Please note that this website is now being only occasionally updated.
‘TACA DRUM’ BLOG POST: THE ARMY SCHOOLS’ CERTIFICATES OF ELSIE AND FLORENCE PARISH
Pauline Rowley has generously donated to TACA six Army Schools’ achievement certificates that were awarded to Elsie and Florence Parish in Gibraltar between 1912 and 1914, and we are most grateful to her. Click here to see the certificates, and for an outline of Elsie and Florence Parish’s lives.
PREVIOUSLY ON TACA LATEST . . .
PICTURE: THE GRAVE OF ELIZABETH FRANCES HAMMOND (B. & D.1854), ST MARY THE VIRGIN CHURCHYARD, DOVER, KENT
For Stewart May's photograph of baby Hammond's grave in St Mary the Virgin Churchyard in Dover, Kent, click here.
BOOK: CONCORDIA: THE WINDSOR SCHOOLS, HAMM, 1953–1983
Click here for information about Stephen Green's e-book Concordia, aa history of the Windsor Schools in Hamm, West Germany.
PERSONAL STORY: GEOFF JORDAN’S LIFE AS AN ARMY CHILD
Click here for Geoff Jordan’s post on his experiences as an army child between 1950 and 1972.
PICTURE: THE GRAVE OF TYRONE HICKEY (1959–64), SPRING LANE CEMETERY, HYTHE, KENT
Click here to see Stewart May's photograph of the grave of Tyrone Hickey.
‘SCHOOL IS EVERYWHERE’, AN INSTRUCTIONAL FILM, 1965
For the link to a film made to introduce new teachers to the army schools run by the British Families Education Service (BFES) during the 1960s, click here.
PICTURE: THE GRAVE OF JAMES MONDS (1874–75), SHORNCLIFFE MILITARY CEMETERY, KENT
To view James Monds' headstone, click here.
PICTURE: THE GRAVE OF ELIZABETH HOOTON (1876–83), SHORNCLIFFE MILITARY CEMETERY, KENT
Click here to see Elizabeth Hooton's grave marker and for a little about her family.
FORGOTTEN FACES: AN ARGYLL AND SUTHERLAND HIGHLANDER'S FAMILY, 1907–11
For a family photograph of a Scottish soldier and his family, click here.
PICTURE: ROYAL ARTILLERY MARRIED QUARTERS, PEMBROKE DOCK, WALES
To view a postcard showing Royal Artillery married quarters at Belle View, Pembroke Dock, click here.
PICTURE: THE GRAVE OF CAPTAIN LEONARD HARRY LEE (1890–1917), SHORNCLIFFE MILITARY CEMETERY, KENT
To see Stewart May's photograph of Captain Leonard Harry Lee's headstone, click here.
FORGOTTEN FACES: AN ARMY FAMILY, AND THEIR DOG, PICTURED DURING WORLD WAR II
For a snapshot of an army family dating from the start of World War II, click here.
PICTURE: BRIGADE SCHOOLS, NORTH CAMP, FARNBOROUGH, HAMPSHIRE
To view an early twentieth-century postcard of the Brigade Schools in Farnborough's North Camp, click here.
PICTURE: A MULTIVIEW POSTCARD OF KLEEFELD, (WEST) GERMANY, 1950S
Click here to see a black-and-white postcard showing British Army locations in Kleefeld.
FORGOTTEN FACES: A CORPORAL AND HIS FAMILY, SOUTH AFRICA, 1870S
For a photograph of a large army family photographed in South Africa, click here.
PICTURE: MARRIED SOLDIERS’ QUARTERS, UNKNOWN LOCATION, C.1910
To view a photographic postcard of a three-story block of ‘married soldiers’ quarters’, click here.
PICTURES FROM THE READ FAMILY ALBUM OF ABBASSIA, CAIRO, EGYPT, 1920S, AND A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION
Click here to see some of Simon Burgess's photographs from his great-grandparents' family album.
FORGOTTEN FACES: AN ARMY CORPORAL AND HIS FAMILY, 1920S
To see a photograph of a corporal and his wife and daughter, click here.
PICTURE: THE GRAVE OF BESSIE KATHLEEN MAUD JOHNSON (1910–19), CHARLTON CEMETERY, DOVER, KENT
For Stewart May's photograph of the grave of nine-year-old Bessie Kathleen Maud Johnson, click here.
CHRISTMAS MENU, SAVOY HOSTEL, SINGAPORE, 1967
For a Christmas Day menu produced in 1967 by the Savoy Hostel in Singapore, click here.
THE FAMILY GUIDE TO THE FAR EAST, 1950S
Click here to see details of a booklet produced by the War Office entitled The Family Guide to the Far East dating from between 1952 and 1955.
