We are delighted to announce that The Great War 100 app is now available on both Android and iOS platforms for just £1.49

The idea of the app is to try and tell the story of the First World War using infographics.

In the first version of this app there are over 65 separate graphics covering the following areas: * Overview * Decisive battles * Weapons of the War * Casualties * War Firsts * The War in the Air *

Over the coming months we will be adding hundreds more exclusive  infographics via free updates. There is also access to a  “100 Heroes” section where we will be highlighting the military careers of some very special war heroes in the run up to the centenary of the conflict.

This innovative and unique application brings to life the story of The First World War like never before, appealing to children, teenagers and adults alike. Never before has the history of the First World War been so easy to understand and so accessible to so many people.

Due to the nature of the graphics it is best viewed on a tablet, such as the iPad, due to the larger screen, however it is a universal app and if you own an iPhone and iPad and purchase it on your iPhone, the app will automatically appear on your iPad too – you do not have to purchase two versions!
You can obtain the android version of the app here: http://tinyurl.com/ca3llz5

You can obtain the iPad/iPhone version of the app here: http://tinyurl.com/cfpollg

app screenshot

The Android version of our App – The Great War 100 is now live and available for download at the bargain price of £1.29. This application is the forerunner to the book of the same name, which is due to be published by The History Press in early 2014 for the centenary of the war. Both app and book  are dedicated to telling the story of the First World War like it has never been told before – through the use of infographics. The initial version of the app has over 60 infographic images to start the story. The first batch of images are sorted under various titles: Overview, Decisive Battles, Casualties, Weapons, Firsts, and The War in the Air. Over the coming weeks and months we will be adding hundreds more infographics via free updates. Once you buy the app, there is no more cash outlay needed to receive more images, you just need to wait for us to finish designing them!

App screen shots

Also within the app are links to this blog, and the www.military-research.co.uk website and online shop. There is also access to the 100 Heroes section, where we are going to write mini biographies of 100 war heroes of the First World War as part of our remembrance of the centenary of this conflict. You can purchase the app from the Android app store here:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.app_thegreatwar.layout

Earlier this week saw the 100th anniversary of the birth of the Royal Flying Corps, so as a tip of the hat to the pioneers of British military aviation, I thought I would write a few words on how to uncover your aviation heroes.

But first a history of the RFC in about 3 paragraphs: In fact, genesis (in military aviation terms) was not actually the Royal Flying Corps, it was in fact the Corps of Royal Engineers Air Battalion, which was formed in 1911. In 1912 (April 13th) the RFC was formed and initially divided into a military wing and naval wing as both organisations began to recognise the potential for aircraft as observation tools. In July 1914 the naval wing became the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS), and although they shared the same flying school the RNAS was run independently from the RFC.

By the outbreak of WW1 the RFC had just over 100 aircraft ready for action. During the war the RFC underwent expansion of epic proportions and by 1918 they were chucking out planes by the thousands from the productions lines. As well as planes and kit, there was a huge requirement for me; pilots, mechanics and such like. Most me were recruited from traditional infantry regiments and corps rather than joining up to the RFC directly – something to be aware of when embarking on a research project.

On 1st April 1918 the RFC and RNAS were combined together to form the Royal Air Force. By November 1918 the RAF had over 390,000 officers and men and over 20,000 planes. After the war the RAF was reduced considerably in strength. Even though the Auxiliary Air Force (AAF) was formed in 1924 it wasn’t until the mid thirties that the RAF started to flex its muscles once more and expand, 1936 saw the formation of the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (RAFVR).

By mid 1944 the RAF was at it’s peak with almost 1.2 million personnel. Including 170,000 in the Woman’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF).

From a research point of view there are a number of different things that can be looked into; service records, medal records, casualty records, and flight logs…so lets go through these and see what is what…

Does your family have a Flasheart?

WW1 Campaign Medal Records

First World War Campaign Medals – almost every active member of the RFC/RAF who served overseas during WW1 would have been entitled to at least one campaign medal. The WW1 campaign medal card index which is available either online at the National Archives website for £2 per download, or via subscription sites such as Ancesty.co.uk is an ideal place to start your search as it holds the most complete list of serving personnel for this war.

