Thank you to Regimental Books!

I put the call out for help identifying my  mystery photo on Friday night and Saturday I am very pleased to be able to say that my request for help was answered by renowned  Regimental Books Australia.

Thank you!

They  say the uniform is correct to be militia between 1920-1940 and the badge shape is similar to the 26th Battalion badge (picture isn't clear enough to be 100% sure), so taking into account that we know George was in the 26th and it was in his possession it looks likely that this is of the 26th Battalion from 1930 onwards to 1936 when he was discharged.

I just wish I knew which one is him! The only picture I have of him is from the Queenslander when he went off to Gallipoli and that isn't detailed enough to guess.

Need help from Military Buffs please, probable Queensland Regiment

I am hoping that someone may be able to identify the uniforms/badges in this photo.

Is this possibly around 1930's? Possibly 26th Battalion?

I believe it may possibly be a photo of the 26th Battalion which George joined in 1930 and re-engaged in 1933 Militia record at National Archive.

I base the probability of this date simply on the number of men who appear to be wearing service ribbons and their approximate age. This photo was found in a box of treasures among George's possessions that I inherited from my grandmother along with the below photo. Both have the same backing and look as though they were taken at the same time.

I am hoping that some knowledgeable person may be able to enlighten me further about possible dates for these photos.

George's  Background

George Howard Busby was born in Brisbane in 1884 to William and Anne, George grew up around Toowong where his father was a monumental mason. He married Nora Courtenay and had three children.

George enlisted 29 September 1914, eight weeks after war was declared, into the 15th Battalion 4th Infantry Brigade at the Exhibition Grounds Brisbane. The personal details in his enlistment papers (available online at the National Archives) were fantastic: 5 foot 7, fair complexion and grey eyes. Under distinctive marks: on left arm tattoo fireman’s helmet and two crossed axes (which clue led to more research) and a bullet wound (scar) over left knee (not what I was expecting).

The other really interesting information given in his enlistment papers was his previous military service:

2 years 1st Qld Regt (Moreton) (confirmed by Queensland Govt gazette)

1 year 3 months Cape Mounted Rifles (unable to confirm at this stage)

3 Years New Guinea Police (unable to confirm at this stage)

3 months 8th Infantry (Oxley) (Confirmed by National Archives and also have a badge)

There is still more to be found out about his previous military service.

George was wounded at Gallipoli  and was sent to Edgbaston Hospital in Birmingham then to Epsom then to Courtauld's Hospital in Coventry before coming home to be discharged. he then spent the rest of the war as a recruiting sergeant.

The Tech Savvy Genealogists' Meme

Thanks to Geniaus for doing another of these. 

The list should be annotated in the following manner:
Things you have already done or found: bold face type
Things you would like to do or find: italicize (colour optional)
Things you haven’t done or found and don’t care to: plain type
Feel free to add extra comments in brackets after each item. I have added a few onto the end.


Which of these apply to you?