PICTURE: MARRIED QUARTERS IN WOOLWICH, LONDON, 1875
To view an illustration of married quarters in Woolwich during the time of an epidemic, click here.
FORGOTTEN FACES: AN ARMY FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHED BY A CHALFONT-ST-PETER PHOTOGRAPHER, 1940S
For a snapshot of an army family pictured on the move during the 1940s, click here.
PICTURES: ARMY CHILDREN’S GRAVES IN SHORNCLIFFE MILITARY CEMETERY, FOLKESTONE, KENT
Click here to see Stewart May's photographs of army children’s headstones in Shorncliffe Military Cemetery, Folkestone, Kent.
PICTURE: THE HEADSTONE OF EDWARD VAUGHTON PENNEFATHER (1896–1938), NEW ROMNEY CEMETERY, KENT
To see a photograph of Edward Vaughton Pennefather's gravestone in New Romney Cemetery, Kent, click here.
PICTURE: THE GRAVE OF SISTERS MARGARET AND JOHANNA SPRUTLAN, NORTH BARRACKS CEMETERY, DEAL, KENT
For a photograph of the grave of army-children Margaret and Johanna Sprutlan in North Barracks Cemetery, Deal, Kent, click here.
PICTURE: THE GRAVE OF JEAN BIGDEN (1939–41) AND HER PARENTS, MANOR ROAD CEMETERY, SCARBOROUGH, NORTH YORKSHIRE
To see a photograph of the grave of army-child Jean Bigden and her parents, Lance Corporal William Joseph Bigden and Ethel Eileen Bigden, click here.
FORGOTTEN FACES: A SERGEANT’S FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHED IN ROCHESTER, KENT, 1890S
Click here to see a photograph of an army family pictured in Rochester, Kent.
PICTURE: A CHURCH PARADE OUTSIDE ALL SAINTS CHURCH, ALDERSHOT, HAMPSHIRE, C.1908
For a postcard showing a church parade outside All Saints Church (also known as the Royal Garrison Church of All Saints) in Aldershot, click here.
FORGOTTEN FACES: AN EXTENDED ARMY FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHED IN GREAT YARMOUTH, NORFOLK, C.1905
To see a photograph of a sergeant in the hussars and his family, click here.
PICTURE: MARRIED QUARTERS, SHOEBURYNESS, ESSEX
Click here to see a postcard showing army children outside married quarters in Shoeburyness, Essex.
FORGOTTEN FACES: A RAJ-ERA 5TH DRAGOON GUARDS’ ARMY FAMILY, C.1900
For a photograph of an army family and a male servant in Raj-era India, click here.
PICTURE: MARRIED QUARTERS, NEW BARRACKS, GOSPORT, HAMPSHIRE
To view a postcard showing married quarters in New Barracks, Gosport, Hampshire, which was mailed in 1917, click here.
FORGOTTEN FACES: AN ARTILLERY SERGEANT’S FAMILY, 1890S
Click here to see a photograph of a late nineteenth-century army family of five.
PICTURE: MARRIED QUARTERS, SHOEBURYNESS, ESSEX
To see a postcard on which married quarters in the Shoeburyness, Essex, are depicted, click here.
FORGOTTEN FACES: A SERGEANT’S FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHED IN RIPON, WEST RIDING OF YORKSHIRE, 1940S
For an army child’s commemorative christening photograph, click here.
PICTURE: MARRIED QUARTERS, SHOEBURYNESS, ESSEX
Click here to see a postcard showing married quarters at the east end of Shoeburyness, a garrison town in Essex.
FORGOTTEN FACES: A MYSTERY ARMY FAMILY, C. EARLY 1900S
To view a photograph of an unknown army family photographed in the early 1900s, click here.
PICTURE: A MULTIVIEW POSTCARD OF DORTMUND, (WEST) GERMANY, 1970S
For a multiview postcard sending Gruß aus Dortmund, or ‘Greetings from Dortmund’, click here.
FORGOTTEN FACES: A VICTORIAN ARMY FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHED ABROAD, 1880S
Click here for a photograph of an army sergeant and his family dating from the 1880s.
PICTURE: ‘DISMANTLING OLD R.E. MARRIED QUARTERS’, 3 OCTOBER 1929
To see a photograph of a working party of Royal Engineers demolishing some married quarters, click here.
FORGOTTEN FACES: AN ARMY FAMILY SNAPPED DURING WORLD WAR II
For a photograph of an army child and her parents pictured during the late 1930s or early 1940s, click here.
FORGOTTEN FACES: A RAJ-ERA ARMY FAMILY IN INDIA
Click here for a photograph of an army family and their Indian employees dating from the 1890s or 1900s.
PERSONAL STORY: ‘WE CONSIDERED MALAYSIA TO BE OUR FAVOURITE POSTING’
To view photographs of Gary Stephen’s family’s when posted to Malaysia between 1968 and 1970, click here.
