Perane and Company are professional genealogy researchers who find people entitled to unclaimed money and inheritance. They are based in Wymondham, Norfolk. Here they share their tips on how to avoid the most common mistakes made in the course of family history research.

Researching your family history is a fun and rewarding hobby. Each step you take can lead you to an unexpected fact or story, cementing your feeling of being part of your family history.

However, it comes with its own problems and mistakes which are easy to make (and easy to amend).

If you don't recognise what these mistakes are you could find yourself hitting the dreaded 'brick wall' with your family research every single time.

Here are ten of the most common research mistakes and the steps you need to take to avoid them.

1. Not having a goal.
Like any task, it is useful to co-ordinate your research by having an end goal in mind. You may choose to have not just one end goal but a series of smaller goals, it's really up to you.

For example, if you are just looking for one family member then your goal will be to find out about them and their place in your family history.

However, if you are looking at your family tree more generally you may choose to have several goals to research different branches of your family tree.

2. Starting with the wrong information.
Genealogy is often compared to building a house: a slow and gradual process which you build up from the bottom. However, like a house, unless you have a strong foundation, your research will fall to pieces.

Before starting your research, make sure you have all the simple details pinned down. For example, the names and dates of birth of your grandparents and immediate family are all details which, if recorded wrong, will massively affect your research.

Double, triple, even quadruple check your information before you start by using multiple sources. That way, even if your research is not successful, you will have peace of mind that you at least had a solid foundation.

3. Forgetting to ask family members.
One of the ways you can create your solid 'foundation' of research is by asking family members who are still alive.

Despite being one of the easiest ways to gather information about your families' past, it is something so many people forget to do.

You can undertake this research in several ways: seeing the relative face to face, filming them, telephoning them or even just asking them to send you any details by post.

Your grandparents' stories could help you to fill in any missing gaps in your research, and ultimately bring your family history to life.

4. Starting at the wrong end.
If you believe you are related to someone famous or well respected, it can be very easy to get over-excited and start from their family tree and work your way back to yours.

However, this is the wrong way to do it. By starting from you and working your way back up the tree, you will ensure you are looking at each generation correctly.

This method also encourages you to find proof of the connections between each generation, which is helpful if you would like to hand on your research to later generations.

The next time you try and link yourself to William Shakespeare or John Lennon, make sure you start at the right end!

5. Being disorganised.

The key to success in family research is making sure you remain organised with a methodical method.In the excitement of finding new information, it can sometimes be difficult to do more than scribble down some notes and move on to the next step.

However, it is hugely important that you make sure you are documenting your research properly in order for it to be credible. Here's some of the main steps you can take to ensure this:

• Any research documents you are using should have physical and digital copies, and be kept in folders. Ensure you have backups of all your documents.
• Detailed information on your sources should be properly noted, and be put in some sort of Excel spreadsheet or table.
• Keep a research log to ensure you don't repeat information and know what you need to do next.
• Every detail on your family tree should be updated as soon as you find new information, whether it is in an online or paper format.

Ancestry have created a great list of free downloadable forms you can fill your research into. These cover source summaries, correspondence records and research charts. Download these resources right here.

By properly recording your research at every step of the way, you will be ensuring that future generations in your family can carry on your amazing work.

6. Trusting everything you see and hear.
It is very common in online research to come across documents which look like official and legitimate sources. However, you must always make sure you double check any sources you are using for your research.

Some sources are more reliable than others. For example, a birth certificate is more likely to have an accurate birthday and parent names than a death certificate (which has been filled out by someone else who may not remember accurately and is likely distraught over the death of a loved one).

There are also a lot of websites out there which claim to be publishing genealogical documents for free. In actual fact, a lot of these websites are just scams. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.

When finding sources, always make sure you are using a trusted website. If you have any reservations about whether a site is legitimate or not, post a link on a genealogy forum and ask their opinion.

