Home » Leisure / Hospitality Articles » findmypast.co.uk Publishes Over Half a Million British Militia Records
findmypast.co.uk Publishes Over Half a Million British Militia Records
findmypast.co.uk has announced that for the first time, it has published over half a million records of men who served in the British militia.
LONDON, ENGLAND, July 17, 2011 /Leisure - Hospitality PR News/ -- Findmypast.co.uk, the leading family history website, has published the records of over half a million men who served in the British militia, the precursor to the UK's Territorial Army. The Militia Attestation Papers, covering 1806 to 1915, were made available online for the first time to coincide with British Armed Forces Day on 25 June 2011.
The records colourfully portray what the British militia looked like, detailing the height, weight, chest size, complexion, eye colour, hair colour and distinctive marks of each recruit. Arthur Wilson's distinguishing marks included an acrobat and dots tattooed on his left forearm. Similarly, Albert Smith, born in India, was recorded as having teeth that were 'defective but enough for mastication'.
Debra Chatfield, marketing manager at findmypast.co.uk, commented: "These records provide rich insight into our past and show how the everyday man, such as your local shopkeeper, found himself fighting for his country. In the absence of photographs, these records can help you imagine what your ancestors looked like, containing details which are largely unavailable elsewhere. Our easy to use website means you can unearth even more fascinating and detailed information about your ancestors at the click of a mouse."
Like today's Territorial Army, the militia was made up of men who held everyday jobs, but took part in military exercises and on occasions fought for their country. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, these typically included shoemakers, woodchoppers, butchers, bakers, coal miners and millers.
The Militia Attestation Papers are the only set of their kind available online and have been published in association with The National Archives and in partnership with FamilySearch. The records show that the soldiers who made up the militia during that period hailed not only from the UK itself, but also from around the world. Some recruits had been born in Italy, Ceylon, South Africa and even as far away as Australia and New Zealand.
David Rencher, chief genealogy officer at FamilySearch, added: "The publication of the Militia Attestation Papers fills another critical gap in the family historian's toolkit. The digitisation and indexing of this rich collection will make it easy to find the regiment an ancestor served with and also when and where he was born. Family historians will quickly realise the value of this information, particularly when the record of an ancestor's birth has been elusive or impossible to find elsewhere."
About findmypast.co.uk:
Leading UK family history website findmypast.co.uk (formerly 1837online.com) was the first company to make the complete birth, marriage and death indexes for England & Wales available online in April 2003.
Following the transcription, scanning and indexing of over two million images, the company launched the first website to allow the public easy and fast access to the complete indexes, which until then had only been available on microfiche film in specialist archives and libraries. The launch was instrumental in creating the widespread and growing interest in genealogy seen in the UK today.
findmypast.co.uk has subsequently digitised many more family history records and now offers access to over 750 million records dating as far back as 1200. This allows family historians and novice genealogists to search for their ancestors among comprehensive collections of military records, census, migration, occupation directories, and current electoral roll data, as well as the original comprehensive birth, marriage and death records, which can help them build an accurate family tree.
Website: http://www.findmypast.co.uk
---
Press release service and press release distribution provided by http://www.24-7pressrelease.com |
|
|
Press Release Contact Information:
Lauren Hunt-Morgan
findmypast.co.uk
PR Contact
24a St John Street
London, England
United Kingdom EC1M 4AY
Voice: 0207 566 9729
Website: Visit Our Website |
|
|
|
|
| LEISURE / HOSPITALITY ARCHIVE SEARCH |
|
|
| |
| SUBMIT LEISURE / HOSPITALITY NEWS |
|
|
| |
|
|
Advertise With Us |
About Us |
Contact Us