PERSONAL STORY: WE ‘MILITARY BRATS’ IN MALTA, 1965–67
Click here to see photographs from Gary Stephen’s family album of mid-1960s’ Malta.
PICTURE: ARMY-CHILD DIANE BRADBURY, TRAFALGAR SQUARE, LONDON, 1942/43
To see a photograph of Diane Kerwin (née Bradbury) as a child selling flags on behalf of Princess Elizabeth’s Day, click here.
PICTURES: ARMY CHILDREN’S GRAVES AT ST MARTIN OF TOURS CHURCH, GUSTON, DOVER, KENT
For Stewart May’s photographs of the graves of pupils at the Duke of York’s Royal Military School in Dover, click here.
PERSONAL STORY: MY LIFE AS AN ARMY BRAT IN LARKHILL, WILTSHIRE, AS WELL AS IN HONG KONG AND GERMANY
To read Barry Hartfield’s memories of his army childhood, click here.
PICTURES: ARMY CHILDREN’S GRAVES IN ST JAMES’S CEMETERY, DOVER, KENT
Click here to see photographs of three memorials to army children in St James’s Cemetery, Dover.
FORGOTTEN FACES: AN ARMY FAMILY PICTURED IN FRONT OF MARRIED QUARTERS, C.1900
To see a photograph of an army family, and their dog, photographed in around 1900, click here.
PICTURE: MARRIED QUARTERS IN INDIA, 1930S
For a photograph showing women, children and dogs outside some married quarters in India, click here.
FORGOTTEN FACES: A QUARTERMASTER-SERGEANT AND HIS FAMILY, C.1895
Click here for a photograph of two army children and their parents.
PICTURE: RINTELN, LOWER SAXONY, GERMANY
To view a colour postcard showing an aerial view of Rinteln, click here.
FORGOTTEN FACES: A SERGEANT-MAJOR’S FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHED IN DORCHESTER, DORSET, C.1937–41
To see a black-and-white photograph of a sergeant major and his family photographed by H P Webber of Dorchester, click here.
PICTURE: MARRIED QUARTERS, PEMBROKE CAMP, MALTA
For a view of some married quarters at Pembroke Camp, Malta, click here.
FORGOTTEN FACES: A SERGEANT AND HIS FAMILY, C.1900
Click here to see an army family’s christening photograph dating from around 1900.
PICTURE: MARRIED QUARTERS, TIDWORTH, WILTSHIRE, 1918–19
For a black-and-white postcard depicting married quarters in Candahar Barracks, Tidworth, click here.
FORGOTTEN FACES: AN EDWARDIAN LANCE CORPORAL AND HIS FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHED IN KENT, C.1906
To view a photograph of a lance corporal, his wife, daughters and dog, click here.
PICTURE: JUTOGH CANTONMENT BAZAAR, INDIA
Click here for a Raj-era postcard of Jutogh Cantonment Bazaar.
FORGOTTEN FACES: A SERGEANT IN THE ROYAL ENGINEERS AND HIS FAMILY, 1890S
For a studio portrait of a late nineteenth-century army family, click here.
PICTURE: THE GRAVE OF WILLIAM LANDSLEY (1843–45), GOLDENBRIDGE CEMETERY, DUBLIN, IRELAND
To see a photograph of the grave of the son of Thomas Landsley, who was a colour sergeant in the 83rd Regiment of Foot, click here.
ARTICLE: ‘LESSONS FOR THE ARMY’S BACK-ROOM BRIGADE’, 1956
Click here to read an article about army children in Berlin in 1956.
MARRIED QUARTERS, SHORNCLIFFE CAMP, KENT
For an early twentieth-century a view of some married quarters at Shorncliffe, click here.
FORGOTTEN FACES: AN ARMY FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHED IN BANGALORE, INDIA, C.1920S
To see a photograph of an army family named Beat, Doll and Doug, click here.
PICTURE: THE GRAVE OF MABEL AGNES MASON (C.1888–90), PIETA MILITARY CEMETERY, MALTA
Click here to see and read about Mabel Agnes Mason’s grave.
PICTURE: MÜNSTER, NORTH-RHINE WESTPHALIA, GERMANY, 1970S
For a multiview postcard of Münster, in Germany, where army families were stationed until 2013, click here.
FORGOTTEN FACES: THE SAYERS FAMILY, WOOLWICH, LATE 1900S
For a photograph of the Sayers, a Victorian army family photographed in London, click here.
PICTURE: ‘STD 3, GARRISON SCHOOL, 1ST GUARDS’ BRIGADE, ALDERSHOT’, HAMPSHIRE, NOVEMBER 1911
Click here to see a class photograph of the Garrison School, Aldershot, dating from 1911.
