I was up till 2.30 last night following links thru the last one I put up. I even re-arranged the boxes on top of my wardrobe to get to the family history boxes underneath everything.

I found my a lot of info about my grandmother's brother who died in Belgium in 1917. His body was never recovered so he is "just" an entry on the memorial wall at Menin(?) I found the location of his name on the Honour Roll at the Australian War Memorial, & 70 pages of records including letters from his mother & a list of his paltry effects (pipe, book & a few other items) returned to her. I have a very cracked & faded photographic brooch showing his face that she is probably wearing in a studio photo taken 20 years later in the year of her death.

The AWM & the National Archives have conduced enormous projects to digitise Defence force records from 1900 onwards & they are freely available & easy to search. Maybe I'll look up his brother's records one day, also other family members who went off to war. But I'll make sure I have a supply of tissues nearby next time as it's very emotionally wearing.

sandra