WW1 Gallantry Medal Records

The fighting personnel of the RFC/RAF during WW1 were entitled to a number of gallantry awards including the Victoria Cross, Distinguished Service Order and the Military Cross, in 1918 the RAF instituted a few specific medals for Air gallantry: the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Distinguished Flying Medal, the Airforce Cross and Airforce Medal. The best place to start a search is the London Gazette. There is a free online version of the London Gazette which you can search for your ancestor, however the search function is not very good and it could be a frustrating search, especially if you don’t know which year his award was published and if he has a common name!

WW2 Campaign Medals

As a general rule, most Second World War Service personnel were not issued with medals before they were de-mobilised at the end of the war and consequently they had to claim them after they had left the Services. This differed from the arrangements at the end of the First World War when the majority of medals were sent out automatically. This was not considered to be practical after the Second World War, as most people had returned to civilian life before the medals were instituted in 1948 . At the time they were encouraged to visit their local Post Office, pick up a buff card and enter onto it their number rank and name, and send it to the Minister for War to request their medals. To be honest, many had much more pressing things to worry about, like where were they going to live as a result of their house being demolished by bombing, or where were they going to find a job. As a result, almost 70 years later, there are hundreds of requests per week going into the MoD for medals that have not yet been claimed, either from the veterans themselves, or their families. You can start your claim here

Service Records

In general, service records for those who served in the RFC or RAF unto 1920 are available at the National Archives at Kew. Officers of the Royal Flying Corps can be located in WO339 (with an index in WO338 and WO374). Officers of the Royal Naval Air Service can be found in ADM273. (Fleet Air Arm Museum also holds these papers). Records for officers of the RAF who ceased service between 1st April 1918 and the end of 1920 are also located at Kew and can be found in AIR76 (AIR 76 is also available online from the National Archives Documents Online service). This Online service also houses the service records of Women who joined the Women’s Royal Air Force (WRAF) up until 1919. As well as service records, it is also useful to search through the Air Force Lists – monthly published books that enable you to trace an officers promotions. For RNAS officers, the Navy List is the volume of choice. All are kept in Kew.

The records for other ranks are also held by the National Archives and are split in a similar way, by branch of service. RNAS ratings’s records can be found in ADM188, and as with the officers of this service, the Fleet Air Arm Museum also has a copy of these files. Unfortunately records of many of the men who served with the RFC were destroyed during the Blitz, but it is still worth trying WO363 and WO364. Both sets of records are digitised and available from ancestry.co.uk. For RAF records look in AIR79 (there is an index in AIR78) – these records are  in service number order, upto number 329,000 and does not include anyone who signed up after 1919. Any airman with a service number higher than 329000 or who enlisted after 1919 will still have their records with the MoD/RAF.

Service records for Officers and Airmen that served after these dates are retained by the Royal Air Force and are not in the public domain, they do however accept requests for access from family members, although proof of kinship is required. You can start your request here.

Flight Logs / Combat Reports

In a similar way to the until diaries from the infantry, RFC & RAF  squadrons kept detailed diaries (or logs) of their war activities. The Squadron Operational Records held in AIR27 at the National Archives consist of record books that provide a daily record of events in each squadron including some photographs. Although technically these files start in 1912, realistically there is not much detail of activity before the 1930′s. For WW2 combat reports, AIR50 is the place to look, these records mainly consist of either a printed Personal Combat Report or a Fighter Command Combat Report. There might also be correspondence and/or notes included with a report. A Pilot or gunner returning from an operational flight where they had encountered enemy aircraft had to complete RAF Form “F” giving a narrative of what happened. Both these sets of records are available at the National Archives in Kew and also their Documents Online system.

Casualties

If your ancestor died in active service then the Commonwealth War Graves Commission is a great place to find out more information. They have just updated their website and have some very intuitive search functions to help find your ancestor quickly and easily. Typical information includes date of death, where buried or commemorated, their age at death and sometimes confirmation of gallantry medal awards.

Hopefully, this gives you a good overview as to what is available and what isn’t… Good luck with your research!

There is a small brick wall that separates my driveway from that of my next door neighbours, it is only a foot or two high and when I am washing my car it comes in handy as a place to store the debris from inside my car whilst I attack the carpets with the Dyson. This morning, I was doing just this, I haven’t cleaned my car for a while and there were lots of things stacked up on this wall, including a book on the Northamptonshire Regiment, which, as it happens was on the top of the aforementioned pile…

As I was going about my business my neighbour’s front door opened and out came Lynn and Mike, whom I know very well, and also a sprightly old chap who I  presumed was either one’s senior relation. As I said hello I saw this old fella looking at my pile of stuff and pointed to the book. “I was in that regiment during the war” he said. “Oh really, which Battalion?’ I replied, “my Grandfather also fought in the Northamptonshire’s in the Second World War”. He looked at me squarely in the eyes and said “I am not talking about WW2 son. I am talking about July 1917 when I lost all my friends, my very best friends. Shrewsbury Forest  it was, I will never forget. We lost hundreds of men, good men we did.”

