Thanks to Lynn TFF, I'm ecstatic yet sad!

[Janet in Yorkshire]

Having seen Lynn's thread about the medals update on Ancestry, I had another look and also at the service record update.

For over 20 years I have been trying to find out about ny Dad's much older half-brother, Mick McDonough, to no avail. I thought he'd probably died in Jan 1919, but the cwg citation and commemoration just gives an initial and no family details. No way of proving it was the right soldier.

I looked again today, under McDonough, and there was no record, but just as I was about to leave the site, I spotted the place name Blyth next to an entry for Michael Farrer, alternative name Michaeal McDonough!!!!

IT IS MY MICK - only 6 images instead of the promised 8 (the papers may have got mixed up with the Farrers) BUT the images include a form listing all Mick's relatives and my Dad and all his family are named.

Partner is away on business and there is no-one else in the house. I am sitting here with tears rolling down my face. Tears of joy that at last I have the missing link and the mystery is solved, but also tears of sadness, because i've learned that Mick was married and had a son with the same name as my Dad, but born 2 months after him. I'm sad that my Parents never knew this, or any of my older cousins, although we knew about Mick meeting his end in WW1.

I just needed to share with someone, so if you've taken the trouble to read this post, thankyou.

Thanks to Lynn for jogging my memory and prompting me to look again.

And the moral of the story? NEVER EVER give up the search AND follow up all POSSIBLE leads, even if you think you won't find anything.

Jay

[Northern Light]

Hi Janet, I am so pleased for you and can understand you being sad..but you must be over the moon now you have the missing link.

Well done for finding it and thanks to Lynn for letting us know about the update.
I found g grandads medal card today and its nice to have it in colour.

[Pamdidle]

Hello Janet.

I know how you feel. Its lovely to find out things about our ancestors, but sometimes it makes you feel emotional, when you least expect it. They are our flesh and blood

[Little Nell]

I miss my Dad more and more, with the more I find out about his family. So much of what he recalled his parents telling him has turned out to be true and I would have loved discussing my findings with him - and of course asking all the supplementary questions I now have!

[Lynn The Forest Fan]

I am more than pleased to help. i agree that it is upsetting to find out stuff but not be able to tell the people you want to about it, there are so many things I want to discuss with my grandparents, but sadly they are no longer with us.

[Janet in Yorkshire]

Thankyou for your interest and your replies, ladies.

21 yearsof researching was an awful long time to wait to find the records, but worth it in the end.

Like I say - NEVER give up the search. Unless of course (like one of my other dead ends) you've viewed the original register and seen for yourself that the pages you want have been torn out!