When my grandfather served with Leonard Cheshire during the 1000-bomber raids of 1942
Operation Millennium, Leonard Cheshire & My Grandfather
Joseph Rhodes – a blameless life?
(This is the second in a series of posts about my patrilineal Rhodes ancestors. The first post can be found here ) It is a feature of genealogical research that the better behaved one's ancestors were, the fainter the footprint they leave in the historical record. This aphorism certainly applies to my 5th great-grandfather, Joseph... Continue Reading →
Miles ye bastard
The earliest of my Rhodes ancestors for whom I have documentary proof is Miles Rhodes (my 6th great-grandfather) and his first appearance in the historical record was an act of extra-marital sex. As a proud Yorkshireman, it is immensely gratifying to know that the surname 'Rhodes' has a long and ancient association with God's own... Continue Reading →
“The Beestons of Beeston” by Jim Marsden
At the time of the Conquest, and in the period immediately after, it was a custom amongst Norman individuals for the principal families, having lands in any locality, to be known by the name of the district. Examples of this at the time were the Rawdons of Rawdon, the Burleys of Burley, the Arthingtons of... Continue Reading →
In memory of Private Ambrose Williamson
I recently wrote about Cyril and Lawrence Marvell . The story prompted a friend, Michael, to get in touch to say that his grandfather, Ambrose Williamson, also fought and died at Gallipoli in the same battalion as Cyril (9th Battalion West Yorkshire Regiment). I decided to look into it. As readers of this blog will... Continue Reading →
Five things I learnt about my ancestors this week
My grandma's brothers, Cyril and Lawrence Marvell, lied about their ages to join the fighting in World War One. Cyril was killed at Gallipoli in 1915. Lawrence survived the First World War but was killed in the Second after being trapped in France after Dunkirk. My great grandfather may have committed trigamy. My great uncle,... Continue Reading →
Uncle Jack: FA Cup legend
When Jack Hargreaves (my great uncle) took to the field for Yeovil Town at 3pm on Saturday 29 January 1949, he was just over two hours away from footballing immortality. It was FA Cup fourth round day and non-league Yeovil, a rag-tag assortment of part-timers and old pros like Jack, were hosting mighty Sunderland. At... Continue Reading →
The three lives and wives of John Cecil Rhodes
We have always known that my great-grandfather was a convicted bigamist. A few years ago, my dad pieced together what we assumed was a comprehensive history of his grandfather's infidelity but further research by me has revealed that the story is even more convoluted than we thought. What we previously understood to be the position... Continue Reading →
Cyril and Lawrence Marvell – a fraternal tragedy in two acts
One day in November 1914, teenage brothers, Cyril and Lawrence Marvell, leapt on board an army recruitment tram as it passed through the village of Rodley, between Leeds and Bradford, close to their home. They had been at the roadside to watch the passage of the illuminated tramcar and to soak up the carnival atmosphere... Continue Reading →