Well, as you can imagine, by this point I was in utter disbelief. Completely speechless (which doesn’t happen often, let me tell you). I was under the impression that all the WW1 veterans has passed away, could be true that i was standing face to face with a survivor? It was then that i noticed he had a little white and purple ribbon on his jacket which i recognised. Quickly pulling myself together, I managed to reply “Is that where you won the Military Cross?” “Yes,” he replied “I got my revenge on a few of those Germans, don’t you worry…”

Just then he had to go, and he was away. I hope I get to see him again, I thought the veterans of ww1 has all passed away, now I know that I have one who not only fought in my family regiment, won the Military Cross, but lives next door to me!

Unbelievable. Oh, and i will be having words with Lynn and Mike next time i see them….!

It is exciting times here at Military Research UK. We have a brand new website, and our WW1 anniversary project is coming along very nicely – We have had hundred of positive comments on the infographics that are on the website, and there is an app being produced which will have many more infographics on that is on track to be launched in April this year!

To celebrate all these goings-on we are launching a competition to win one of our fabulous www.thegreatwar100.com car stickers! We have 100 of them to give away!

All you have to do is tell me 2 things:

1. What is the website www.thegreatwar100.com commemorating?
2. What is your favourite infographic on the site?

You can tell me your answers in a number of ways:

• Leave a comment on this blog
• DM my twitter account @military_search
• E-mail me at mustangscottie@sky.com

There are 100 car stickers to be given away – first come, first served!!

www.thegreatwar100.com car sticker

It’s official. Cycling the Line: Part Deux IS ON!

Longer, tougher and generally more painful than ever, Steve and I are dusting off the panniers and the padded shorts and will be getting back on the bikes for another gentle ride across a large chunk of continental Europe in order to raise a few quid for our service men and women: past, present and future.

This time we will be following La Voie de la Liberté (The Road of Liberty) – one of many routes taken by the Allies in 1944 after the successful sea-borne landings at Normandy in the summer of that year. This particular route is the one taken by General Patton of the US Third Army. It starts just inland from the Normandy coast and winds its way through France, into Luxembourg, and then up to Belgium, taking in the Ardennes, where it finishes at Bastogne. A total of  1,145km, or, in proper distance,  715 miles. (As a comparison the original cycling the line trek was 550 miles).

Steve and I met last week to agree on the route and put the wheels in motion, so to speak, on this next adventure. The minutiae are yet to be completely finalised, but here is the general gist: We plan to do the cycle ride over 15 days; 12 cycle days with 3 rest days thrown in so we don’t kill ourselves. That works out to be an average of 60 miles a day for every cycle day. We will also be doing this trip a little bit earlier in the year, probably the last week of September/first week of October. This will mean it wont get dark at 4.30pm like it did when we went out last time – that was a real pain. Trying to cycle on main A roads in the pitch dark during evening rush hour was ‘interesting’ but not something either of us are keen to repeat again if we can help it.

It’s all for charity

As last time, the whole point of us killing ourselves for 15 days is to raise a bit of cash for our soldiers. Last time we raise nearly £3500 – which was absolutely amazing. I wonder how much we can raise this time round? I know times are tough, but if you can spare a couple of quid then we would be incredibly grateful.

This year, our charity of choice is………. Help For Heroes. You can donate at our dedicated Just Giving page:  http://www.justgiving.com/Cyclingtheline2

Thank you in advance!!

I haven’t posted on here for a while, and lots have been going on. My new website is very nearly done – hopefully all will be live before the end of January, this will incorporate an updated version of thegreatwar100.com website, my stand-alone microsite dedicated to enabling kids, teenagers and adults alike to learn about the Great War without having to read 900 page epics.