You should be wary of believing everything you hear from an oral family legend. For example, you may have heard that your great-great-grandfather was a wanted serial killer in his town. Although the basic facts may be true, family legends are often changed and altered as they pass down through your family.

Don't ever disregard family legends, just make sure you back up the story with further evidence such as newspaper articles and records.

7. Forgetting maiden names.
One of the most common mistakes people make when recording their family trees is forgetting to take into account maiden names.

Birth names can unlock a whole world of new information for future research. For example, in the past a lot of families used the mother's maiden name as a middle name for the eldest child.

If you were in a sitation where you had to find the right male ancestor from multiple options, you could use a maiden name to identify the right one.

8. Not taking into account different spellings.
If you are researching someone and struggling to find results, it could be that you are using the wrong surname.

Throughout history, family names have often been changed from one generation to the next...some only by one letter!

Census records have also made this research process difficult, as they were often recorded wrong on paper or in their transformation to digital records.

Here's an example of a surname that often gets misrecorded:

Clark...could become Clarke...which could become Clerke.

See how easy it is?

Hedge your bets and try out multiple phonetic variations to get more results.

9. Thinking you have to do it alone.
In your research, you will often get to a point where you hit a dead end and are tempted to give up altogether.

Don't worry if you have; we're all human and we all have these moments. In the wise words of Albert Einstein: "If we knew what we were doing, it wouldn't be called research."

The most important thing to remember about genealogy is that you are never alone in the process and can always seek help from others. There is a huge worldwide community of genealogists out there, and all you have to do is find them.

If you find yourself stuck with your research, you can reach out to members of the Genealogy community on:

• Forums
• The 'Genealogy' Subreddit
• Twitter chats
• Genealogy groups on Facebook
• LinkedIn Genealogy groups

This is a two-way process: if someone does something to help you out with your research, give them something back by promising to help them in return.

10. Seeing only names and dates.

Many people get so bogged down in the minute details they often forget to think about the people behind the research.

When you look at members of your family tree, all you will see on paper is a name and date of birth.

However, it is important to think of them off the paper as a living, breathing person. Someone who had their own story filled with hopes, dreams and regrets.

If you've found an ancestor on your family tree who you find particularly interesting, why not go beyond their name and date of birth to research them in a bit more detail?

With further research, you could find useful documents relating to your ancestor such as diaries, journals and photographs. These can all help to build up a picture of a person's story and really bring them to life.

Here are the key takeaways from this post:

• Always have a goal.
• Start with the right information.
• Ask family members for information.
• Start with you and work your way up the tree.
• Always be organised.
• Don't trust every source of research.
• Don't forget maiden names.
• Take into account different spellings of surnames.
• Remember you aren't alone in your research.
• Think of the human details behind the research.

Follow these practical steps to make sure that your family research can be as fruitful and effective as possible!

Have any got other genealogy tips? Let us know in the comments below.

Links
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Bernita Allen, is descended from slaves and proud of it!  She is a member of the "Slave Name Roll Project" founded by Schalene Dagutis which aims to make the records contained within the documents of slave owners more widely available to researchers. You can read more about the project on Bernita's biography page.  She writes from the heart in a factual free-flowing style. If this heart rending story of her grandmother doesn't have you reaching for your hankie, nothing will!

A few words from Bernita:-
"My name is Bernita Allen. My blog is about my family history from research and stories told to me by my family.  The name of the blog comes from dreams I've had about my ancestors. I started tracing my family's roots a few years ago after a conversation with my mother, it has been my passion ever since.  I feel so blessed to be able to get to research my ancestors and share what I've learned with my family".

In less than five months after giving birth to my mom and nine months after being admitted to Herman Kiefer, Nona died from pulmonary tuberculosis complicated by tuberculosis enteritis.  She left behind a grieving husband and three small children Clarence (11), Rosalind (8) and my mom Ella (4 ½ months).   All three children stayed with Rebecca who raised them while Leroy worked to support them.

