Once you have chosen a name to research,
you need to find out as much as you can about the person and their
experiences in WW1. Write rough notes to begin with using the
Scaffold Download to help arrange them in order.
There is a huge amount of written material available on the web
concerning WW1. One reliable suggestion for your research is to:
1.
Find a name.
Go to Mapping Our Anzacs and find your town. This will list all the soldiers that were born in your town. It is a reliable way to find a soldier's record.
Go to Mapping Our Anzacs and find your town. Look for your soldier's name, there will be a link to his records. Use the Abbreviations to interpret the record.
Their Battalion or Unit was the group they stayed with throughout the War and can be found in their Service Record. Find which Brigade and Division they were in. If blocked use this link.
Each unit kept a daily diary. These have been digitised and it is possible to download these original documents to see what your soldier may have been doing on a particular day. See Infantry Diaries or WW1 Diaries
These sources
will give you the basis of your story on the 'name'. You may find
further interesting information from an internet search or the
links on the Resources page. The story
can be
embellished with knowledgeable speculation based on the written
experiences of similar soldiers at locations where your soldier
was known to have been.
The story should be shared with others in
an accessible form such as a newspaper article and/or website.
It is timely to publish these in your local newspaper in the weeks
leading up to 25th April (ANZAC Day). Some examples of webpages
can be found at Joseph
Michael Maguire and Donald
F Kerr.
