Yes, this information should be saved for us and future genealogists researching their families..... At 02:19 PM 13/03/2005, you wrote: >Forwarded from another list but I feel is of importance to all family >historians, please read and email the address below if you feel the need >to save the records. >Carol >www.wakefieldfhs.org.uk >Wakefield Family History Sharing > > >Added by John Ferguson on 13/03/2005 08:20:52 >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 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 Do it now - the records are due to be destroyed in April >Garrick Webster, >Editor, Your Family Tree' yfted@futurenet.co.uk > >==== MORAY Mailing List ==== >Please do not send virus warnings to this list. If you have concerns >about a virus, contact the list admin at MORAY-D-request@rootsweb.com or >join VIRUS-DISCUSSIONS-L@rootsweb.com subscribe in the subject line. > >============================== >Search Family and Local Histories for stories about your family and the >areas they lived. Over 85 million names added in the last 12 months. >Learn more: http://www.ancestry.com/s13966/rd.ashx >

Hi Carol, We have sent an impassioned plea to the yfted@futurenet.co.uk link about retaining the WW1 Medal Cards. You might like to know that I addressed the letter to "The Rt Hon G Hoon" My spell checker suggested that "Rt" should be replaced by "Rat". Who says Microsoft doesn't have a sense of irony? Sheena Hennessy PS Thanks for sending the message to us all.

Thanks Ray, Your spell checker has a good sense of humour !! On a personal note, I think it a little on the 'silly' side that the MOD only copied one side of the cards - surely the whole idea is to copy the whole thing for safe keeping and ensuring the original remains in as good a condition as it was when copied. Has the world gone mad ? Leeds Council has just paid £7,500 for 21 foot of cycle road, when for years people have dismounted crossed the road and as they saying goes 'got on their bikes' again. Well, thats my five penneth ! Carol Admin Moray Mailing List www.wakefieldfhs.org.uk/morayweb ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ray Hennessy" <ray@whatsinaname.net> To: <MORAY-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, March 14, 2005 12:15 AM Subject: Re: [MORAY] WW1 Medal Records > Hi Carol, > > We have sent an impassioned plea to the > yfted@futurenet.co.uk > link about retaining the WW1 Medal Cards. > > You might like to know that I addressed the letter to > > "The Rt Hon G Hoon" > > My spell checker suggested that "Rt" should be replaced by "Rat". > > Who says Microsoft doesn't have a sense of irony? > > Sheena Hennessy > > PS Thanks for sending the message to us all. > > > > ==== MORAY Mailing List ==== > MORAY OPR's. The OPR's for the Moray area are now starting to be > transcribed and volunteers are needed. Would anyone interested in > transcribing the OPR's for our area please contact me via my usual email > address or visit the Moray Rootsweb pages and contact me via the mailing > list Admin. > > ============================== > Search Family and Local Histories for stories about your family and the > areas they lived. Over 85 million names added in the last 12 months. > Learn more: http://www.ancestry.com/s13966/rd.ashx > >