The focus this week is on maritime history and Berkshire ancestors, featuring an expansion of Royal Navy records alongside thousands of new parish entries from the “Royal County.”
British Royal Navy Records
British Royal Navy Casualty Logs (1939-1945): 16,503 records added. Created in partnership with the National Museum of the Royal Navy, these logs document ships lost or damaged during WWII. They provide vital details on incidents such as enemy attacks and collisions, often listing the names of shipmates and specific injuries.
British Royal Navy, Submarine Movement Cards: 1,436 records added. These cards cover 1916 and trace the movements and postings of submariners during the First World War. They are essential for reconstructing an ancestor’s service across various boats and shore bases.
Berkshire Parish Records
Berkshire Baptisms Index: 1,255 records added. These transcripts cover baptisms from 1538 to 1921 and can reveal parentage, residence, and, occasionally, unique social details, such as whether a child was a foundling or an orphan.
Berkshire Marriages Index: 1,796 transcript records added. This update includes records from 1538 to 1933, offering potential insights into occupations, witnesses, and parental consent for those who married before age 21.
Newspapers
The newspaper archive sees 238,144 new pages this week, many older issues from the 19th century. Notable is 48 issues of the Sherborne Mercury from 1789.
There are five new titles to explore, including a unique theatrical publication, alongside significant updates to existing regional favourites.
New titles and significant updates of interest for those with roots in the following areas include:
Yorkshire & Lancashire: New pages for the Bridlington and Quay Gazette and the Bootle Times.
Scotland: Large updates for the Edinburgh Evening News (over 1,500 issues) and the Sunday Post in Glasgow.
London & The South: The addition of the Cicerone and Record of the Drama, Music and the Fine Arts, along with the Clapham Observer and Harwich & Dovercourt Newsman.
Midlands & East Anglia: Significant expansions for the Heanor Observer in Derbyshire and the Thetford & Watton Times.
Isle of Man: New coverage for the Ramsey Weekly News spanning 1890 to 1904.