My mom only knows her mother through pictures and stories told to her by family members.  Everyone tells her that her mother was really beautiful.  They also tell her how kind and quiet she was, everyone loved her.  My mom has no personal memories of her.  I don’t remember when she first told me about her or the words she used, but I do remember the pain in her voice and the sadness in her eyes.  I know that my mom would give anything to have just one memory of her mother.  The one story she tells over and over is the last thing her mother said to the family before she died.  She told them no matter what happens to take care of her baby.  


To realize that your mother’s last words were of you must give my mom some comfort but I know it doesn't lessen her sorrow.  Even though she was surrounded by so much love growing up, she still mourned her mother.  Her grief has been painful and lasting.  I believe the emptiness that my mom feels and continues to feel shaped her relationship with me.   She became the mother to me that she always wanted.   I think my grandma Nona would have been so proud of the woman my mother became. I know I am.  Rest in peace Grandma Nona.  I know you will be there to welcome my mother into the Kingdom.  Just like you welcomed Clarence, Rosalind and many others from our family.  We love you and will never forget you.

Nona was laid to rest in Standing Rock, Alabama alongside her daughter Gloria at Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church Cemetery.  

Follow Bernita's research progress by following her here:-
Twitter ~ https://twitter.com/alhupartu
Blog ~ http://alhupartu.blogspot.com/
Facebook ~ https://www.facebook.com/bernita.allen.3

This weeks guest blog comes from Lynne Black, an amateur genealogist who has been researching family history for the past 20 years.  Relatively new on the blogging scene, this article was written by Lynne for the Worldwide Genealogy ~ a Genealogical Collaboration project.   Here is how Lynne describes herself:-

"An amateur genealogist who lives near Stirling, Scotland, but grew up in Norwich, England. My family, however, come from Cornwall, Devon, Yorkshire and Northumberland, and my husband's family from Glasgow, Renfrewshire and Argyll. I have been researching family on and off for the last 20 years both on- and offline and in the last few months I have started blogging about their stories."

Keep up to speed with Lynne and her latest discoveries at:-
https://starryblackness.wordpress.com/ 

Walter Hindmarsh, like his father and brothers, was a shepherd.  Unlike his brothers who walked the Northumberland hills he left England and hopped the border to Scotland.

Walter was born to William Hindmarsh and Margaret Grieve in a Northumberland farm.  The family home was called Carshope, in Alwinton Parish just south of the England/ Scotland border; he was baptised in January 1792 which wasn't too long after his birth when comparing it with census returns.

I knew from various sources including this one:

"Inserted here by desire the children to William Hindmarsh and Margaret Grieve his wife in Carshope, Parish of Alwinton
William son born 7/10/1790
Walter son born 20/1/1792
Thomas son born 6/1/1794
Elizabeth daughter born 25/11/1795
Adam son born 1/10/1797
Jane daughter born 29/4/1802
Alexander son born 29/5/1805
All baptised Harbottle..."

that Walter was one of seven brothers, but so far I've only been able to confirm the names of five of them: William, Walter, Thomas, Alexander and John (John was noted elsewhere as the 7th son).  They also had two sisters, Elizabeth and Jane;  Jane is my great-great-great grandmother.

I have been using FindMyPast to search for my Northumberland family over the last couple of months.  Their specific record set of transcriptions by Northumberland and Durham Family History Society was one of the reasons I took out a subscription and it's been fantastically helpful.  But sadly I drew a blank on Walter and feared he'd died young.  However I tried searching for him on Ancestry and up popped a reference to an English couple called Walter and Isabella Hindmarsh, living in Morebattle parish, Roxburgh county in south Scotland.

Although this reference came from Ancestry in Utah it says that it had been transcribed from source, the General Register Office for Scotland. However there was no scan of the original document.  This, then, was a job for the Scotland's People website. 