PICTURE: THE MILITARY HOSPITAL, HONG KONG
To view an old colour postcard of BMH Hong Kong, click here.
FORGOTTEN FACES: AN ARMY FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHED ABROAD BETWEEN THE WARS
For a photograph of a sergeant’s family photographed abroad in the 1920s or 1930s, click here.
PERSONAL STORY: ‘REMEMBERING MY SISTERS, MY PARENTS’ DARLING TWIN DAUGHTERS’
Click here to read Janet Turner’s sad account of her twin sisters’ short lives.
‘TACA DRUM’ BLOG POST: THE JONES OF WELSHPOOL: IDENTIFYING A FIRST WORLD WAR FAMILY
To read how the Shropshire Star helped to identify a First World War family, click here.
PERSONAL STORY: ‘IT’S TRUE, I FAILED THE ELEVEN PLUS BECAUSE I NEVER WENT TO ANY SCHOOL FOR LONG ENOUGH!’
Click here to read Christopher Smith’s memories of his army childhood and education in Germany, Cyprus and England.
FORGOTTEN FACES: A LANCE CORPORAL’S FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHED IN A FOREIGN SETTING, C.1905
For a photograph of a lance corporal and his family portrayed abroad, click here.
PICTURE: A RENTED TWENTIETH-CENTURY ROYAL SIGNALS’ MARRIED QUARTER IN BAOR
Click here for a black-and-white photograph of a German block of flats including one rented to a Royal Signals’ family.
FORGOTTEN FACES: A SEPARATED ARMY FAMILY, 1940S
To view a composite postcard of a separated army family, click here.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: ‘SUPER DE-LUXE CARAVANS’ ESTABLISHED AS MARRIED QUARTERS IN VERDEN, (WEST) GERMANY, 1962
To read an article about the caravans established as married quarters in Verden and elsewhere in (West) Germany during the 1960s, click here.
PICTURE: ROYAL VICTORIA HOSPITAL, NETLEY, HAMPSHIRE
Click here to see a postcard of the Royal Victoria Hospital, Netley, that was mailed in 1906.
PICTURE: ONE OF 200 CARAVANS BOUGHT BY THE ARMY TO SERVE AS MARRIED QUARTERS IN (WEST) GERMANY, 1961
To see a photograph of one of the caravans ordered to relieve a shortage of married quarters in Germany during the 1960s, click here.
FORGOTTEN FACES: AN ARMY FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHED IN BASINGSTOKE, HAMPSHIRE, C.1900–10
For a cabinet print of an early twentieth-century army family pictured in Basingstoke, click here.
PERSONAL STORY: AN ARMY CHILDHOOD SPENT IN LONDON, HONG KONG, KENYA AND (WEST) GERMANY
To read about Stewart May’s army childhood, from 1948 until the 1960s, click here.
MAGAZINE ARTICLE: ‘SERJEANT NYLAND’S SONS SAIL TO A NEW HOME’, FEBRUARY 1948
Click here to read a story in Soldier magazine about the reuniting of an army family in 1948.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: LOCATING AND RECORDING TWO ARMY CHILDREN’S GRAVES IN DOVER, KENT
For details of Eva Mary Lorna Beecraft and Mary Clara Popplestone’s graves in Dover, Kent, click here.
PICTURE: MARRIED QUARTERS, STATION ROAD, BORDON, HAMPSHIRE
Click here to view an early black-and-white photograph of some married quarters in Bordon, Hampshire.
FORGOTTEN FACES: AN ARMY CHILD’S CHRISTENING, C.1910
For a picture of an army family photographed to mark a baby’s christening, click here.
PICTURE: BFES INFANT SCHOOL, LIPPSTADT, (WEST) GERMANY, 1969. (ONE FROM CLARE’S FAMILY ALBUM TO MARK TACA’S TENTH ANNIVERSARY)
To see an infants’ class photograph taken in autumn 1969 at the British Families Education Service (BFES) infant school in Lippstadt, (West) Germany, click here.
PICTURE: NORTH CAMP BRIGADE SCHOOL, FARNBOROUGH, HAMPSHIRE, 1905
Click here for a colour postcard of the North Camp Brigade School in Farnborough, Hampshire, mailed in 1906.
PICTURE: MARRIED QUARTERS, REDFORD BARRACKS, COLINTON, EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND
To view a postcard of ‘The married quarters, Redford Barracks, Colinton, Edinburgh’, click here.
FORGOTTEN FACES: A BOMBARDIER’S FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHED IN WALMER, KENT, 1910S
For a photograph of a Royal Artillery corporal with his wife and child, click here.
PICTURE: THE ROYAL HIBERNIAN MILITARY SCHOOL, DUBLIN, IRELAND
Click here to see a postcard of the Royal Hibernian Military School in Dublin, Ireland, and pupils, that was mailed in 1911.