1. Own an Android or Windows tablet or an iPad (Android)
2. Use a tablet or iPad for genealogy related purposes
3. Have used Skype to for genealogy purposes (great for planning trips etc, catching up with cousins)
4. Have used a camera to capture images in a library/archives/ancestor's home
5. Use a genealogy software program on your computer to manage your family tree (The Master genealogist and Legacy, also Have Family Historian on computer)
6. Have a Twitter account (@HVSresearch)
7. Tweet daily
8. Have a genealogy blog
9. Have more then one genealogy blog
10. Have lectured/presented to a genealogy group on a technology topic
11. Currently an active member of Genealogy Wise (define active? Haven’t posted as much as I would like but have lurked often)
12. Have a Facebook Account
13. Have connected with genealogists via Facebook
14. Maintain a genealogy related Facebook Page  (maybe depends where Google+ ends up)
15. Maintain a blog or website for a genealogy society
16. Have submitted text corrections online to Ancestry, Trove or a similar site
17. Have registered a domain name
18. Post regularly to Google+
19. Have a blog listed on Geneabloggers
20. Have transcribed/indexed records for FamilySearch or a similar project
21. Own a Flip-Pal or hand-held scanner
22. Can code a webpage in .html (one day when I have some free time….)
23. Own a smartphone
24. Have a personal subscription to one or more paid genealogy databases
25. Use a digital voice recorder to record genealogy lectures
26. Have contributed to a genealogy blog carnival
27. Use Chrome as a Browser
28. Have participated in a genealogy webinar
29. Have taken a DNA test for genealogy purposes (waiting on the results)
30. Have a personal genealogy website (One day when I have some free time….)
31. Have found mention of an ancestor in an online newspaper archive
32. Have tweeted during a genealogy lecture
33. Have scanned your hardcopy genealogy files (some, more to follow)
34. Use an RSS Reader to follow genealogy news and blogs
35. Have uploaded a gedcom file to a site like Geni, MyHeritage or Ancestry
36. Own a netbook (have the Sony travelling laptop instead, it goes where I go)
37. Use a computer/tablet/smartphone to take genealogy lecture notes
38. Have a profile on LinkedIn that mentions your genealogy habit
39. Have developed a genealogy software program, app or widget
40. Have listened to a genealogy podcast online
41. Have downloaded genealogy podcasts for later listening
42. Backup your files to a portable hard drive
43. Have a copy of your genealogy files stored offsite
44. Know about Rootstech
45. Have listened to a Blogtalk radio session about genealogy
46. Use Dropbox, SugarSync or other service to save documents in the cloud (Dropbox for me. I have a paid subscription for 50GB and use it for work as well as my genealogy0
47. Schedule regular email backups (I have emails going back to 2002 due to this)
48. Have contributed to the Familysearch Wiki
49. Have scanned and tagged your genealogy photographs (Some have lots more to do)
50. Have published a genealogy book in an online/digital format
51. Have authored a genealogy podcast (one day in the not too distant future) 
52. Have authored a genealogy webinar (one day in the not too distant future) 
53. Use YouTube for genealogy (and lots of other things such as how to do something in Excel, craft etc)
54. Have collaborative documents in Dropbox for genealogy
55. Have a collaborative database in Dropbox for genealogy
56. Have more than three computers at home(plus scanners, film/slide scanner, Overhead projector, three printers (all in one, laser and a colour one for photos), digital notetaker, 2 x video cameras and a number of other toys. What can I say, I like my toys!
57. Take a powerboard away with you because of the electronics you take when you travel. (Laptop, tablet, phone, iPod Touch, digital projector (when I am speaking), digital camera)
58. Have more than 1TB of external storage. Hmmm, in fact, have 4TB of external storage at home and 2TB at work as a backup of my essential stuff.

And I am sure you will think of even more....


I think I officially qualify as a Nerd who likes her toys.

99 Things Genealogy Meme - Australian

Things you have already done or found - bold type
Things you would like to do or find - italics (colour optional)
Things you have not done or found and don't care to - plain type

Here is my contribution. 

1. Belong to a genealogical society.
2. Joined the Australian Genealogists group on Genealogy Wise.
3. Transcribed records.
4. Uploaded headstone pictures to Find-A-Grave or a similar site
5. Documented ancestors for four generations
6. Joined Facebook.
7. Cleaned up a run-down cemetery.
8. Joined the Genea-Bloggers Group.
9. Attended a genealogy conference.
10. Lectured at a genealogy conference.
11. Spoke on a genealogy topic at a local genealogy society.
12. Joined the Society of Australian Genealogists. (soon)
13. Contributed to a genealogy society publication. 
14. Served on the board or as an officer of a genealogy society. 
15. Got lost on the way to a cemetery
16. Talked to dead ancestors. (I hasten to add that I didn't expect them to answer!)
17. Researched outside the state in which I live.
18. Knocked on the door of an ancestral home and visited with the
    current occupants. (Did it with trepidation but it worked!)
19. Cold called a distant relative.
20. Posted messages on a surname message board. 
21. Uploaded a GEDCOM file to the internet. 
22. Googled my name.
23. Performed a random act of genealogical kindness.
24. Researched a non-related family, just for the fun of it.
25. Have been paid to do genealogical research.
26. Earn a living (majority of income) from genealogical research.(working towards it)
27. Wrote a letter (or email) to a previously unknown relative.
28. Contributed to one of the genealogy carnivals.
29. Responded to messages on a message board.
30. Was injured while on a genealogy excursion. Fell when a pheasant flew up at me in and English cemetery that had gone back to a nature reserve, bit of blood but not really hurt.
31. Participated in a genealogy meme. (as of tonight)
32. Created family history gift items (calendars, placemat.)
33. Performed a record look-up.
34. Took a genealogy seminar cruise. and it was fantastic!
35. Am convinced that a relative must have arrived here from outer space.
36. Found a disturbing family secret. 
37. Told others about a disturbing family secret.
38. Combined genealogy with crafts. (quilt)
39. Think genealogy is a passion not a hobby.
40. Assisted finding next of kin for a deceased person.
41. Taught someone else how to find their roots.
42. Lost valuable genealogy data due to a computer crash or hard drive failure. (but only once!)
43. Been overwhelmed by available genealogy technology.
44. Know a cousin of the 4th degree or higher.
45. Disproved a family myth through research. 
46. Got a family member to let you copy photos.
47. Used a digital camera to 'copy' photos or records.
48. Translated a record from a foreign language. 
49. Found an immigrant ancestor's passenger arrival record.
50. Looked at census records on microfilm, not on the computer.
51. Used microfiche.
52. Visited the Family History Library in Salt Lake City.
53. Used Google+ for genealogy. 
54. Visited a church or place of worship of one of your ancestors. (and attended a Sunday service)
55. Taught a class in genealogy.
56. Traced ancestors back to the 18th Century.
57. Traced ancestors back to the 17th Century. 
58. Traced ancestors back to the 16th Century.  only one set so far
    
