Ellie Overthrow Jones

When Findmypast’s research specialist and expert genealogist, Jen Baldwin, began tracing her 4x great‑grandfather Archibald MacKenzie, she uncovered a story rooted in two places profoundly shaped by the Great Famine: Macroom, County Cork and Merthyr Tydfil, Wales. Through family history records like census returns and newspaper reports, Jen stitched together a picture of what the Famine felt like to the communities who lived through it. One town’s catastrophe became another’s transformation. This is their shared story. Before the Famine took

Imagine yourself living inside a large steel cylinder, lit by electricity, with an endless network of pipes and cables decorating the walls. All around the cylinder is water, exerting such pressure that it threatens to crush the manmade hull. It's a maze of complicated machinery, home to anywhere from 30 to 60 men with nerves of steel. It’s a stark image, 250 ft below the surface - one that was a reality for the submariners of the Royal Navy.History’s first Royal Navy submarines

The world of 1926 looked very different from what we know today. Internet speeds mean we can video chat and send files in seconds, AI increasingly powers technology, and there’s talk of another mission to the Moon. We could go on. Innovation keeps evolving. The year 2026 would have seemed like a far-flung prospect for those who lived a hundred years ago, even though many would have already experienced great change. The 1920s were an age of flappers, fancy, and economic uncertainty.

Thousands of British men volunteered or were conscripted into the British Army during the First World War, with regiments raised across the country. But some regiments were different. Pals battalions offered men the chance to enlist alongside their friends, neighbours and colleagues - an extra incentive to go to war that proved popular in local communities.Men fought shoulder-to-shoulder with their loved ones, but when Pals battalions suffered heavy losses, it had devastating consequences for the towns and cities left behind.

In August 1940, Britain's cities were under constant threat of enemy attack. Amidst the darkness of blackouts, Luftwaffe bombs lit up the sky.As homes, factories and schools were destroyed, volunteers like air-raid-precaution (ARP) wardens and auxiliary firemen offered up their spare time to protect the public.Anderson and Morrison shelters were as much a part of everyday life as rationing, and it was up to ARP wardens to ensure people reached them safely.It’s estimated that over 60,000 civilians were killed

Imagine the thundering beat of an excited heart as your great-grandfather signed his enlistment papers, after waiting in line for hours with his friends. That thunder would soon become gunfire in the trenches.By examining his experiences, we can paint a richer picture of what life was like for the average First World War soldier, affectionately known as 'Tommy'.Many of us have a First World War ancestor in our family tree. Stories may have been passed down in your