Terry_Reeves Posted 20 October , 2002 Share Posted 20 October , 2002 Has anyone had trouble using the LG website? I used it for the first time yesterday and could not find an officer I know won an MC in 1916. To be fair, I have already got most of his military details, including his citation. This was from a hard copy of the LG. I put in his details only to see if I was using the system correctly. I have been known to act first and read the instructions later, if you see what I mean.Whatever combination I have tried his name does not appear. On a similar point, despite the blurb about publishing all honours and awards for WW1, it appears that the announcement of MM's and Mid's have not been included. Has anybody else had the same experience or (to tempt fate) am I just a ham-fisted hack? Terry Reeves Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlesmessenger Posted 20 October , 2002 Share Posted 20 October , 2002 Terry Odd. I have just used the LG website to look up both an MM awarded to a member of the QMAAC and an MC, which was awarded to a cousin. I found both and was able to print out the relevant pages. I can only think that you did not type in the name correctly. I haven't tried MIDs. Charles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Carter Posted 20 October , 2002 Share Posted 20 October , 2002 Hi Terry I might sound a bit thick... but what is the LG web site ? regards Terry Terry, you can find a link to the London Gazette archive website on the links page at www.1914-1918.net. I have only two problems with it: (1) the font size is ludicrously small, and (2) the search engine does seem a bit hit and miss. I imagine it would be slow to download...but as a broadband user it's just about acceptable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt York Posted 21 October , 2002 Share Posted 21 October , 2002 The LG WWI archive is yet another source of information in our arsenal, which I most welcome as a reference we can use from the comfort of our homes and I for one appreciate the archive being online. This is not a gripe or complaint about the LG archive - I've recently used the LG archive and consider myself an advanced computer user having owned and used computers since 1982, but have given up in frustration (will ty again when my chips cool down). It repeatly crashed my system when using the forward & back buttons, was painfully slow downloading and couldn't find a reference to a DCM holder that I know exists - having the details from the LG supplement and had the DCM in my hand! (I may have caught it at a bad time owing to heavy usage) The inability to use the 'FIND' option on your browser, as the downloaded pages are GIF images can be resolved in a long-winded approach. Without having to trawl through 30+ pages for every edition: print out the page, scan the page into your wordprocessor using OCR software and then search the page/s... I will return to the LG archive, that I'm most certainly sure of. Ronnie Cusworth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivor Lee Posted 21 October , 2002 Share Posted 21 October , 2002 My experience of the LG site echoes those of Terry. I cannot find details of men with MCs even though I know the date they were gazetted. So if anyone knows how to use it correctly I would love to know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ttd0 Posted 21 October , 2002 Share Posted 21 October , 2002 I have found the LG website useful up to a point. I knew the date that the officer I was researching had his citation for his MC published in the LG. I typed in the date and his name....but nothing. May have to try manually looking through that date with the navigation buttons..! Are Mids for WW1 in the LG? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianw Posted 21 October , 2002 Share Posted 21 October , 2002 Yes , a search under my Grandfather's/Great Uncles surname found their commissions from the ranks but not their MID's - shame really . Seems a bit halfbaked but a useful resource none the less. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jock Bruce Posted 21 October , 2002 Share Posted 21 October , 2002 Two cheers for this I think ........ painfully slow downloads on a dial-up and you have to work hard at some searches. But it is free. Jock Bruce Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry_Reeves Posted 21 October , 2002 Author Share Posted 21 October , 2002 Phew! Thank heavens I'm not on my own. I have still not found my test case and of two MM winners I have only found one, yet I have their medals, never mind, as Jock said, at least it's free. Terry Reeves Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Pete Wood Posted 22 October , 2002 Share Posted 22 October , 2002 I think a few of the problems may (just may) lie with the fact that even the LG sub-editors made typos. I was looking for Lt Seely of the 8th Hants, and knew that he had been in the Gazette in 1914 but couldn't find a reference for him. But after using the manual search I found the following in Feb 1915 - 8th (Isle of Wight Rifles, " Princess Beatrice's") Battalion, The Hampshire Regiment; the surname of Second Lieutenant Charles G. Seely is as now described, and not " Seeley," as announced in the London Gazette of the 28th August, 1914. So a manual search, painful as it is on a dial-up connection can pay dividends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bydand Posted 24 October , 2002 Share Posted 24 October , 2002 I used the LG WW1 archives for the first time last night and tested the program by looking for my Great Uncles M.C. information of which I have a hard copy from previous research done, so I know that it exists. I got a little frustrated because I could not find anything using his first and last name. I decided to use just his last name only and, knowing when he was K.I.A. was able to track it down in a very short period of time. Seems funny that it would recognize his last name only and not his first and last name. Still I think with a little bit of effort, patience and luck this can become another powerful tool in your library. Neil Drysdale Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon_Fielding Posted 24 October , 2002 Share Posted 24 October , 2002 I also found some details on an officer killed in Egypt in 1916 (2Lt Albert Jaffray CAY - Worcestershire Yeomanry) listed under the disposal of his estate in 1919. Flawed but useful: how long has this resource been available? Simon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
