British WW1 Graves at Jelgava in Latvia

I've decided to try to separate my blogs so that the HMS Dragon website  and blog  are more clearly defined.

It was my intention to have the website cover the events of 17th October 1919 at Riga in which my Grandfather and 8 others were killed and the blog was to cover the wider campaign. There is some overlap and one day I will try to get the time to rearrange the posts.

I've also begun a separate blog for the British WW1 graves at Jelgava   Here are 36 graves in all marking the burial place of  British soldiers and seamen who died during WW1 mostly as Prisoners of war.



4 of the graves are unidentified including the one marked

"British seaman of the Great War

17th October 1919

known to God"

According to HMS Dragon's log the 9 men killed in action on 17th October 1919 were buried at sea. The Memorial Plaque unveiled at Portsmouth last year also has no mention of any other seaman being killed on the same day. It seems at present a mystery....

I have been fortunate to have attended a Remembrance event at Jelgava where I laid a wreath in memory of those who had died. It was a really special and memorable event . I thought it would be interesting to find out more about how and why these British servicemen came to be close to or at the Eastern Front during 1917, the year that most had died.

Having discovered some information I now feel it would be lovely to find relatives of those soldiers and seamen and to provide them with information about the Cemetary in the hope that they can also have the opportunity to see this cemetary  which incidentally is very well cared for by the local council in Jelgava.

I would really love to get some feedback about the website and blogs and whether having the topics done separately is a good idea or whether it is just too confusing.

PS I would like to thank David from the scotinriga blog for giving permission to use a photograph of the graves from one of his postings. Thank you & I hope you approve

Second cousins once removed !! Family history at it's best

On a sunny day,2 days ago I met up with Maggie a more or less complete stranger in York Road outside Waterloo Station.

I had never met Maggie before nor seen any photograph of her and we had only exchanged a couple of emails and text messages ( "I'm on the train"...."I'm outside the station"....."I'm walking down York Road") before our meeting but it had all been possible thanks to the Internet and especially http://www.genesreunited.co.uk/ and email!

Maggie lives in New Zealand and I live in the UK but we share a interest in family history as we have recently found we are related due to having the same ancesters in common a Harry Stroud and his wife Susannah Crisford, a couple living in and around Rotherhithe from about the 1850's...and that is enough to make us second cousins once removed!!

Maggie's Grandfather was brother to my Greatgrandfather John Stephen Stroud who was killed in action aboard HMS Dragon in 1919 (and the subject of a previous blog and my new baby my first proper website www.hmsdragon1919.co.uk

I don't know how Maggie feels but I just loved the whole day out. Despite being strangers at first we had so much in common and it was lovely to take Maggie to a few of the places that our ancesters knew.

 I do believe that's what family History is all about. Yes I have spent hours in dusty old record offices looking at old records and spent hours online trying to decifer census records but it's great when you actually make contact with other people !!

My sisters used to think it was a bit of a strange hobby akin to train spotting, an "anorak" hobby but I think I'm gradually winning them over to my view.

It's not the first time I've had success with genesreunited as I've met several Kitchingham (hello to my Louisiana cousins) and some Simpson cousins in the UK too and hope to go on more "reunions" again soon.

HMS Dragon 17th October 1919 at Riga,Latvia

I have given up on de-cluttering for a few days as I have now decided to concentrate on my hobby-Family History.

For a few years now I have been interested in finding out about my Greatgrandfather who was killed in action in 1919 along with 8 other members of the crew of HMS Dragon while they were serving in the Baltic.

Due to the wonders of the Internet I was able to do alot of reseach online while the kids were sleeping and 3 years ago I travelled to Latvia for a few days where I attended Remembrance day events in memory of those young men and boys who died doing their "duty".

I found these events so moving and thought that it was such a shame that in many ways we forget these members of our family. Time passes and memories fade . So I thought I would try to find out as much as possible about the events and try to make contact with the families of the crew to inform them of these very special Memorials.

Due to the cost of getting a website done professionally I looked into doing one myself.The result at www.hmsdragon1919.co.uk isn't perfect but I hope it reaches some of the families involved.

I will in the next day or so post some details of the 9 killed in action and 4 wounded. I will also post a couple of photographs that I took in Riga.

Riga is great for a City break and I hope to return again to see some more of Latvia. I have some tips for anyone thinking of going for the first time ...things I wished I'd known eg always have change for the taxi drivers!! don't eat in touristy places ..it's as expensive as London for a meal!! really..and wear sensible shoes as the old streets are cobbled.

We also found a lovely Guide called Ludwig who took us out for the day sight-seeing with his daughter driving us from place to place in her VW Golf.It was a great day out....We saw Siguilda and Cesis and even managed a few shops in Riga which was a bonus. Great fun and very different .I'd recommend them both.I'll post their details later.