Forwarded with permission. -------- Original Message -------- The FFHS has recently been in contact with the Western Front Association (W.F.A.) and other organisations regarding our grave concerns about the proposed fate of the Great War Medal Index Cards. We are very pleased to inform you that the W.F.A. has today posted the following announcement on its web site. <quote> WFA granted custodianship of the mens Medal Index Cards Thursday, 12th May 2005, from Bruce Simpson The Western Front Association is pleased to announce that following negotiations with the Lord Chancellor's Department, the National Archives, and the Ministry of Defence, we have been granted custodianship of the Great War Medal Index Cards.* The Cards are now in the possession of the W.FA. and have been moved to a secure storage facility. Due the current condition of the cards and the filing cabinets, our next step is to provide new storage cabinets, and under the direction of archivists manage the cleaning of the archive. To secure the long term future for the cards we will need to raise funds for the administration and long term care of them. Once the funds have been raised we will endeavour to digitally copy the reverse side of the cards that hold correspondence details-approximately 5% of the cards. We will also be seeking a permanent home for this valuable archive. This is an exciting project for the W.F.A. in our 25th Anniversary year; we would ask people to bear with us as we work to secure the future of these historical and important documents. Bruce Simpson Chairman, the Western Front Association *The women's cards have been given to the Imperial War Museum. <unquote> Our Director of Archives Liaison and our Director of Projects will continue to liaise with the W.F.A. and others to help ensure the success of this project. Geoff Riggs, Director of Computer & Internet Facilities, Federation of Family History Societies, -- News message 65 from the Federation of Family History Societies To unsubscribe, e-mail: ffhs-news-unsubscribe@maillist.ox.ac.uk To report problems, email: ffhs-news-owner@maillist.ox.ac.uk