Although I'm English, by the time I took up family history I was living in Scotland.  It was pre-internet (olden days!) so I didn't have access to any online resources or any English ones at all so I spent a few fascinating pre-motherhood years learning about my husband's Scottish family from occasional day-trips to the GRO in Edinburgh and a few visits to Argyll.

After a few years away from genealogy my interest was kick-started again and I had the chance to use sites such as Genes Reunited, Ancestry and more recently FindMyPast.

But whether paper or pixels, it's a huge shock working with English records after you're used to working with Scottish ones.  The amount of information provided is so much greater - so much more useful - in Scottish records.

So I found my uncle Walter in the 1841, 1851 and 1861 Scottish census returns, just as I would for his brothers in the English returns, and on Scotland's People could [pay credits to] view a scan of the original document.  But I could find no record of his marriage to Isabella and could not prove that Morebattle Walter and Alwinton Walter were one and the same man. In both England and Scotland at that pre-census time there was no formal registration so I will have to search through parish/non-conformist registers to find their marriage.

In 1841 William and Isabella were barely over the border in Scotland - Kelsocleugh Farm sits in the strange lumpy borders landscape just north of English Alwinton and the Northumberland National Park. There was also another family living at that farm, William Hall and his family.

The 1851 census for Morebattle describes William as an Ag Lab (Agricultural Labourer) and with him and Isabella live a married Ag Lab servant called James Young and an unmarried house servant called Agnes Hall.

Isabella was older than Walter and she died some point between the 1851 and 1861 censuses, I haven't yet identified when and where.

In 1861 Walter is living with his domestic servant called Margaret Fiddes in Yetholm, at the Cross Keys.

Then I hit the jackpot: I found Walter's death certificate.

Most obligingly for my purposes, Walter had died in Scotland, specifically in the ancient town of Kirk Yetholm.

Interestingly Kirk Yetholm is on some main roads to England (see this Old Roads of Scotland website) so if he wasn't driving sheep along them, he perhaps trudged or rode them to find work.

Walter didn't make it to the 1871 census.  He died on the fourth of November 1869 at 8am, after being ill for three years with a cerebral spinal disease.  Curiously Margaret Fiddes, the informant, who was present at his death, had her relation to him noted as Inmate.  Looking back at the census returns to write this blog post I see that a Margaret Fiddes was a female servant on Kelsocleugh Farm back in 1841 and his domestic servant in  in 1861. Intriguing....  I'm catching myself looking at the certificate again, seriously wondering if it says Intimate, not Inmate.  Maybe she was just a very loyal servant.

The identity on the certificate of Walter's late wife as Isabella Hindmarsh, maiden surname Hall, would suggest that their 1841 neighbours on that farm were Isabella's brother and his family.

But the key piece of information that I was looking for was the names of his parents: father, William Hindmarsh, shepherd (deceased) and Margaret Hindmarsh, maiden surname Grieve (deceased). Proof.  All that information (and more) from one death certificate, it's amazing. Even the English certificates I've spent a tenner on ordering have nothing as comprehensive as this.

My favourite piece of information is definitely the mother's maiden surname - what respect for women, acknowledging they had an identity pre-marriage!

© Original text copyright Lynne Black, 21 February 2015,
First published on Worldwide Genealogy 

http://worldwidegenealogy.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/walter-hindmarsh-starryb.html

This weeks guest post comes from Steve and his Atcherley One Name Study.  As his logo implies "One Name, Many Stories", but this particular instalment is most timely, coinciding as it does with the WW1 commemorations taking place worldwide.  Here is how it all started:-

"I would sometimes say to my Mum that her unusual maiden surname – Atcherley – meant that it should be easy to trace her ancestry. An episode of “Who Do You Think You Are?” in 2007 finally persuaded me to put my claim to the test. My research gradually expanded to include not just my maternal ancestors and kin but all those who bore the Atcherley name, and I joined the Guild of One Name Studies. As I pieced together the family’s genealogy I also uncovered many fascinating stories about the lives of the Atcherleys, stories which I decided to rescue from oblivion and share with the world. Atcherley.org.uk, the Atcherley family history website, was born and now takes up much of my spare time!"