PICTURE: WARRANT OFFICERS’ MARRIED QUARTERS, TIDWORTH BARRACKS, WILTSHIRE
To see a photograph of a row of warrant officiers’ married quarters at Tidworth Barracks, Wiltshire, click here.
FORGOTTEN FACES: A SAILOR-SUITED ARMY CHILD AND HIS FAMILY, C.1895
To view a photograph of an army child and his family dating from the mid-1890s, click here.
PICTURE: ENTRANCE TO THE DUKE OF YORK’S ROYAL MILITARY SCHOOL, DOVER, KENT, 1930S
Click here for a view of the Duke of York’s Royal Military School in Dover.
PICTURE: ISERLOHN, (WEST) GERMANY, ERSTWHILE LOCATION OF BMH ISERLOHN
For a postcard displaying views of Iserlohn, once home to the British Military Hospital (BMH) Iserlohn, and information about births there, click here.
FORGOTTEN FACES: ARMY CHILD FREDDIE HAYHURST AND HIS PARENTS, C.1905
To view a photograph of baby Freddie Hayhurst and his family, click here.
THE CORNFORDS: A FIRST WORLD WAR ARMY FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHED IN JUNE 1918 IN BEXHILL
Click here to see a photograph of the Cornford family pictured in June 1918 in Bexhill, East Sussex, which was donated to TACA by Mick Cornford.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: FINDING PROOF OF A BIRTH IN THE BRITISH MILITARY HOSPITAL RANIKHET, INDIA, 1913
To read how Jolene Warren tracked down a record of Mervyn Bernard Fernandez’s birth, click here.
PICTURE: BFES PRIMARY BOARDING SCHOOL BRUNSWICK, (WEST) GERMANY, C.1950
Click here to see Sheila Walker’s class photo dating from around 1950.
PICTURE: ST ANDREW’S SCHOOL, RHEINDAHLEN, (WEST) GERMANY
For a postcard showing St Andrew’s School in Rheindahlen, (West) Germany, in around 1970, click here.
FORGOTTEN FACES: A TWENTIETH-CENTURY ARMY FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHED IN BATH, SOMERSET
To view a photograph of an army family of five pictured in Bath between the wars, click here.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: WAS MY SPANISH-BORN, WELSH-SPEAKING ANCESTOR AN ARMY CHILD?
Click here to read about MH’s quest to establish whether her nineteenth-century ancestor was an army child.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: INFORMATION SOUGHT ON SINGAPORE’S POLIO EPIDEMIC, C.1955–58
For details of Margaret Cutbush’s call for help in learning more about a polio epidemic in Singapore, click here.
PERSONAL STORY: MY ARMY CHILDHOOD IN JERUSALEM AND CYPRUS
To read Robert Henderson’s recollections of growing up in Jerusalem, Egypt and Cyprus during the 1940s and early 1950s, click here.
PICTURE: THE GRAVESTONE OF MARTHA PRISCILLA WADE (1842–51), ARBOUR HILL CEMETERY, DUBLIN, IRELAND, AND THE WADE FAMILY
Click here to see the headstone of army child Martha Priscilla Wade and to read more about her family.
REVIEW: WHO WAS SAPPER BROWN? REMEMBERING BRITISH MILITARY BURIALS IN CYPRUS
Click here to read a review of Who was Sapper Brown? Remembering British Military Burials in Cyprus, a book by Colonel David Vassallo commemorating British and Commonwealth serving military personnel and their dependants buried in the cemeteries on Cyprus from 1878 to date.
FORGOTTEN FACES: ‘THE DAUNTLESS THREE’, 1907
To view a photograph of an army family pictured in February 1907, click here.
PICTURE: AN EARLY TWENTIETH-CENTURY POSTCARD WITH VIEWS OF MHOW, INDIA
For a multiview postcard of Mhow dating from the early twentieth century, click here.
PICTURE: GUADALOUPE MARRIED QUARTERS, BORDEN, HAMPSHIRE
Click here to see a black-and-white postcard showing some of the married quarters of Guadaloupe Barracks in Bordon, Hampshire, in around 1913.
FORGOTTEN FACES: A FARRIER SERGEANT’S FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHED IN YORK, C.1870
To view a portrait of an army family photographed in York in around 1870, click here.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: DOCUMENTING BRITISH ARMY CHILDREN’S EXPERIENCES OF VERDEN, GERMANY, 1945–93 – AN UPDATE
For an update on Anca’s research into the history of the former German garrison town of Verden, Germany, click here.
‘TACA DRUM’ BLOG POST: THE BALLS OF BEXHILL: IDENTIFYING A FIRST WORLD WAR FAMILY
To learn how the family pictured in the hundred-and-fifty-seventh photograph in our ‘The Army Children of the First World War: Faces and Families’ album was identified, click here.
