestor’s pasts and discovering memoirs from the trenches.
Many people came armed with magnifying glasses and white gloves, but The View came with bare knuckles to fact find with a team of experts.
One fantastic find was the dietary records of a World War 1 soldier. A the start of the war, British soldiers at the front line were allocated 10oz of meat and 8oz of vegetables per day, which was a luxury compared to what would be provided in the years to come. Food parcels from home would be loaded with biscuits and tinned fish which would provide extra nourishment.
By 1916, the meat ration was down to 6oz a day, where later on this was reduced to meat intake once every nine days. When food reached extreme rations, reports showed that vegetable patches were being planted in the trenches.
Whilst at The National Archives, I overheard that a man just two days ago found a key part of his family history by finding out who his great, great grandfather was. This man had also discovered that his great grandfather had won a significant amount of medals. Overhearing this triggered a thought that we all have a personal connection to The Great War.
All at The View are looking forward to using the Forces War Records database to research our own family tree and connection to the war, whilst discovering more information about brave WW1 soldiers that fought for our country.
By Charlotte Dear