Keep up to date with Steve's progress and latest findings:-
Web: www.atcherley.org.uk/wordpress/
Twitter: www.twitter.com/AtcherleyONS 
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Atcherleyorguk/106446949434795
Guild of One Name Studies member 5617

The name Atcherley, mentioned in connection with flying, usually brings to mind Richard and David Atcherley of the RAF. There was however another bearer of the name who beat the famous flying twins into the air, and into battle, back in the days before the RAF even existed. Though Atcherley was not his surname he was a distant cousin of Richard and David, and his life in the air was, like theirs, not without incident.

When Rose Goldup Atcherley was born in 1871 she was given her mother’s maiden surname as a ‘middle name’. 25 years later in 1896 Rose married a man who had received his second forename in the same manner: Harry O’Donoghue Vosper. So we can, at least in part, understand why Rose and Harry’s son was called Roy Atcherley Vosper.

Roy was born on 4 October 1898 at Brighton in Sussex. He was Rose and Harry Vosper’s only child, for within a few months of his birth Rose passed away at the age of 27. Harry married again in 1902, to Norah Eleanor Broomfield. Norah presented the family with a daughter, Kathleen O’Donoghue Vosper, in 1903, by which time the Vospers were living at Ashford in Kent.

Harry Vosper’s job in brewing took him, with his wife and children, back to his home town of Plymouth. The 1911 census shows Harry, Norah, Roy and Kathleen living there at 109 Mount Gold Road. Harry, now a brewer’s manager, could afford to employ a live-in domestic servant.

It seems likely that Harry was then, as he was in September 1916, West of England Manager for Samuel Allsopp & Son Ltd. Within five years of the 1911 census being taken, the Vosper family had moved out of Plymouth to Furze Croft at nearby Elburton. Meanwhile Roy Vosper, now aged almost 18, had completed his education at Plymouth College and was working as a junior clerk for Anglo-American Oil Co Ltd. He had also been training with the Plymouth OTC (Officer Training Corps) for two years. All this information was provided by Roy on Army Form B.2512 – the Short Service Attestation form completed by those enlisting with the Army. The Great War was still raging, and Roy was determined to do his duty.

Initially posted to the Army Reserve as a Private, Roy Atcherley Vosper joined the Inns of Court OTC on 29 December 1916 (rank Private, service number 10263). Roy had set his sights on a higher rank however and on 6 March 1917 he completed form M.T.393A, an application for admission to an Officer Cadet Unit. His preference was to serve with the Infantry, his unit of choice being the Royal Sussex Regiment. The suitability of his “moral character” and education having been certified by the acting Head Master of Plymouth College, and his fitness for military service being confirmed by an army medic, Roy’s form was despatched to the War Office on 12 March 1917.

Over the course of the following month, something inspired Roy to aim even higher – in a very literal sense. On 9 April 1917 he signed another M.T.393A form, in which he stated that his preference was to join the Royal Flying Corps. To the statement confirming that he was fit for military service, the following words were now added: “in accordance with the ‘Special Standards of fitness for the Royal Flying Corps, recommended by the Royal Flying Corps Medical Board.’ ”

Quickly accepted by the RFC (the cap badge of which is shown above), Roy was attached to its School of Military Aeronautics at Reading. He was discharged from the Inns of Court OTC “on being appointed to Commission in the General List (RFC)” on 16 May 1917. This appointment was published in the London Gazette just over three weeks later:

“War Office,
9th June, 1917.
REGULAR FORCES. …
The undermentioned cadets to be temp. 2nd Lts. (on prob.) : --
General-List (R.F.C.)
17th May 1917. …
Roy Atcherley Vosper. …”

Roy was ‘Gazetted’ again on 26 October 1917, with a notice that he had been confirmed in his rank of 2nd Lieutenant in the Royal Flying Corps with effect from 29 September. A little over three months after the successful completion of his probationary period, on 6 January 1918, Roy embarked on a ship along with 23 other officers of the RFC’s 58 Squadron to join Britain’s Expeditionary Force in Europe. More officers from the squadron, including Major J H S Tyssen, left by air to join these men four days later.

