Connecting service people & records
1. Find your man or woman on Mapping Our Anzacs
Identifying the right person – which ‘S. Smith’ is on the Mosman War Memorial? – can sometimes be difficult. The index cards compiled by the Canberra researcher, kept in Local Studies, can help. Also, check George Franki’s book.
2. Read through the service record
Lots of information, and clues, and there are often post-war letters
- Note the person’s service number (if not an officer)
- The unit(s) with which they served
- Timeline – cross check with unit histories
- Were they wounded? Were they crimed?
- Note any Mosman addresses
3. Add service record as a source
Use the NAA link! It will look something like this:
http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/
Interface/DetailsReports/ItemDetail.aspx?Barcode=3548472
4. Go to WW1 Records Finder for AWM & CWGC records
http://wraggelabs.com/ww1-records/
- For best results, enter the service number or as much detail as possible
- Link off directly to the relevant page on the AWM or CWGC site
- Copy the link and paste into Doing our bit > Add a source
5. Search Trove newspapers
http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper
6. Search other collections
Mosman
- Trace, Mosman Library’s digital archive
- Mosman Library Flickr photos
Geraldine Walsh is posting her research in the comments
Other collections
7. Person > Update
Some of the key bits of information
- Write a brief biographical note for your person
- Dates – birth and death
- Addresses – Mosman addresses so we can map people to streets
- Related people – to connect brothers and sisters in the services
- Associated organisations – their unit e.g. 8th Field Ambulance