PICTURE: KLAGENFURT, AUSTRIA
To view a postcard showing a view of Klagenfurt, headquarters of British Troops in Austria (BTA) from 1945 to 1955, click here.
PICTURE: QUEEN’S SCHOOL, RHEINDAHLEN, GERMANY
Click here to see a postcard of Queen’s School, a secondary school in Rheindahlen, Germany.
FORGOTTEN FACES: AN ARMY FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHED BETWEEN THE WARS IN MULTAN, INDIA
For a photograph of a twentieth-century British army family photographed in Multan, India (now in Pakistan), click here.
PICTURE: REGIMENTAL MARRIED QUARTERS, NASIRABAD, INDIA
To view a Raj-era black-and-white photograph of some regimental married quarters in Nasirabad, central India, click here.
ARMY CHILDREN’S GRAVES AT THE MILITARY CEMETERY, KING’S ISLAND, LIMERICK, IRELAND
Click here for details of some of the army children’s graves within the Military Cemetery on King’s Island, Limerick, in Ireland.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: DID YOUR ARMY-CHILD ANCESTOR ATTEND THE GARRISON SCHOOL AT RICHMOND BARRACKS, DUBLIN, IRELAND?
The Richmond Barracks Exhibition Centre in Dublin, Ireland, would like to learn more about the one-time garrison school there. Click here for further details.
PICTURE: THE GRAVE OF ARMY-CHILD MARTHA TUCKWELL (1833–36), GOLDENBRIDGE CEMETERY, DUBLIN, IRELAND
Click here to see Catherine Neville’s photograph of army-child Martha Tuckwell’s gravestone in Goldenbridge Cemetery, Dublin, Ireland.
‘‘IF FATHER’S GONE, KEEP SMILING’ – CONSIDERING THE CHILDREN OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR’: A GUEST BLOG POST FOR EUROPEANA 1914–1918
For information about TACA’s guest blog post for Europeana 1914–1918, click here.
FORGOTTEN FACES: A SERGEANT’S FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHED IN WOOLWICH, LONDON, MID-1860S OR 1870S
To view a photograph of a Victorian British Army sergeant, his wife and three children that was produced in Woolwich in the mid-1860s or 1870s, click here.
PICTURE: MARRIED QUARTERS AND SERGEANTS’ MESS, TIDWORTH, WILTSHIRE
Click here to view a photograph of the married quarters alongside the sergeants’ mess at Tidworth, in Wiltshire, in the early twentieth century.
BOOKS: SHAKESPEARE IN TROUBLE AND FIRE, BURN! AN ‘ARMY BRAT’S’ GRIPPING HISTORICAL THRILLERS
To read about army-brat Chris Crowcroft’s historical thrillers, Shakespeare in Trouble and Fire, Burn!, click here.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: ‘WAS THE TIME THAT I SPENT AT A CAMP IN ANLABY, HULL, IN THE 1950S A FIGMENT OF MY IMAGINATION?’
Click here to read more about the camp that Robert Mauldon and his family lived in for a short period in 1952 or 1953.
PERSONAL STORY: ‘KHAKI SUNSET: THE TRANSITION FROM ARMY LIFE TO CIVVY STREET’
For army child and wife Trish Bailey’s reflections on swapping army for civilian life, click here.
PICTURES: AN ‘HONORARY ARMY CHILD’S’ PHOTOGRAPHS OF ASPECTS OF AN ARMY CHILDHOOD IN HAMBURG, (WEST) GERMANY, EARLY 1950S
To see Horst Schlüter’s 1950s’ photographs of his class at the British School Hamburg and of an army children’s Christmas party in the same city, click here.
PERSONAL STORY: CONTRASTING CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES OF JOHOR BAHRU, MALAYA, AND NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, 1950S
To read Trish Bailey’s memories of her family’s postings to Malaya and Newcastle, click here.
PERSONAL STORY: FROM ARMY CHILD TO SERVICEWOMAN TO ARMY WIFE AND MOTHER
Click here to read about army-child Lynne Copping’s experiences as a servicewoman and army wife.
PERSONAL STORY: MY ARMY CHILDHOOD IN EGYPT, THE UK AND SINGAPORE
For Lynne Copping’s account of her service-family background and army childhood, click here.
IN MEMORIAM: ART COCKERILL (1929–2016)
To read Chris Crowcroft’s obituary of Art Cockerill, click here.
PICTURE: DETAIL FROM A ‘SERVICE SCHOOLS’ EXERCISE BOOK, 1970S
Click here to see the front of a music exercise book used at a primary school in (West) Germany during the early to mid-1970s.
PICTURE: MARRIED QUARTERS, HAMILTON, SCOTLAND
For a postcard dating from the early 1900s showing a view of some married quarters in Hamilton, Scotland, click here.