I have also been asked by The History Press to write a book on ‘Heroes of The First World War’. The contents of this book will be to take 20 soldiers or officers that served in the First World War and write a full profile on them, really getting into detail to understand the individual and their experiences during this conflict. If you have a family ancestor that had a remarkable story, perhaps they won a gallantry medal or fought at pivotal battles such as the Somme or Passchendaele, and you would like them considered for inclusion in the book, please just let me know! Just email me at mustangscottie@sky.com or contact me via Twitter @military_search

There is also some really exciting news on a new charity bike ride. I can’t say too much, as the details have not been nailed, but ‘Cycling The Line – Part Deux’ will be announced shortly, and it promises to be an absolute dandy!

2012 is already shaping up to be an absolute corker! If you want to come along for the ride, make sure you re-visit this blog regularly!

To celebrate the soft launch of my new website project – www.thegreatwar100.com – and to raise some much-needed money for soldiers old and new, I have produced a range of t-shirts (cue wild applause..)

For those that know me, you will recognise the image that is being used on the t-shirt! They have been produced in white (with black logo), black (with white logo) and olive-green (with black logo).

The price of these t-shirts are £15 (incl post and packing). For everyone that is sold, I will donate £5 to Help for Heroes.

The e-commerce page is not yet ready, it should be live before Xmas, but you can buy these t-shirts from me via email/twitter/blog post:

• you can email me at mustangscottie@sky.com
• you can tweet me at @military_search
• you can contact me via this website.

Once I have your order and you have paid the £15 (incl postage and packing) I will donate £5 on your behalf to my dedicated JustGiving page. By doing it this way, you can actually see your £5 donation on the page, and you can give me a note or dedication that you want me to write on your behalf.

Hopefully together we can raise £500 for the Help for Heroes charity.

So, here is your opportunity to buy a great Christmas present with the knowledge that you are helping one of the best charities that our helping our armed forces, both past and present.

close up of logo (white)

What is Help for Heroes all about?

“It’s about the ‘blokes’, our men and women of the Armed Forces. It’s about Derek, a rugby player who has lost both his legs, it’s about Carl whose jaw is wired up so he has been drinking through a straw. It’s about Richard who was handed a mobile phone as he lay on the stretcher so he could say goodbye to his wife.

They are just blokes, but they are our blokes. They are our heroes.”

So if you would to buy one for yourself, or as a present for Christmas, just email me at mustangscottie@sky.com and together we can Help our Heroes.

I am working on a new pet project aimed at giving, teenagers and adults easier access to information about The First World War. I speak to hundreds of people every month  about both world wars and it is clearly evident to me that there are thousands of people out there that have a real interest in this part of our history, but really know very little about what actually happened. This is down to many factors but one big issue I think is that many ‘normal’ people do not have the time/inclination/desire to sit down and read an 800 page epic on the First World War.

Don’t get me wrong, history books that are meticulously researched and brimmed full of minute detail are vitally important but in reality only us geeks will read them. The bulk of the population are really only interested in getting an overview of what happened, why and to whom. It is one reason why I am writing my ‘everyman’s First World War’ book, which tackles the ‘history book’ genre in a completely different way to how it has been done before. (More on that in a later post).

However, we live in a society that demands immediate results and answers. Whether that is in sport, business or learning. We live in a 140 character society and even short, punchy books are too cumbersome for many. Which is why I am embarking on www.thegreatwar100.com - a website dedicated to the memory of the First World War that uses infographics to get the main statistics and points across. As far as I am aware it has never been done before for this particular conflict and I really hope that all kinds of readers,(but particularly those who do not have a library full of 800 page epics!) will visit, look, read and appreciate the format and hopefully enhance their knowledge of a war that effected every single British family at the time.

Please have a look at the holding page – the final website is still in production, but the idea is to more content including a day by day account of the conflict, more infographics covering different aspects of the war and I will also be ‘following’ a particular battalion through the war, using their official front line war diary to give readers a day by day account of what it was like being part of a British infantry battalion during the first world war.

There will also be merchandise for sale including t-shirts and posters of the infographics, also individual icons from the infographics can be used to put on t-shirts, cups, caps etc. 20% of the profits from these items will go to The Royal British Legion. I will be setting up a dedicated Just Giving page for this so you can see exactly your contribution to the whole project. You can even give me a message you want to put on the just giving page and I will make sure that is included.

I hope you all think this is a good idea – I would welcome any feedback and ideas. Please visit the website www.thegreatwar100.com and have a look at the first infographic. If you like it, please share the page via Twitter or Facebook using the ‘share icons’ that are on the page. I would like as many people to see this page and learn a little bit if possible.