Researching your Great War Ancestors

Layesbrook Research Services

Questions, Examples and Testimonials

Questions

Questions you might ask are: -

Could I do the research myself?

The answer is, yes, you can: anyone can perform their own research - if you have the time to invest in it. The National Archives at Kew are open to all, although you have to register for and obtain a readers ticket. Once you have this, you can visit the archives and perform your own searches.

So why should I pay for someone else to do the research?

Whilst anyone can search the records at the National Archives, you may live some distance away, or you may not have the time to visit. If you are not familiar with the records and the National Archives, then it may take a considerable time to perform a comprehensive search. Interpretation of the records can be even more difficult.

Why should I choose to spend my money with Layesbrook Research Services?

When you commision us you are getting expert help and interpretation, and if this is a one-off search for a relative then the costs of our research will almost certainly be less than those you would incur by subscribing to Ancestry and travelling to Kew to search the records there.

As well as searching the records, we supply a report on the findings, helping to interpret what is found - we do not just provide photocopies of the documents themselves.

Below are some examples of our work and customer feedback we have recieved.

Example 1
This soldier served in India during the Great War, and survivied the War. He recieved a pension, and a search on the WO/364 records which are now available on-line at Ancestry quickly revealed two pages relating to this.

However, it is becoming increasingly apparent that the indexing and also the coverage of the on-line records on Ancestry leave something to be desired. Hence, we always check the microfilm records at Kew even when a soldiers record can be found on-line. In this case, we discovered an additional five pages which were not available on-line. These added valuable additional information on the soldier, his family and his medical history - but without an actual record check at Kew, this information would not have become available. The customer said "I find it interesting reading as little was known of his days in the Army during World War One."

Example 2
For this soldier who served in the Royal Field Artillery, no service record survived. However, from the date of entry into a theatre of War, we were able to suggest a small number of units (all within one Division) which the soldier might have initially served in. From this, the battles that this soldier might have been involved in could be determined, based on the actions of that Division. Thus, we provided the maximum possible information from those records that were available. The customer response was very positive : "My Mother is absolutely thrilled with your report and would like me to pass on her thanks".

Why not ask us for a quote today? Please use the links above or below to find out more about us, ask for a quotation, or contact us with any questions.

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