FORGOTTEN FACES: FREDERICK JOSEPH AND HIS SOLDIER–FATHER, AN EARLY TWENTIETH-CENTURY PHOTOGRAPH
To view a photograph of a small boy named Frederick Joseph and his soldier–father, click here.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: ‘DO YOU HAVE MEMORIES OF ATTENDING SCHOOLS IN LOVEDALE (INDIA), LAGOS (NIGERIA) AND CATTERICK CAMP (NORTH YORKSHIRE) WHEN MY FATHER AND I DID?’
To read about Margaret Charlton’s (née Richardson’s) quest to find anyone who knew her or her father during their schooldays, click here.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: PINPOINTING THE POSITION OF THE ERSTWHILE ARMY SCHOOL IN HANNOVER, GERMANY
For Mark Fynn’s location of the now-demolished army school in Hannover/Hanover, Germany, click here.
PICTURE: LORD, THY WILL BE DONE, 1855, BY PHILIP HERMOGENES CALDERON
To view Philip Hermogenes Calderon’s painting of 1855 entitled Lord, Thy Will Be Done, click here.
TACA DRUM’ BLOG POST: SEEK AND YE SHALL FIND: IDENTIFYING A FIRST WORLD WAR SOLDIER’S FAMILY
Click here to learn how the subjects of the hundred-and-twenty-fourth photograph in ‘The Army Children of the First World War: Faces and Families’ album were identified.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: ‘WHILE AT MISS SEED’S SCHOOL IN ALDERSHOT, WE WERE KNOWN AS “SEEDLINGS”’
To read Katrina Luddington’s recollections of Miss Seed’s School in Aldershot, Hampshire, click here.
FORGOTTEN FACES: A LANCE-CORPORAL’S FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHED IN SHEERNESS-ON-SEA, KENT
For a photograph of a lance-corporal, his wife, and their baby, produced by a studio in Sheerness-on-Sea, Kent, at around the start of the twentieth century, click here.
FAMILY-HISTORY RESEARCH: AN ARMY CHILD BORN AT SEA AND THE CARTER FAMILY, NINETEENTH-CENTURY SOLDIERS WITH LINKS TO ST HELENA
Click here to read about one-time army child John Malcolm Carter, who was born on a troopship in 1835 and grew up to have a fascinating military career.
PICTURE: MARRIED QUARTERS, ‘Q’ LINES, CATTERICK CAMP, NORTH YORKSHIRE
To view a postcard showing twentieth-century married quarters in ‘Q’ Lines, Catterick Camp, click here.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: HELP REQUESTED IN RESEARCHING THE CHILDREN OF CHARLES BRIGHTWELL, 35TH (ROYAL SUSSEX) REGIMENT
For details of Christine Trehane’s quest to discover more about an ancestral soldier’s family, click here.
PERSONAL STORY: MEMORIES OF DHARAN CANTONMENT, NEPAL, 1979–80
To read Nancy Johnston’s family memories of a year based in Dharan Cantonment, Nepal, click here.
PICTURE: MARRIED QUARTERS, JELLALABAD BARRACKS, TIDWORTH, WILTSHIRE
Click here to see a postcard displaying a view of married quarters at Tidworth, Wiltshire.
PICTURE: ‘FORMING FOURS’, A LINK BETWEEN SQUARE-BASHING SOLDIER–FATHERS AND QUADRUPLET ARMY CHILDREN?
For Reg Maurice’s postcard linking quadruplet army children and their soldier–fathers, click here.
FORGOTTEN FACES: A VICTORIAN ARMY FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHED IN CHATHAM, KENT
To view a photograph of a Victorian army family photographed in Chatham, Kent, click here.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: WERE MISS SEED OF MALTA AND MISS SEED OF ALDERSHOT ONE AND THE SAME?
Click here to read Myfanwy Morgan’s query about a teacher at an army school in Malta.
PICTURE: L'ENFANT DU RÉGIMENT, 1854 TO 1855, BY JOHN EVERETT MILLAIS
To see John Everett Millais’ L’Enfant du Régiment, and to read a little about the painting, click here.
‘I AM VERY PROUD OF MY SILKS AND THE FAMILY STORY BEHIND THEM’
Click here to see Jacqueline MacDonald’s ‘silks’, and to read about the family history behind her First World War mementoes.
FORGOTTEN FACES: AN ARMY FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHED IN 1906
To see a photograph of a corporal and his family taken at Whitsuntide in 1906, click here.
PICTURES: TROOPSHIP TIPS, BOAC TICKETS AND TRAVELLING TO AND FROM TRIPOLI, LIBYA, 1950S
For Barbara Rayner’s travel memorabilia from the 1950s, click here.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: UNANSWERED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE ARMSTRONGS, A LATE-NINETEENTH-CENTURY ARMY FAMILY
To view photographs of Josephine Dunn’s nineteenth-century army family, and to read about her quest to discover more about her family history, click here.
