This came to my attention through other rootsweb mailing lists and thought it important enough to pass on Elaine >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 > > _________________________________________________________________ Want to block unwanted pop-ups? Download the free MSN Toolbar now! http://toolbar.msn.co.uk/