Family History

The Platoon: An Infantryman on the Western Front 1916-1918, Joseph Johns Steward. Takes an unpublished autobiographical novel of the Western Front and connects the story to historical events and the sources for family history. Probably of most value for the picture it paints of everyday life and death in the trenches, but with some useful historical notes. [read full review]

Tracing Your East End Ancestors, Jane Cox. A geographically focused guide to family history that greatly benefits from its fixed focus, allowing the author to guide the reader very precisely to specific archives. Also includes a brief history of the East End, tracing its development from a rural area east of London into one a major urban community in its own right. [read full review]

Tracing Your Family History on the Internet, Chris Paton. A useful guide to the most valuable websites for researchers in family history, with an emphasis on those sites that are likely to be around for some time. Particularly good on local and regional societies and their websites, with a county-by-county guide to local resources. [read full review]

Great War Lives: A Guide for Family Historians, Paul Reed. An unusual approach to family history, looking at the wartime experiences of twelve very different British soldiers (including the only black pilot in the RFC and a rare example of a major war poet of low rank). Each of these biographies is followed by research notes which explain where the information was found. [read full review]

Tracing Your Liverpool Ancestors, Mike Royden. Mixes an economic and social history of Liverpool with a guide for the family historian, looking at both the general process of researching a family tree and topics that are specific to Liverpool, with a guide to relevant archives, print, online and sources. [read full review]

Tracing your Tank Ancestors: A Guide for Family Historians, Janice Tait and David Fletcher. Combines a history of the British armoured forces, and in particular the Royal Tank Corps and Royal Armoured Corps, with a guide to the resources available for family histories trying to trace ancestors who served in British tanks [read full review]

The Territorials 1908-1914: A Guide for Military and Family Historians, Ray Westlake. A reference work built around a complete list of Territorial units and the larger formations they were part of, and a gazetteer listing the units associated with every town and locality. Very useful for the dedicated researcher, but not aimed at the casual reader! [read full review]

Tracing the Rifle Volunteers, Ray Westlake. A comprehensive reference work detailing the history of the Volunteer Rifle Corps, the infantry component of the volunteer force that preceded the Territorial Force. Provides details of each of the hundreds of companies formed around England, Wales and Scotland, including location, date of formation and eventual fate [read full review]