59. Can name all of your great-great-grandparents. 
60. Found an ancestor on the Australian Electoral Rolls. 
61. Know how to determine a soundex code without the help of a computer.
62. Have found relevant articles on Trove.
63. Own a copy of 'Evidence Explained' by Elizabeth Shown Mills.
64. Helped someone find an ancestor using records you
    had never used for your own research.
65. Visited the main National Archives building in Washington, DC.
66. Visited the National Library of Australia.
67. Have an ancestor who came to Australia as a Ten Pound Pom.
68. Have an ancestor who fought at Gallipoli. George Howard Busby
69. Taken a photograph of an ancestor's tombstone.
70. Can read a church record in Latin. (with a little help)
71. Have an ancestor who changed his/her name. (whole family went from Cullicoat to Culley, still don't know why, they stayed in the same parish and same Vicar!)
72. Joined a Rootsweb mailing list.
73. Created a family website. 
74. Have a genealogy blog. have five so far
75. Was overwhelmed by the amount of family information
    received from someone. (love you Carole Eales!!!!)
76. Have broken through at least one brick wall.
77. Done genealogy research at the War Memorial in Canberra. (found a diary of the Ceramic, the voyage to Gallipoli
78. Borrowed microfilm from the Family History Library
    through a local Family History Center.
79. Found an ancestor in the Ryerson index. And indexed for the Ryerson Index
80. Have visited the National Archives of Australia. Canberra, Brisbane and Sydney
81. Have an ancestor who served in the Boer War. George Howard Busby went to South Africa and enlisted in the Cape Mounted Rifles
    
82. Use maps in my genealogy research. 
83. Have a convict ancestor who was transported from the UK. I wish!
84. Found a bigamist amongst the ancestors.
85. Visited the National Archives in Kew.
86. Visited St. Catherine's House in London to find family records.
87. Taken an online genealogy course.
88. Consistently cite my sources.Am trying.
89. Visited a foreign country (i.e. one I don't live in) in search of ancestors.
90. Can locate any document in my research files within a few minutes.
91. Have an ancestor who was married four times (or more).
92. Made a rubbing of an ancestors gravestone.
93. Followed genealogists on Twitter.
94. Published a family history book on one of my families.
95. Learned of the death of a fairly close relative through research.
96. Offended a family member with my research.
97. Reunited someone with precious family photos or artifacts.
98. Have a paid subscription to a genealogy database.
    (FindMyPast (UK, AU & IE) and Ancestry and The Genealogist and British Origins) Thank heavens I have a well paying job!
99. Edited records on Trove.

Delving into Postcards

Part of the Postcard Album Collection

I have been very lucky as I inherited a number of boxes of documents from my Grandmother, Myrtle Doris Busby nee Weeks, when she died in 2001.

Among these documents are many, many letters from her husband William George Busby when he was on service during World War Two which ranged from Darwin during the bombing in 1942 to New Guinea to Borneo.

2012 is the 70th Anniversary of that event.

My grandfather could  have been a doctor if the quality of writing was the only criteria! One day I will sit down and start transcribing them but not today, although I hope to have some done by the Anniversary of the bombing of Darwin.

