TNA podcast - West Africa and the First World War

The National Archives (www.nationalarchives.gov.uk) in England has a free to podcast online which may be of interest to those researching the First World War:

West Africa and the First World War
https://media.nationalarchives.gov.uk/index.php/west-africa-first-world-war/

The First World War had a great impact on West Africa, as Britain ordered the invasion of German colonies in Cameroon and Togoland, using its own colonies as base. The West African Frontier Force, drawn from Sierra Leone, Ghana, Nigeria and Gambia played a key role in the campaign. War had also had a great impact on the civilian population, as the British drew off workers and resources. How did African soldiers experience the campaign, and what did the war mean for West African societies as a whole?

There is a downloadable media file on the page which can also be interacted with as you listen.

Chris

For my genealogy guide books, visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html, whilst details of my research service are at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. Further content is also published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page at www.facebook.com/BritishGENES.

Gold Coast Database restored

The Gold Coast Database at http://gcdb.doortmontweb.org/index.php is a useful site that may help if you have ancestry connected to Ghana, particularly if that heritage stems from the Dutch settlements there from the 16th to 19th centuries. To quote the site itself:

The Gold Coast DataBase is a collection of genealogical and historical data about the Euro-African families of the Gold Coast (modern Ghana) in the widest possible sense, but with a strong emphasis on the historical element of the Dutch presence in Ghana.

The database has been in development since the 1980s, the work of Michael Doortmont, though has suffered problems over the last year and a half. These have been resolved, meaning new registrations are now possible.

My own connection to Ghana is a bit distant - a second cousin served there in the 1950s as an administrative officer for the British. But if you have ancestry just a little earlier, the site is well worth having a look at!

(With thanks to Michael Doortmont)

Chris

My new book, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet, is now available from Pen and Sword. My Scottish land and church records ebooks are available at http://www.gen-ebooks.com/unlock-the-past.html, whilst my next Pharos Scottish course, Scottish Research Online, starts Sep 4th - see http://pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=102. Time to smash a few brick walls...!