How can you learn more about your ancestors who fought in World War I?
Attend a full day of online talks about many aspects of the military during the First World War. Talks will cover service records (and where to go if none survive), the missing of WWI, deserters, internment, researching Air Force ancestors and more.
Learn about useful resources such as the Long, Long Trail website, the National Museum of the Royal Navy, the Western Front Association and the Great War Aviation Society.
Get your WWI questions answered by the experts at the end of the day, who will be on hand for a Q&A.
- Ticket price includes a place on Getting the Most From the Imperial War Museum with Sarah Paterson on Thursday 19th June.
- Recordings available until 28 June. Pre-booking essential.
Click here for information about our events. Contact events@sog.org.uk if you have any questions.
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Programme details
| Session | Getting the Most from the Long, Long Trail Website | Online | 14/06/2025 | 10:30 - 11:30 |
| Session | Wings of the Great War: Researching your WW1 Air Force Ancestors | Online | 14/06/2025 | 11:35 - 12:10 |
| Session | The Western Front Association | Online | 14/06/2025 | 12:10 - 12:30 |
| Session | Timbertown Follies (interned in Holland | Online | 14/06/2025 | 13:30 - 14:15 |
| Session | Finding and using WW1 service records | Online | 14/06/2025 | 14:15 - 15:00 |
| Session | ‘Known Only Until God’: the missing of WW1 | Online | 14/06/2025 | 15:00 - 16:00 |
| Session | Deserters of the First World War – the Home Front | Online | 14/06/2025 | 16:00 - 16:45 |
| Session | Great War Aviation Society - This pre-recorded talk will be shown during the lunch break. | Online | 14/06/2025 | 12:35 - 13:05 |
| Session | Recording the Royal Marines and Royal Navy: Our First World War records; access and interpretation - This pre-recorded talk will be shown during the lunchbreak. | Online | 14/06/2025 | 13:05 - 13:20 |
About the Speaker
David Tattersfield
Vice-Chairman and Development Officer,The Western Front Association
About the Speaker
Chris Baker
In 2007, Chris left behind a successful career as a manufacturing engineer and business consultant to focus on his lifelong passion in the military history of the First World War. He has researched more than 10,000 soldiers for private clients and is also a trusted advisor to the “Who do you think you are?” production team. Chris is also a past Chairman of the Western Front Association and founder of the Great War Forum.
About the Speaker
Heather Johnson
Heather Johnson is the Librarian (Special Collections) at the National Museum for the Royal Navy, where she has worked with the library and archives for the past seventeen years.
About the Speaker
Graham Mottram
Graham Mottram was born in Sheffield. He read Natural Sciences at Selwyn College, Cambridge, as a University Scholar of the Special Steels Division of British Steel, and then joined the stainless steel section in Pontypool, South Wales. His interest in aviation began when reading his elder brother's left over Biggles books, and developed into a specific interest in World War 1 during his time at Cambridge. A long time member of Cross and Cockade International, he edited that society's journal "Hangar Notes" column for many years. After twelve years in steel he left to become Curator of the Fleet Air Arm Museum at Yeovilton in 1983. He was one of the team which built the “Carrier” exhibition in the early 1990s and became the Museum's Director in 1995. He won £3.7M from the Heritage Lottery Fund in 1997 to build Cobham Hall, FAAM’s Reserve Store, which came into use in 2000. As part of the formation of the National Museum of the Royal Navy, he became Director of Collections and Research in 2013, finally retiring at the end of March 2015. In “retirement” he is Chair of the Society of Friends of the FAA Museum, and of Ilchester Town Trust, and a trustee of Cross & Cockade International. In 2018 he published “The Men Who Marched Away”, a record of the16 men of Ilchester who died in World War 1.
About the Speaker
Andrea Hetherington
Andrea Hetherington is a writer and researcher with an interest in the social history of the First World War. As well as being the author of British Widows of the First World War- the Forgotten Legion (Pen & Sword, 2018), she has written Lawnswood’s Great War Stories (Friends of Lawnswood Cemetery, 2015) and Deserters of the First World War – the Home Front (Pen & Sword, 2021). She has contributed to a number of anthologies and written an article for the Unknown Warrior Commemorative Edition of Stand To! 'Andrea has also acted as a historical consultant to a range of projects from community research groups to films for the BBC and Netflix.
About the Speaker
Simon Fowler
Simon Fowler is an experienced family history teacher, writer and researcher. He worked for The National Archives on and off for over thirty years. Today he is a professional researcher mainly on family history and military topics. He has written regularly for genealogy magazines and has authored over two dozen books. Simon teaches at Dundee University, Pharos Tutors and regularly lectures for the Society of Genealogists. He is the author of Tracing Your Army Ancestors and Tracing Your First World War Ancestors, published by Pen & Sword.
About the Speaker
Graham Bandy
Graham Bandy has spent most of his life either in the army, in nursing, or doing both. He runs Living Military History and specialises in military history research and the identification of military photographs, uniforms and cap badges. He is the military expert at Family Tree magazine, the expert here at the SoG Armed Forces Advice Hour and a much sought after speaker at family history events. Graham is the author of two books: Identifying Cap Badges and Nursing at the Frontline: A WW2 Diary from North Africa and Italy. He is feverishly working away at four more books which are all due by the end of the year. His next one is due with his editor imminently…!
About the Speaker
Jade Nunn
Jade Nunn’s naval interest evolved at the start of her genealogy journey, learning she had ancestors in the merchant navy and many more with roots in Portsmouth, working in the dockyard. Her expertise lies in the research and preservation of military records from both World Wars. As a recent graduate from Strathclyde University, her dissertation explored the lives of soldiers who were "Shot at Dawn" during WWI, approached from a genealogical perspective. Prior to this, she completed my diploma dissertation, on the (RND) Royal Naval Division, focusing on the group interned in neutral Holland following their unsuccessful attempt to seize Antwerp. This work centred on the "Timbertown Follies," a group of internees who formed a troupe and performed within the camp and beyond. Her personal connection is her 2 x great-grandfather Cecil Gunther, was interned at ‘Het Engels Kamp’ in Groningen for four years. Although he didn’t perform with the Follies, he did however craft exquisite carpentry pieces that are now treasured items within Jade’s family archive. As well as military records, her other interests are DNA analysis and helping adoptees find their birth parents, siblings or other relatives. Finding her own Father in 2008 and later, his passing in 2015, spurred on her interest in this topic.
About the
Clare Wilson
Clare Wilson is a professional genealogist based in Lanarkshire, Scotland. Following her studies at Strathclyde University, she set up her company Treehouse Genealogy, where she assists clients worldwide to find out more about their own Scottish families. A specialist in Commonwealth Air Force research, she also runs the Allied Air Force Research website and Facebook group. In her spare time, she runs two one place studies, one for her local parish of New Monkland and the other relating to the war graves at a churchyard in Yorkshire.
