A 2017 retrospective

As another year draws to a close, here's what I achieved in 2017.

• Including this one, I wrote 42 Army Service Numbers blog posts (target 36)
• I wrote 38 Army Ancestry Research  blog posts (target 36)
• I answered over 400 British Army research enquiries and gained enormous satisfaction doing so.
• I wrote 36 Chailey 1914-1918 blog posts (target 36)
• I wrote 14 Army Forms & Attestations blog posts (target 12)
• I published a new website, British Army Ancestors, and contracted with The National Archives and Findmypast to enable people to search over 11m records and add photographs. 
• I subsequently added a gallery feature to British Army Ancestors and wrote 19 blog posts

In addition to the blogging and the tweeting (I'm not sure how I can easily count the number of tweets I sent) and the research enquiries, I also continued with my own research projects. Having already transcribed all non-fatal casualties reported in The Times newspaper for September and October 1914, I set myself a target to complete the months November 1914 to February 1915 inclusive. A week ago I finished this stage of the project and now have a database of over 75,000 names. I will probably transcribe March 1915 in 2018 but with then call it a day on this particular project - perhaps.

I acquired several hundred books, - necessitating the purchase of another five bookcases - and which included some very useful runs of chronicles and annuals to the Rifle Brigade, King's Royal Rifle Corps and Sherwood Foresters. I still have some gaps though and I shall be looking to fill these in 2018. 

So what else is in store for 2018?

I see more of the same on the blogging and research fronts, with the focus on British Army Ancestors. I will also be continuing my transcription work on the British Army in 1911 (UK and Irish census returns) and looking at other sources of information on the BEF of 1914. I also have two other smaller indexing projects which I hope to complete.

In October 2018 I will lay a wreath at The Menin Gate Memorial for my great uncle, John Frederick Nixon whose 100th death anniversary occurs on the 3rd October.

For now though, I wish all my readers a very Happy Christmas and I look forward to continuing the work in 2018.

The photograph on this post shows men of H Company, 1st Duke of Wellington's (West Riding) rugby team in India in 1910, one of many photographs of the British Army acquired this year.