On 1 April 1918 the Royal Air Force when it was formed from the RFC and the Royal Naval Air Service, creating the world’s first independent – and at that time its largest – air force. Roy Atcherley Vosper became a part of this new fighting force, as a full Lieutenant. It was however as a 2nd Lieutenant that Roy was, on the very day the RAF was established, recorded as being involved in an accident in which his fellow officer Lt H C Hyde was injured. His plane, an FE2b, had undershot and struck a ridge on landing after taking part in a bombing raid near Douai.

The life of an RFC/RAF pilot during the Great War was perilous and often short, but Roy somehow survived – even when he was captured by the enemy. By the summer of 1918 he was a Lieutenant with 149 Squadron and was again conducting bombing raids, at night, over occupied France. After carrying out one such raid on 18 July 1918, piloting FE2B serial number D3779 and accompanied by a Lieutenant A Smith, he failed to return to base and was reported as missing.

Lieutenant Roy Atcherley Vosper’s FE2B was one of nearly 140 British aircraft which the Germans claimed as having fallen into their hands on the Western Front during the month of July 1918. The other machines were 14 Sopwith single-seaters, 1 Sopwith two-seater, 40 Sopwith Camels (single-seaters), 9 Sopwith Dolphins (single-seaters), 1 Bristol, 2 Handley-Pages, 1 “large fighter” (Groszkampfflugzeug), 27 S.E.5 single-seaters, 20 D.H.4. two-seaters, 1 D.H.5 single-seater,  5 D.H. 9 two-seaters, 14 B.F. two-seaters and 1 R.E. This list shows something of the variety of aeroplanes the RAF was using as part of the war effort, and also gives an indication of their vulnerability. The photo below shows an FE2B after its capture by German forces

At first, Roy’s fate was unknown. The Roll of Honour published on 12 August 1918 included him among the men listed as missing. The first of two casualty cards created by the RAF in connection with Roy’s disappearance included the words “No news” in the Remarks column, and underneath, in pencil, was written “Is he alive”. He was. A further Roll of Honour published on 21 September 1918 included Vosper, Lieut. R. A. in the list of those who were “Previously Missing, now reported Prisoners.”

Roy’s capture by German forces had been publicised by them in their French-language ‘newspaper’ Gazette des Ardennes on 26 July. This showed that he had been brought down unwounded on 19 July 1918. The news was communicated to Roy’s family by the Red Cross on 13 August. I imagine they were very relieved to learn that Roy was alive, but also more than a little concerned that he was in enemy hands.

In October 1918 it emerged that Roy had been captured at south-west Armentieres in France, and that he had been transferred from Karlsruhe to Landshut. This information was taken from a document supplied by the Germans, which showed Roy’s “Off. Gef. Lager” (Gefangenen Lager: prison camp) as Karlsruhe, but with that place crossed through in red and with Landshut written, also in red, above the entry. The POW camp at Landshut, in Bavaria, was a castle: the prisoners were confined within the grooms’ quarters. Whether Roy was present, or took part, when an attempt to dig an escape tunnel was made (only to be discovered by the Germans on 8 September 1918), I do not know.

By the middle of November 1918 Roy had been transferred to another camp, at Kamstigall, near Pillau. Then in East Prussia, Kamstigall now lies within Russia and is known as Baltiysk. Roy and the other British officers held there were repatriated to Leith, in Scotland, aboard the SS Russ. Arriving there on 13 December 1918, Roy was probably sent to a reception camp in Ripon, Yorkshire, before being allowed home.