Today I am interested in what I am going to do with some postcard albums. Postcard collecting was a popular past-time. There were many different types including local scenes, pretty puppies and kittens, film stars, embossed patterns, celebrating occasions such as Christmas and Easter. and sentimental poetry.

As a family historian what is even more interesting is that the postcards are almost the Twitter of the day as you had to write on them in the restricted space available so less than a letter but still potentially full of genealogical information.

Brisbane Central Station about 1910

I have a number of albums from three of my female ancestors, my grandmother Violet Busby nee Weeks, great-grandmother Violet Weeks nee Rollason and great-great grandmother Lucy Rollason nee Evans.

The first important thing to do was to photograph each page to ensure I had a record of where the cards had been put. These albums are a bit different to a photograph album in that, it is not unusual for the pages to be themed, such as butterflies together, rather than simply in date order. In one album I had ten cards ranging in date from 1909 to 1930 on the same page, the theme was cute kittens.

Happy Eastertide 1912

Dating the Postcard

Check the date written or the postmark if the postcard was posted to get an idea of date.

Another way is to determine the approximate date is by the value of the attached stamp or by the design on the back of the postcard. Dating the postcards when your ancestor hasn't can be approximated by style of the card such as whether the back is divided into an address field and writing area, copyright date and there are some sites which can help such as this postcard site  Another way is to determine the approximate date is by the value of the attached stamp

The style of card can change depending on the country of origin so that is worth keeping in mind if you are using this to get a date.

There are clubs devoted to postcard collectors so it is worth doing a Google search. Here is  a Queensland club whose pages have some great early Brisbane images.

Used as a Christmas card 1941

So my plans for the postcards?

Well serendipity has played a part as I have just made contact with a descendant of my great-grandmother's sister who had emigrated to the USA in 1904. 

So I am setting up a blog where I will be sharing Mary's postcards with my new-found cousin and showing the amazing variety of these postcards to the world (well at least the select few who care to read the blog!)

In Memory of my Father for Fathers Day

The Proud Parents

 I lost my father David Smith nearly eight years ago on the 26th November 2003, so Fathers Day is a day of memory for me and today I'd like to share some of my Dad's early life and how this shaped him into the man he became.

My Dad was born 16 February 1940 in Dartford, Kent England. He was the first, and due to World War 2, the only child of Leslie and Lilian Maud Smith. Leslie and Lilian were both Salvation Army and both played in the band.

Leslie was a cabinet maker who was part way through an apprenticeship as an antique restorer when the War was declared. He was initially rejected for the Army and went to work at Vickers Armstrong factory in Crayford. This was a reserved occupation and he stayed there until he was accepted into the Army on 10/07/1941. 

While Leslie was in the Army, Lilian looked after David and ran a boarding house. She had a vegetable garden and one of the family stories was she had just spent an afternoon planting cabbages and that night the Germans did a bombing raid, a not uncommon thing when you lived on the approach to London. In fact over 200,000 incendiary bombs, 6000 high explosive and 200 oil bombs fell on Dartford with over 13 000 homes damaged.


Lilian was so concerned about her vegetables that she went outside and was shouting at the aircraft until suddenly she was being shot at and she came to her senses and fell flat to the ground then ran for safety. Afterwards it was found that bullet marks were along both sides of where she was laying.

Lilian's father and mother Robert & Alice Philpott & David

Leslie died 14 December 1944 after a training accident with the Argylle and Sutherland Highlanders.

Life was tough for Lilian and David even with her supportive family. 

Leslie's brother Frank had emigrated to Australia in the 1920s and wrote of better conditions there so Lilian decided to become a Ten Pound Pom 

They emigrated in 1949 to Sydney. They stayed with Frank and his family for a while then Lilian worked at the People's Palace in Sydney while Dad stayed for a while at the Salvation Army Orphanage in Goulburn.

Dad and  his dog in Goulburn

Housing was very hard to find at this time but eventually a house became available in Goulburn and then  Dad and Lilian were back together again.



Life still wasn't easy but they worked hard growing vegetables and carnations which they sold to Lilian's workmates and to restaurants in town. Dad collected bottles around town and returned them and also had a job cleaning the bakery stables which were behind their house.


Lilian was very careful with her money with the dream of buying a home for David and herself and saved every cent she could. 


Lilian's father Robert Henry Philpott died on Christmas Day 1953 and my grandmother decided to go back to England to be with her mother and family at this difficult time.


