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Got anyone famous, heroic, or just really interesting in you family?

I only ask because I've become very interested in genealogy lately and found out how interesting my family history really is, certainly a few people to aspire to.

Out the lot the most incredible and one I really didn't expect was General Edwin Alderson. Apparently a very popular General with his men and once commanded a mounted infantry unit in the Crimean war nicknamed Alderson Infantry. His greatest moments though came in World War 1 where he continued his popular command and none of his men ever gave up a trench while under his command. When the Canadians came into the war he was put in charge of the first Canadian divisions to arrive and as with all his other units they were very successful. However near the end of the war he was ordered to write a report on a Canadian general who was to be dismissed for incompetence during a campaign, unfortunately the winds changed and because the Canadian had formerly been a VC winner and was also very popular it was feared that his removal would cause the Canadian troops to withdraw from the war and so could not be dismissed. The problem remained that the army also had to be seen to be punishing someone for the Canadian Generals incompetence; General Alderson was the scapegoat and was promptly dismissed.

General Edwin Alderson, one of the first victims of political correctness in the British army.

So do you have anyone interesting in you family?

Aldo wrote:Got anyone famous, heroic, or just really interesting in you family?

Not that I'm aware of.

However, I have looked into tracing back my family history, but the whole process seems too complicated and/or expensive. Shame really.

*looks back through family history*



err, well a few interesting ones...had a granuncle who went to gallipoli (sp?) or some such place...12,000 went in, 150 came out...probably something to do with the family instinct to camp next to the vital supply point that is the local pub, preferably situated outside of artillery range...

Glitch, my grandad got a book about my family name at christmas. Have a look around the book shop sites and stuff, might be able to find one for yourself. I'll try and find out who publishes the book for you.

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bloody hell aldo,related to a general.Lucky ba....

My mums side of the family has fairly strong sicilian roots and ive been told that some of my relatives were mafioso.....but thats a load of poo really...

sigh,never know maybe al capone was my great grandfather..LOL

lol, a hell of a thing to follow though eh!

You never know you might be a long lost Don.

yeh,good to see that your great grandad was liked by the troops.A rare thing during ww1.

Col. Seth Young 1st Louisiana Cavalry, fought Federal troops at Vicksburg and Sugartown, later was elected to the legislature even though law prevented old rebels from holding office.

My dad fought at Firebase Airborne and got the Bronze with V device, you can read the after action report online if you do a search. The old man was in C battery, pretty good AAR actually.

Esua Bass fought in the 1st Louisiana Infantry against Grant at Vicksburg as a Pvt.

Mounted Punka Wallahs?
They must have kept the the horse stalls cool.
Tea wallah's were my favorite.Imshi Imshi.
Wholley.

I heard at Christmas that I had a great granddad in India who was clearly very popular with the locals. Someone took a pot-shot at him during the mutiny, which didn't go down too well. There's a long list of appalling things that happened to the would-be assassin, most of which I'm glad I don't remember, but it involved repeated mutilations and being held in a bonfire for a while then removed, given a kicking, then chucked back in again. Poor bugger died eventually. Apparently, the great granddad actually died by coughing up his lungs at the breakfast table, after a distinguished career's smoking. Depressed the crap out of me, that story.

I've managed to trace my family name back to 1285 in the church records of the village of Wraxall, in Somerset. I found our family coat of arms, which was a real thrill; especially as they came with an armorial description, related to the historical significance. One ancestor was the Lord Mayor of Bristol and his son's regiment fought the last private battle on English soil (over a dowry of all things!). And here I was thinking I was a peasant from a long line of peasants!

My uncle fought in Italy. Once, after a couple of good-sized scotches, he told me about the hand-to-hand fighting he had been involved in at one of the towns. He said that at one point he lost his weapon and was armed only with a length of blackjack chain until he found an Italian rifle. I distinctly remember that rifle as I used to play with it as a kid. It had a folding bayonet and was a very small weapon. He later went on to become a designer for Dunlop (I believe). Anyway, he designed the Gemini assault craft and also the rubberized masts of arctic trawlers that stop ships from getting top-heavy through ice build-up. He also had the UK record for the biggest sturgeon and was in the Guinness book of records. Quite a guy!

My aunt on my mother's side is the real family historian. She once told me a story of how I am related to Billy the Kid (William Bonney), through a marriage that took place in Lancashire in the mid-1800's before emigration to America.

Whitey, I've had a good look around sites relating to Vicksburg, unfortunately there is no mention of a Col Seth Young, either in the individual unit citations or the list of unit commanders. The 1st Louisiana was Heavy Artillery.
http://www.nps.gov/vick/home.htm