The Great War was over, but Roy Atcherley Vosper’s career in the Royal Air Force was not. With effect from 12 September 1919 he was granted a short service Commission as a Flying Officer. Another RAF casualty card recorded that Roy received slight injuries on 22 September 1920, while conducting  a radiator test during a reconnaissance flight up to an altitude of 10,000 feet. Roy was then with 31 Squadron in India and flying a Bristol Fighter, registration number F4424. It was recorded that the incident was “Not due to negligence or misconduct” on Roy’s part.

Roy was injured again on 15 October 1921. Still with 31 Squadron, he was again flying a Bristol Fighter (E2334), which he was ferrying “from Cawnpore to Peshawar”. This incident, according to a note written on the casualty card in red ink, was “Recorded under ‘casual flying’”. Roy was promoted one more time, to the rank of Flight Lieutenant, with effect from 1 July 1926, but on 12 September that year he was transferred to the Reserve. He finally relinquished his Commission on completing his service on 12 September 1930, and was permitted to retain his rank.

Although his exploits in the air have been overshadowed by those of his better-known relatives, Richard and David Atcherley, Roy Atcherley Vosper deserves recognition as one of the first officers of the RAF, who risked his life for his country in the skies above the Western Front.

Picture Credits
Picture credits. Reconstructed FE2B: photo by Philip Capper; taken from Wikimedia Commons, adapted and used under a Creative Commons licence. Captured FE2B: public domain (copyright expired) image taken from Wikimedia Commons. Royal Flying Corps cap badge: photo by CharlesC; taken from Wikimedia Commons, adapted, used and made available for re-use under a Creative Commons licence.