They spent a year in Tonbridge with the family. Dad had been used to being quite independent in Australia and had some trouble coping with the more restrictive life in England so he was quite happy when they came back to Australia at the end of the year. Lilian used her savings and some money from her father to buy that home for them at Manly.


He joined the New South Railways as a junior ans worked over much of the network for the next few years. Then when he didn't get called up for National Service he decided to join the Army regardless. While in the Army he was transferred to Enoggera Barracks in Brisbane. He attended the Salvation Army at Mitchelton and one day went on a church picnic and that was how he met my mother. But that is a story for another day.

Unlock the Past Victorian Expo Day 2

Well, Day 2 has come to a close. It has been a wonderful two days filled with family history, detective work and lots of  information about Victorian records and repositories,

Congratulations have to go to all the organisers for the  many, many hours of hard work that goes into getting such an event occurring. Providing 36 presentations over the two days with a wide variety of topics and many well known presenters was marvelous. You would have been a hard person to please if you couldn't find topics of interest.

There were topics directly related to improving peoples knowledge on how to use resources such as Ancestry, FamilySearch and FindMyPast which are always well received. Shauna Hick's talk on 'Google your family tree: Tips & Tricks' was well patronised and many people left determined, once they got home, to try out what they had learned.


Due to a family bereavement one of the speakers had to withdraw at the last moment (late last night) so I filled in today with my talk on "Demolishing Brick Walls" which was well received by an enthusiastic audience. 

Susie Zada  of Geelong and District FHS released their new CD production  Irish in Geelong and District during the Expo. The culmination of a huge amount of work.  


I attended talks  relating to Victorian repositories about which I knew very little, Genealogical Society of Victoria Inc GSV   and the Australian Institute of Genealogical Studies Inc AIGS   Both contain a wide range of records for Victoria, Australia and internationally as well as specialised records. All of which warrant a closer look next time I am down this way. 

Heather Garnsey from The Society of Genealogists  gave  presentation on their wide range of resources and was also an exhibitor.

It was great to see the number of Family History Societies as exhibitors, showing attendees their databases and sharing their specialised local knowledge.



All the exhibitors in the Expo hall were very busy with answering questions and solving problems.


David Evans and Jeanette McRobb were also busy on the Guild of One Name Studies stand answering questions about the Guild


I also picked my copy of issue six of Inside History as I couldn't wait for it to be posted to me! 

This magazine has gone from strength to strength over the last year. I have been privileged to have a number of articles published in Inside History and I thank Cassie for this. It is well produced and the stories and artwork are great and good to see interesting stories. 


I managed to attend two further presentations Andrew Kilsby on Researching Pre-Federation Military Ancestors where he gave a
good review of how the Volunteer, militia and permanent military worked together. In the second part of the presentation he showed the large variety of records he had used to follow the history of the military men in a photo. There was a wide range of records from all the more usual to newspapers to a Winners Board to a family memory box. Andrew reminded us how those items in the family's possession are your clues. In my family I have a menu from a reunion dinner of the Moreton Regiment and some should badges from the Oxley Battalion which belonged to my great-grandfather Georg Howard Busby.



Then I listed to Susie Zada talking on 'Sewerage records: an Untapped Resource' and my advice is if you ever have the chance definitely attend this talk! It was quite enlightening to see what could be learnt from these records and Susie is an enthusiastic speaker.

Then it was time to start packing up the exhibition hall as the Arena had a big basketball game on that night. With concentrated effort the Arena was transformed from a Family History Mecca to a blank canvas ready for the Arena staff.

Then there was the creative packing into the van and the final look around before we went to dinner at the Sphinx before some headed to the airport. I enjoyed the meal at the Sphinx but must admit it was not something I expected to see in Geelong!

Unlock the Past Victorian Expo Day 1

Geelong Bollard

Have had a wonderful Day One at the Expo. There was a late, but fun night yesterday due to packing 680+ kits. It was good to have time to chat about family history and what had been happening in our lives while we were doing it.



Then up early this morning, ready to face the day which was chilly (well chilly to a Queenslander) but was fine and sunny. We were greeted at the venue by one of the famous Geelong Bollards by Jan Mitchell.

He was quite an elegant gentleman with his striped jacket and boater hat. He also had, like any genealogist, the camera available and ready to photograph that headstone, house or document!

