Hi listers, My name is Ian Bates of Gippsland Victoria Australia. This is going to be a long shot, but I can see no other avenue for me to take at present. My grandfather Percival George Bates was b. 1893-5 supposedly in Dorsetshire Eng. according to his WW1 enlistment papers. On his death in 1963 his wife gives his pob as Sommerset Eng. I recall my mother once telling me that she thought he had been b. in India as his father George Bates m to Catherine Annie Jones was in the Brit. Army and stationed there at the time of Percy`s birth. OK, well a search of all three areas has drawn a blank. To make matters worse, family story goes that for 6 generations there was only the one child born to each Bates mrg and ofcourse it would have been a male child each time to carry on the name. With that in mind I`m not holding out much hope of ever connecting with other living relatives. <g> short of my own sibs <ebg> So in short, do any listers recognise the above names ? Perhaps someone has come across them in their own research. As you would all be well aware; this aint just some brick wall ! It`s got grease smeared on it and it`s reinforced with 1" reo !!!!! Any help at all would be greatly appreciated and I`m always open to constructive critisism and suggestions. thankyou for taking the time to read this Batesy Ian Bates Gippsland Australia Reseaching:- BATES-Somerset Dorset-1895 WATSON-Aberfoyle-1875 HURN-Norfolk&London-1827-1851 BRUMFIELD-LONDON-1829-1851 GIBSON-Glasgow-1870 & Airdrie-1895 GIBSON & MUNNUCH/MONACH--Carnwath & Fife 1830--1850`s STARK & CLARKSON Carnwath 1850`s VINECOMBE Channel Islands & Devon 17-1800`s