References
[1] Birth of Rose Goldup Atcherley registered at Islington, September quarter 1871; volume 1b, page 337. [2] Marriage of Harry O’Donoghue Vosper and Rose Goldup Atcherley registered at Brighton, September quarter 1896; volume 2b, page 343.
[3] Wesleyan Methodist Chapel, Devonport, Devon baptism register. Entry dated 3 Jun 1875 for Harry O Donoghue Vosper, parents Amos and Charlotte Vosper. Copy viewed at Findmypast.
[4] Marriage of Amos Vosper and Charlotte O’Donoghue registered at Stoke Damerel, September quarter 1873; volume 5b, page 533.
[5] Birth of Roy Atcherley Vosper registered at Steyning, December quarter 1898; volume 2b, page 273.
[6] The National Archives, Kew, item reference WO 339/86168 (2/Lieutenant Roy Atcherley VOSPER Royal Flying Corps). Indexed at TNA Discovery catalogue. Information transcribed from digital photos supplied by Lee Richards of Arcre, to whom I extend my grateful thanks.
[7] Death of Rose Goldup Vosper registered at Brighton, March quarter 1899; volume 2b, page 168; age given as 27.
[8] Marriage of Harry O’Donoghue Vosper and Norah Eleanor Bloomfield registered at Rye, March quarter 1902; volume 2b, page 14.
[9] Birth of Kathleen O’Donoghue Vosper registered at West Ashford, June quarter 1903; volume 2a, page 925.
[10] 1911 census of England and Wales. Piece 12972, schedule 127. Head: Harry Vosper, 38, married, brewer’s manager, born Devonport, Devon. Wife: Norah Vosper, 32, married, born Burgess Hill, Sussex. Son: Roy Vosper, 12, born Brighton, Sussex. Dau: Kathleen Vosper, 7, born Ashford, Kent. Servant: Annie Gowland, 17, single, general domestic servant, born Dover, Kent.
[11] London Gazette, issue 30123, 9 Jun 1917, page 5716.
[12] London Gazette, issue 30352, 26 Oct 1917, page 11010.
[13] The National Archives, Kew, embarkation lists for RFC officers held within correspondence files from AIR 1/362 to AIR 1/407. Details from database at airhistory.org.uk, Royal Flying Corps People Index.
[14] Air Force List, April 1919, column 354. Copy viewed at National Library of Scotland website.
[15] The National Archives, Kew, item reference AIR 1/854 (casualty report). Details from database at airhistory.org.uk, Royal Flying Corps People Index.
[16] Royal Air Force. At: Wikipedia (website, accessed 22 Feb 2015).
[17] No. 149 Squadron RAF. At: Wikipedia (website, accessed 22 Feb 2015).
[18] Royal Air Force Museum item ID OC0244669, object CC2_24585 (Casualty Card, R. A. Vosper. Copy viewed at RAF Museum StoryVault.
[19] Flight & The Aircraft Engineer, No. 512, 17 Oct 1918, page 1169. Copy viewed at Flight Global Archive.
[20] Flight & The Aircraft Engineer, No. 503, 15 Aug 1918, page 910. Copy viewed at Flight Global Archive.
[21] Flight & The Aircraft Engineer, No. 509, 26 Sep 1918, page 1087. Copy viewed at Flight Global Archive.
[22] Prisoners of the First World War, ICRC Historical Archives (website): Index cards for R. A. Vosper.
[23] Prisoners of the First World War, ICRC Historical Archives (website): item P.A. 37206.
[24] Amanda Rebbeck (2008), Tunnelling to freedom. In: Wartime, issue 44, pages 64–65. Electronic copy viewed online at Australian War Memorial website.
[25] Peter F Robinson (2008), Ernest Maxwell Robinson. At: Ninety Years of Remembrance (BBC website, accessed 22 Feb 2015).
[26] Kamstigall Repatriation. At: Great War Forum (website, accessed 22 Feb 2015).
[27] German P.O.W. Camps. At: Great War Forum (website, accessed 22 Feb 2015).
[28] Royal Air Force Museum item ID OC0244670, object CC2_24586 (Casualty Card, R. A. Vosper). Copy viewed at RAF Museum StoryVault.
[29] London Gazette, issue 31548, 12 Sep 1919, page 11469.
[30] Royal Air Force Museum item ID OC0244671, object CC2_24587 (Casualty Card, R. A. Vosper). Copy viewed at RAF Museum StoryVault.
[31] Royal Air Force Museum item ID OC0244672, object CC2_24588 (Casualty Card, R. A. Vosper). Copy viewed at RAF Museum StoryVault.
[32] London Gazette, issue 33178, 2 Jul 1926, page 4324.
[33] London Gazette, issue 33202, 17 Sep 1926, page 6035.
[34] London Gazette, issue 33660, 11 Nov 1930, page 7179.

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Many thanks to Simon Last, of Charnwood Genealogy for this weeks blog post.  I shall let Simon introduce himself in his own words:-

"My name is Simon Last and I set Charnwood Genealogy up as I have always had a passion for history and genealogy and have researched into my own family history over the last few years.

Having studied genealogy and obtained a Post Graduate Certificate in Genealogy through the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, I have helped several people discover their family history and developed their family trees.

Charnwood Genealogy offers a unique and friendly research service for those wishing to discover more about their own family history".

You can keep up to date with all Simon's blogs at:-  https://charnwoodgenealogy.wordpress.com/  
His website can be found at:-
http://www.charnwood-genealogy.com/ 
Follow him on Twitter @CharnwoodGenie

When I started researching my family tree several years ago my dad had a box of old papers and photographs that he very kindly lent me to see if I could link the various documents to the family members I was discovering in my research.

Amongst these items were several memorial cards including one for George DIX my Great Great Uncle, who had died on the 3rd May 1890 aged only 22 and the wording said ‘who met with an accident on May 1st’ and this intrigued me to investigate further.

I therefore decided to order a copy of his death certificate and discovered that he had died as a result of a tragic accident on the railway where he was working at Marks Tey in Essex as a Shunter for the Great Eastern Railway Company – the cause of death was reported as follows:

“Shock to system accidently knocked down and run over by railway truck – lived 2 days and 12 hours”

Simon Last
charnwoodresearch@virginmedia.com 
http://www.charnwood-genealogy.com