British military and English collections added to FindmyPast

More British and English collections from FindmyPast (www.findmypast.co.uk):

British Army Bond of Sacrifice: Officers Died in the Great War 1914-1916, contains over 2,600 officer biographies from both volumes of the Bond of Sacrifice. The Bond of Sacrifice was designed to act as a biographical record of all British officers who fell in the Great War. Volume 1 covered the first four months of the war and closed in December 1914, while Volume 2 covered the first six months of 1915. The original intention was to create a volume for every six months of the war to include the names of all the officers, who died from causes directly related to active service. However, due in no small part to the huge number of officer casualties, and to the publishers running out of money, the series was never completed.

Names are listed in alphabetical order and most entries include a photo portrait and a short biography. The biographies usually consist of parents’ names, educational background, achievements and, when present, spouse’s name and children’s names. The entries also detail the officer’s military career and often include a description about how the officer lost his life. Many include comments from commanding officers about the bravery and gallantry of the officer under their command.


London, Docklands and East End Marriages, 1558-1859 contain over 92,000 records. Covering 8 East End Parishes, each record contains a transcript of the original Parish registers. The amount of information listed may vary but records can include the couple’s names, their marital status, the groom’s occupation, the date of the wedding and where it took place.

The East End of London has always been home to a variety of immigrant communities. In the 17th century Huguenot refugees settled in Spitalfields, followed by Irish weavers and other ethnic groups, many of whom came in search of work in the blossoming clothing industry there.


Derbyshire, Derby Railway Servants’ Orphanage registers 1875-1912 lists the details of children from Northern Britain whose father’s died while working on the Railways. The Derby Railway Servants’ Orphanage opened in 1875 in response to the hundreds of railway employees, who died each year in the course of their work. Children were admitted from railway companies all over Great Britain and Ireland and the Derby home catered for the north of Britain. Children were admitted between the ages of 6 and 12, had to leave at the age of 15 and would be classified as orphans even if their mother was still alive.

Each record contains a transcript of the original register. The amount of information varies but records can include details of the father’s occupation and death, mother’s address, any siblings, dates of arrival and departure and signatures. Many records also include additional notes such as comments on behaviour, employment prospects, health, religious denomination and funding.

(With thanks to Alex Cox)

Chris

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