One subject was never talked about and that was “The Family” none of my relations including my own parents talked about “The Family”, they all liked to tell tales (not of which were very accurate) but always declined If I asked direct questions about the family.
When I stated my research both sets of grandparents were dead as was my own mother so all I had to go on was what I could get out my father, which wasn’t very much at first.
I knew by then that my father’s younger brother Andrew (Andy) had been killed in WWII but it was only after I started my own research that I found that he was killed on HMS Barham 25th Nov 1941 in the Mediterranean just a few months after his 18th birthday. What I didn’t know at the time that my father was on board an escorting destroyer and witnessed the Barham blowing up. He had to wait three months before he found the fate of his younger brother.
What has this got to do with family research?
Well I managed to get my father to open up and tell me his story; well at least part of it before he died, I knew snippets but never the full horror.
From my dad I found that because Andy was only 17 he had to get his parent permission to serve on a Battleship. They gave their permission but blamed themselves for his death, which they never really got over.
Later on, after my father’s death, when discussing this with my uncle I found that he had the notification of his death and a condolences letter sent from Buckingham Palace to my gran, both of which I will put on the Photo Gallery, It’s a stark contrast to what happens now.
He also had other items including Andy's will and metals etc.
My gran had a photo of my dad and Andy hanging on the wall, taken on the one and only time they were on leave together but again I uncovered several of her photos of him taking during training and one of my father with the crew of HMS Chanticleer, none of which I had seen before.
My father was also involved in the sinking of one of the first U-boats in WWII, they managed to rescue all the crew and took them back to Greenock.
I will post a little drawing from the crew of that U boat to the crew of HMS Kingston for their hospitality.
My father had German and Italian prisoners of war on board for several months during the war, and he always said they were just ordinary blokes like himself hoping that they would get through the war and back home to their loved ones.
During later discussions with my uncle I found out that my grandfather had lost two brothers in WWI - John and James Davidson and from the great site at C.W.G.C. I was able to find their details and later managed to get information on their medals from the National Archives on line.
On a subsequent visit to my uncle I notices a flat copper object stuck under his electric fire when I retrieved it out I found it to be James Davidson’s Death Penny, again I will post on the Photo Gallery. This had been in the family "for years" always lying beside the fireplace and yet I had never seen it before.
As is often the case I was too late in getting started on my research but despite this I have turned up some interesting and unusual finds so keep your eyes open and don’t stop asking questions.
Photos now loaded in Coppermine in main Webpage Gallery