munce Posted 24 October , 2002 Share Posted 24 October , 2002 One small detail I found which might hinder some people's searches is that the date of the supplement is not the date which appears in the results screen - this date is the date of the actual issue. So while, for example, my officer's commission date is the 19th March 1917 (the date of the supplement), this is found in a result for 16th March 1917. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jock Bruce Posted 24 October , 2002 Share Posted 24 October , 2002 I was disappointed to discover it doesn't seem to search on regimental numbers - is this the case, or am I just being cack-handed? Since I'm researching a unit where the soldiers who weren't called MacKay were called MacDonald, this would be really useful. Jock Bruce Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivor Lee Posted 24 October , 2002 Share Posted 24 October , 2002 I was searching for men who had been awarded the MSM. When I searched with the man's surname and highlighted the MSM section of the Military Awards nothing. But put in the surname and search for All medals success! I found the same thing when looking for MCs I think they need to sort out the way their search engine works. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conor Dodd Posted 28 October , 2002 Share Posted 28 October , 2002 I have found no problem getting search results but when I try to look at them nothing comes up. Anybody who can help ????? Conor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy Taylor Posted 28 October , 2002 Share Posted 28 October , 2002 I gather that Naval & Military Press are putting all the LGs for 1914-18 on a searchable CD ROM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laughton Posted 4 November , 2002 Share Posted 4 November , 2002 Thanks for the "heads up" on the London Gazette as I did not even know it had an on-line version, then again a mere 2 months ago I really did not know what it is all about. This site is certainly the place to learn the "tricks of the trade". I did try the site and you fellas are away ahead of me as I get an error when I try to log on from the link that is on the main 1914-1918 web site. The web site it shows is: http://www.gazettes-online.co.uk/ If that is not correct, can someone tell me the correct address? Canadian, eh That address is correct, laughton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlesmessenger Posted 4 November , 2002 Share Posted 4 November , 2002 I have been experiencing the same problem over the past couple of days. I think that there must be a problem with the LG website. Charles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Hornby Posted 4 November , 2002 Share Posted 4 November , 2002 Charles, I have been using the London Gazette today, all seemed to be in order. Martin Hornby Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlesmessenger Posted 4 November , 2002 Share Posted 4 November , 2002 Martin I'm still having problems. I have just tried again and received this message: There has been an error: 'Unable to run ATVersion stored procedured to determine database version Either choose another database or this database needs manual updating to Version 4.1.2.9' I have no idea what it means! Up until the end of last week the LG site was behaving itself as far as I was concerned. Charles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Hill 60 Posted 4 November , 2002 Share Posted 4 November , 2002 I, like some of the other users, cannot get access to the LG site. I keep getting an error message, ho hum. Lee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ben Jones Posted 4 November , 2002 Share Posted 4 November , 2002 I have tried it twice now and the PDF download files do not appear to work. I reliaded acrobat and they STILL don't work! Is anyone else having problems like this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jock Bruce Posted 4 November , 2002 Share Posted 4 November , 2002 I think the site is hosed. In the last 48 hours I've had combinations of the following - the same error message as Charles notes above - a failure to find any entries entries containing 'Seaforth' in a 3 month period - a refusal to download .pdf, simply a message saying 'SQL error' It was working fine up until the weekend - why do I suspect their systems folk made some 'improvements' over the weekend. Jock Bruce Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sullivan Posted 19 November , 2002 Share Posted 19 November , 2002 The London Gazette frustration. Greetings from Brisbane Australia. I have read with interest all of the postings re the London Gazette, I have also experienced the same frustrations, a hit and miss situation. The management of the LG have offered the service free of charge, and I hope this continues, therefore as an informed group with an interest in these documents, I suggest we should lobby the management with a view to overcoming the problems experienced to date. In my opinion, it would have been more logical to have simply listed the dates of the various issues of the London Gazette that have been scanned, along side the date the PDF that is applicable, and allow users to simply download the PDF in it's entirety for browsing and research off-line. A number of various web sites allow users to download PDF's, depending on file size download time varies, but it would be less frustrating and I am sure faster than the current system. I am not suggesting we flood the LG office with emails, I suggest a representative of the WWI Forum congratulate them for making the LG available, but point out the problems experienced and invite them to view the postings on this topic, then suggest they consider the downloading of a complete LG issue rather than page by page which is the current situation. Would appreciate further comment and ways to improve a very useful service to a broad spectrum of the community. James O'Sullivan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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