Sometimes I am asked if it is possible to research topics that are best described as “Miscellaneous”. That is to say that they are not related to directly researching a specific individual (military genealogy) or a specific military operation.
Such topics have included:
- The development of gas warfare during the First World War and the testing of such gases on both animals and humans.
- An owner of a World War 2 Dakota aircraft asked for its history to be researched. It had some battle damage which had been period repaired. It was discovered that this particular Dakota was used for glider recovery and many of its operations were traced.
- Inside the cockpit of a British World War 2 fighter aircraft there was a plaque stating that the aircraft had been used in combat. The plaque said that the aircraft was credited with some specified “kills” and it gave the pilots’ names (and their squadrons). These claims were researched but not all of them were substantiated.
- Another example was the development of the (water) transport system in Mesopotamia during World War 1. This transport system was critical to the British campaign and without it the campaign would have failed.
- After the end of World War 2 many Jewish people tried to emigrate via passenger ships to what is now Israel but at the time it was British Controlled Palestine. The British Government placed several Royal Navy (RN) ships off the coast of Palestine to prevent the disembarkation of the Jews and the RN effectively blockaded the coast. The communications traffic between the RN ships, the passenger ships and the British Government was investigated. Rather surprisingly the RN ships were given orders to fire on the Jewish passenger ships if deemed necessary!
- A North America based Museum had some British Army uniforms that they knew belong to a 1930s / 1940s British Army officer. The Museum wished to have the uniforms attributed to the original wearer. Usually most British Army officers’ tunics have a tailor’s label with the tailor’s and the officer’s details. Sadly, in this case this the labels were missing but by careful study of the insignia and the medal ribbons it was possible to identify the original owner.
- War Crimes Trials – I have investigated several of the War Crimes Trials that were held after the end of the Second World War. One notable example was a senior German General who was being extradited for War Crimes. There was (is) a very interesting story regarding the General’s Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords. The General passed this medal to a British officer as he was being extradited because the General felt he would never return alive. The General did indeed die as a prisoner some 9 years after the end of the war. The British officer kept this medal for a long time but always felt he wanted to return the medal to the General’s family knowing that the General died as a prisoner. After many decades the British officer contacted the German Embassy (in the UK) and he handed the medal back to the General’s family. It is believed that the family loaned or passed this exceptional medal to a military museum in Germany.