WWI Medical Records in UK to be destroyed: appeal for efforts to stop it

Email from Your Family Tree | March 13, 2005 | Garrick Webster, Editor

[CHARLITE]

WW1 medal records - under threat of being destroyed?

Dear List,

I just picked up a copy of a magazine and read the editor's column with disbelief. it will affect everyone now and in future who is undertaking research into family members who were involved with WW1.

Start of quote:

"As we go to press, it has come to my attention that in April the MOD intends to destroy some 6 million records of medals issued to WW1 personnel. I think you will agree that we cannot let them do so.

Our military expert Paul Reed has been looking into the matter and it appears that the private facility used by the MOD to hold the records at Hayes wants to relocate and charge the MOD for moving the cards. The MOD's response is to get rid of the 140 filing cabinets that contain the 4-6 cards. The National Archives doesn't want to take on the cards because it has already microfiched them and the microfiche has been > digitally scanned (see http://www.documentsonline.nationalarchives.gov.uk).

This isn't good enough. This is the only complete and untouched record of First World War soldiers left. Other service records were burned during WW2. Only the fronts of the cards have been scanned and we believe that written on the back of many of these cards is the address that the medals were sent to. Often, it isn't possible to determine whether the record of the medals issued relates to your ancestor or another person without checking this address.

First, the cards need to be preserved. They then need to be scanned properly, front and back, and re-indexed. If the National Archives won't step in, perhaps someone else will. The Imperial War Museum? The Veteran's Association?

The MOD claims its holds copyright on the cards and that it can do what it wishes with them. I'd argue that these cards are part of the nation's heritage. They are public records, and I'd remind the MOD that the descendants of WW1 soldiers pay their taxes. The cards remind us of the enormous sacrifice and loss incurred by men and women in this country during WW1, and of their bravery in adversity. They enable the children and grandchildren of those who died, and those who survived, to find out some of the lost details of their forebears.

To save the cards we must take action. We're instituting a campaign to urge the Minister of Defence, Geoff Hoon, and the Director of the National Archives, Sarah Tyacke, to prevent the destruction of these records straight away. Address your letter to us and we'll pass it on to these authorities:

Rt Hon Geoff Hoon & Sarah Tyacke
Save the Medal Index Cards
c/o Your Family Tree
30 Monmouth Street
Bath BA1 2BW

Alternatively, send an email headed 'Save the Medal Index Cards' to us at yfted@futurenet.co.uk.

Do it now - the records are due to be destroyed in April.

Garrick Webster, Editor, Your Family Tree"

End of quote

I apologise for typos in the above. As we know now that the 1911 census is in one almighty mess with the enumerator's books lost and the household schedules badly damaged, the thought of yet another valuable - priceless - resource being deliberately destroyed is beyond belief.

Such destruction will prevent those following in our footsteps in family history research in generations to come from achieving their goals.

If you wish to post this to other lists, please feel free to use the above.

Best wishes
Liz Chater

Search the US Census Collection. Over 140 million records added in the last 12 months. Largest online collection in the world. Learn more:

http://www.ancestry.com/s13965/rd.ashx