DONCASTER SOLDIERS

[Jim Mitchell]

Hi all just to let you know I have completed an index of all the photographs published in the local newspapers 1914-1919 including the actual photographs along with reference to the issue,date& page.

I know it`s not relevant to this forum but I have also compiled an index of photographs of servicemen and women from the local newspapers 1939-1946. In all there are over 12,000 photographs, There is much information in the WW2 issues regarding family and addresses of the servicemen and women. Should anyone require any info from my database I will be only too glad to pass it on. Although I am taking a well earned holiday next week for a few weeks. Best regards.

[ralphjd]

Jim. A job well done there, I would like to do a similar thing for the men whose images appear in our local rag, how did you go about it, if I may enquire ? Recording the names details pages etc is simple, very time consuming though, but images per page cost 75p here, how does one overcome that ? Ralph.

[Jim Mitchell]

Hi Ralph, I took along my digital camera and over a period of years photographed the pictures and the relevant write ups directly from the microfiche vewer screen then edited them with Jessops picture suite. I promised the local library a copy of the index when I had finished and they were only too happy to let me photograph them. Incidentely I only use a run of the mill Samsung camera bought for only 50 quid set on no flash and any distance photo setting. As you say it is very time consuming "also requiring a steady hand particularly with large write ups photographed when from a distance". It would be nice to set up a national base of local military enthusiasts to share info with. It would also enhance the collections of medals anyone has regarding information and photographs of the recipients. As I said this was done at my local library from microfiche. The original newspapers are held in the local archive, where you can photograph the originals as the microfiche sometimes gets marked and leaves lines down the photographs.

[ralphjd]

Thanks for the reply Jim. When I first set out to write my book many years ago I ran copies of soldiers directly from the microfiche at a cost of about 25p a copy, finished up costing me a few bob (approx 140 photos in the Rochdale Observer) sometimes I was lucky and got several on one page. When I got a publisher he tried manipulating the images, eliminating scratches etc but in the end I finished up in the local archive and took pictures direct from the newspapers, pretty fragile some of the papers others not too bad. These are better than the microfiche ones and are the ones being used in my book. It took quite a while just to complete my soldiers so how long it would take to complete all the Rochdale casualties I dread to think, but I will give it some considerable thought now I am aware that you have succeeded in completing your local men. Regards. Ralph.

[rickpreston@nasuwt.net]

Well done Jim. What you have done indeed has taken hours of work but it is a valuable and useful project for the general public in helping them to find out more about the GW.

What is really wanted is for Local Library Services to do this nation wide. Hope many I wander have actually started such a project. In these days when the authorities say they are under pressure, I am sure they could do this, as it is relevant, by using local volunteers. The library services must be able to gather a group of volunteers from the public who would be willing to do such a thing if only to help fellow local people. To expand it furthur all local library services have web sites the indexing could be put on line.

Cumbria County Council Library Service has already started on this project by putting on line the Cumberland News which covers what is now North Cumbria the area around Carlisle and work is going on on the Penrith papers covering the area from Appleby through Penrith to Keswick.

How many other library services in the country have such a project either already in existance of in development? It would be a dynamic resource.

Richard

[ralphjd]

I know a lady who works in the Local Sudies who produced a file, for want of a better word, a complete list including photos of every man who won an award MM, DSO, VC etc who appeared in the Rochdale Observer, she had the advantage obviously of access to the microfiche every day when it was quiet and the Cannon reader was not in use, probably didn't pay for the paper either. Ralph.

[rickpreston@nasuwt.net]

Ralph

For those interested in the Rochdale Observer the task is partially done in that it the newspaper produced an index of soldiers at the end of every year of the war which the local studies cenrtre have photocopies and is available in a paper file. Well done to them.

More is needed, combine the existing file with a record of every named man/women who is mentioned in any artical.Yes it does take time, but a number of volunteers could cut this time down by a lot and of course it would need the library Authorities to put it on line as well

Richard