Introduction

In 2013 I started researching my family tree, a very addictive hobby that included me taking an evening course on the subject. This addiction soon spread to my wife, who also began to look into her ancestry. With the help of numerous distant relatives, record offices and the plethora of ancestry websites out there, we were able to build quite a sizeable family tree, but eventually got as far as we could go.

However for me this project took on a fresh impetus in the latter months of 2013 when announcements began to circulate regarding the various initiatives planned to mark the centenary of the start of World War 1 in 2014.

I knew that my paternal granddad, Walter Price, served in the Great War, and was determined to discover more about his history. Through my research I had also discovered that his brother John also fought, and died, in the conflict. He too deserved his place in the history books.

Further digging unearthed other great-aunts and uncles with a connection to the war, as well as the service records of my wife’s grandfather and great-grandfather. Soon I was bothering various experts on specialist internet blogs and forums for guidance and was amazed by their helpfulness; I began to amass quite a lot of information, as with each question answered, many more were raised.

In order to keep track of what I had unearthed, and to record my progress, I have started this website. I have made a page for each relative I am researching. These can be found on the right-hand side of this website and contains all the information I have been able to find. When new data comes to light I will update the relevant page, as well as record the fact in a separate blog entry, so that those who are following this will be informed. You can also follow my progress with updates by email.

Also on the right are a list of links to websites, blogs and forums, the members of which have been extremely helpful and generous with their knowledge. I would like to thank them all, as well as any distant cousins and the like who I have incessantly harassed during the course of my research! 

My aim is twofold: to leave a historic legacy for my children, so that they, and indeed any other relatives and interested parties can learn of our families’ part in the Great War; and secondly to commemorate the sacrifices made by my ancestors and honour the lives of those who, from the farms of Herefordshire, the fishing fleets of Grimsby and the hills of New South Wales, ‘did their bit’.

Jon Price

January 2014