All the exhibitors worked hard at getting their displays and databases ready for when the exhibition opened at 8.30. Quite a number of people came down from Melbourne via train and took advantage of a cup of coffee at  the cafe before the official opening time. The Registration staff were very busy getting everyone their name-tags, showbags and program and this busynes continued throughout the day.

Lots of people looking through the exhibition hall until the talks began..There was a  bit of confusion with  the signs which was a shame but was soon rectified.

I attended Rosemary Kopittke's talk on Find My Past. I have heard Rosemary talk on FindMyPast before but with all the recent changes and improvements to their site, it was well worth listening again. Also today FindMyPast announced the release of one million merchant seaman records!!!

Rememebr to check back regularly to this site (and their sister sites FindMyPast.au and the new FindMyPast.ie) as there are so many new record releases that it is easy to miss the announcement. FindMyPast does announce  new releases on Twitter (@FindMyPast , @FindMyPastIE and @FindMyPastAU are the tags you should follow if you are on Twitter)  and Facebook and also on their blog. 

Then I managed to attend Shauna Hicks' talk on Asylums. I have been trying to get to this one for a bit and each time have been prevented because we have  been speaking at the same time or last time  the volcano prevented Shauna's from giving the talk in Cairns. As expected it was an excellent talk. Shauna gave a lot of information about the reasons people were admitted to asylums and the wide range of records that are available.Certainly there are restrictions on access to more modern records but considering the sensitive information these can contain, some restrictions are quite reasonable.

Some of the goodies available

Shauna emphasised the importance of reading the guides to records produced by the various Archives as they give you so much information n how the records are structured. A lot of records are becoming available and Victoria have released many of these. Shauna mentioned some great sites to start your Asylum research: Cora Num Hospital and Asylums gateway site and Judy Webster's  Queensland page.

I dropped in and out of a number of other talks in between being on the Research Zone desk along with Kerry Farmer, Carole Riley and Rosemary Kopittke. Dr Diane Snowden's Tasmanian talk and Paul Parton's talks on Family Search looked very good and I heard some very positive feedback about these.

I also had some time to make a few purchases among the goodies available but did restrict myself today as there are quite a number of exhibitors I haven't managed to see as yet.

David Evans at the Guild stand

For the regular readers of this blog you will know I am a member of the Guild of One Name Studies with the registered surname of Quested. I am also the Queensland Regional representative. Members of the Guild devote much time researching and collecting anything and everything to do with their chosen surname. This, of course, means if they are researching one of your names they could become your next best friend! I try and promote the Guild where I can as so many people don't appear to understand the potential benefits. Today I was very happy to have David Evans who specialises in the Akehurst name manning the stand and helping a number of people.

One of the major pleasures of attending these  Expos (besides the talks and exhibitors) is meeting up with people whom I have met on Twitter, Facebook or via a blog. Today I met Brona who is the human behind the Twitter tag @AncestryComAu. Brona is the one who keeps us aware of new record releases.

If you are at an event and follow me on any of the social media sites please make yourself known as it is always nice to put a face to a name.


There was so much going on today that I would be here all night but I can't leave without telling you about the last presentation of the day. This was a special presentation Hit the Road Digger which was about the building of the Great Ocean Road using no machinery and taking 14 years. This project was masterminded by Geelong Mayor Howard Hitchcock who had also done so much in the building of Geelong. The presentation was given in story and song and was the perfect finish to a busy but lovely day.

And what  is even better is I get to attend again tomorrow with lots more interesting talks and I still have a number of exhibitors I wish to see.

Heading off to the Unlock the Past Victorian Expo

Just about to leave for Melbourne then to Geelong to attend the Unlock the Past Victorian Expo

It is going to be fantastic! There are two streams of talks each day and there are 75+ exhibitors (note to self: Helen be strong remember you have to fly back, limit your book buying!)

I have made a list of which exhibitors I need to see first and have planned out my program.

. I am also very much looking forward to being on the Research help Zone as I love talking to people about their family history and solving their brick-walls so their research can go ahead. So many interesting stories!

So please drop by and say hello.

Now to finish collecting stuff together including those photos about which I want to talk to Retouchery.

They are some photos I really want to fix but just don't have time or the ability to do myself. Including this one of my father as a young child and his parents about 1942. Dad's father was killed during WW2 so there are few pictures of them as a family.

I'll let you know how I get on with this photo.

Now  it is "Hi, Ho, It is off to Expo I go!"