Articles by Findmypast

In 1938, the members of the League of Nations agreed unanimously that, in the event of a general war, they would not bomb civilians. In the same year, the government began investing heavily in air raid precautions and considering shelter designs, just in case the agreement signed did not hold under the pressure of a total war with Germany. Just two years later, Britain was subjected to continuous nightly bombing raids by the Luftwaffe for over a month in a campaign

At Findmypast, we want to connect you with your family's amazing story. And with millions of online family records, an easy-to-use family tree builder and help at hand along the way, we'll be introducing you to unknown relatives in no time.Family history guru, Estelle Calfe is here to show you how she traced her ancestors all the way back to 1911 in just five simple steps. Follow Estelle's lead and you can too.What is really important is that you

From radar to superglue to freeze-dried coffee, we've created a top ten list of World War 2 inventions we couldn't do without in today's modern world.Did you know these items were a lasting legacy from World War 2? You'll learn more titbits like this in our history hub. 1. Computers: From the machine this article was written on to the processing power of a smart phone, modern computing would not be what it is without the innovation of the Government Code and

Almost every family has a connection to the First World War and you've come to the right place to discover more about yours. At Findmypast, we've got the most comprehensive collection of First World War resources available. A collection that includes millions of Army, Navy and Air Force records, carefully indexed to include many more soldiers' names than you'll find anywhere else online. Findmypast is the best place to start searching for your First World War ancestors and to help

Our Catholic Heritage Archive is a groundbreaking project that will eventually see as many as 100 million Catholic records published online for the first time ever. We've put together this comprehensive guide to understanding your search results. Sacramental registers are the Roman Catholic Church's equivalent of the parish or parochial registers found in, for example, the Anglican Church, and what tend to be called metrical books in Russia and other parts of Eastern Europe.While Anglican parish registers tend to comprise

Emily Davison, the suffragette who died in 1913 after throwing herself in front of the King's horse at the Epsom Derby, is famously said to have secreted herself in the House of Commons at the time of the 1911 Census in order to have herself enumerated within Westminster.We have discovered the actual historical documents that prove this is the case and will perhaps throw some more light on this key moment in parliamentary history. The event is considered to be such

Running away to sea sounds like a romantic fantasy nowadays, but since the early 16 century, Her Majesty's Naval Service has been a means for adventure-seeking boys and men to see the world in a way which would otherwise have been impossible. Boys as young as 15 could join the navy, meaning that they could serve king and country several years before they might have been allowed in to the army. The Senior Service: The Royal Marines was subsequently founded in 1755, and

Emma Jolly was overjoyed with her Findmypast discoveries. Here's her family story.My great, great grandmother, Annie Jolly (1882-1969), was London Welsh. She grew up in Stoke Newington in a family named Jones. Her father, David Jones, was a carpenter and builder in the growing northern outskirts of the late 19th-century capital. Annie's London Jones relatives centred around the Welsh enclave of Islington, where they remained long into the 20th century. During the Second World War, Annie's cousin's son, John David

Welcome to the fourth in our series of blogs about how to understand and interpret your old family photos. In this series, Jayne Shrimpton, internationally recognised dress historian, portrait specialist, photo detective and regular contributor to Family Tree, Your Family History and Family History Monthly magazines, dates and analyses different types of photographs and helps you to add context to your old family pictures.Moving on from looking at photographic formats, photographers and mount styles, we now begin to focus

(main image via Tyne & Wear Archives & MuseumsTyne & Wear Archives & MuseumsTyne & Wear Archives & Museums)General Register Office births, marriages and deaths are a fantastic resource covering the entirety of England and Wales between 1837 and 2007. They not only allow you to discover when and where your ancestors were born, got married and spent their final moments, but also provide you with the information needed to order a copy of an original certificate from the General Register Office of England and