PICTURES: TWO SWIMMING CERTIFICATES AWARDED IN SEREMBAN, MALAYSIA, IN 1968 AND 1969
Click here to view Christ Fowler’s 50 and 100 yards swimming certificates.
PICTURE: A DORMITORY AT THE DUKE OF YORK’S ROYAL MILITARY SCHOOL, CHELSEA, BEFORE 1909
For a postcard showing a boy’s dormitory at the Duke of York’s Royal Military School when it was based in Chelsea, click here.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: LOOKING FOR INFORMATION ON RASAH CAMP, SEREMBAN, MALAYSIA
To see Chris Fowler’s photographs and for details of his quest for information on Rasah Camp, in Seremban, Malaysia, click here.
PICTURE: THE GRAVE OF VIOLET AMELIA BRIGHTWELL (1874–80), AY NIKOLAOS GRAVEYARD, LIMASSOL, CYPRUS
Click here to view Clement Chapman’s photograph of the grave, on Cyprus, of army child Victoria Amelia Brightwell.
PICTURE: A SCHOOL PHOTOGRAPH, UP PARK CAMP, JAMAICA, EARLY 1960S
To view a 1960s’ class photograph from the army school at Up Park Camp, Jamaica, contributed by Barbara Rayner, click here.
ONLINE RESOURCES: RECORDS OF ARMY CHILDREN’S BAPTISMS AT FERMOY AND BUTTEVANT GARRISON CHURCHES, IRELAND, C.1920
For links to two online sources of army children’s baptismal records for garrison churches in Ireland, click here.
PICTURES: ‘OUR HOUSE IN JAMAICA, PICTURED IN 1960 AND IN 1990’
Click here to see photographs of Barbara Rayner’s married-quarter home in Up Park Camp, Jamaica, in 1960 and in 1990.
PICTURES: ‘A GUIDE TO FAMILIES GOING TO THE CARIBBEAN’, 1959, AND REVISITING JAMAICA’S UP PARK CAMP IN 1990
To view pages from Barbara Rayner’s guide to the Caribbean, dated 1959, along with a photograph of herself at Up Park Camp, Jamaica, in 1990, click here.
PICTURES: MEMENTOES OF A JOURNEY TO JAMAICA ABOARD THE MS DUNERA, 1960
For a passenger list and children’s menus relating to Barbara Rayner’s voyage, in 1960, from Southampton to Jamaica on the MS Dunera, click here.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: INFORMATION SOUGHT ABOUT GREEN HILL SCHOOLS, WOOLWICH, SOUTH-EAST LONDON
Click here for details of a request for information about Woolwich’s Green Hill Schools.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: RECALLING HAPPY DAYS AT MISS SEED’S SCHOOL, ALDERSHOT, HAMPSHIRE
To read Andrew Muston’s recollections of Miss Seed’s School in Aldershot, Hampshire, which he attended between 1968 and 1970, click here.
‘TACA DRUM’ BLOG POST: WATERLOO VETERANS: THE ARMY CHILDREN OF WATERLOO
For more on the army children of Waterloo two hundred years ago, click here.
NEW RESEARCH PROJECT: DOCUMENTING BRITISH ARMY CHILDREN’S EXPERIENCES OF VERDEN, GERMANY, 1945–93
Anca is writing a history of the German town of Verden and would like to hear from any army children who lived there. For more, click here.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: DOES ANYONE REMEMBER WHERE THE ARMY SCHOOL IN HANNOVER, GERMANY, WAS?
Denise Gray would like to know the location of the army school that she attended in Hannover in the early 1950s. Click here for more.
FORGOTTEN FACES: A PRE-1914 WEST-COUNTRY ARMY FAMILY
Click here for a portrait of an army family photographed in Bath or Cheltenham between 1902 and 1914.
PICTURE: THE BARRACKS, UP PARK CAMP, KINGSTON, JAMAICA
To see a black-and-white photograph of the barracks at Up Park Camp, Kingston, Jamaica, click here.
PICTURE: THE CANTONMENT GARDEN, MHOW, INDIA
For a black-and-white postcard showing ‘Mhow Cantonment Garden’, click here.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: ‘WE WERE PRIMARY-SCHOOL PUPILS IN STADE, (WEST) GERMANY, C.1950’
Click here for David and Valerie Wells’ photographs and memories of their time at primary school in Stade, (West) Germany, in around 1950.
FORGOTTEN FACES: A SERGEANT’S FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHED IN PRESTON, LANCASHIRE, LATE 1890S
To view a photograph of an army child and her parents photographed in Preston, Lancashire, during the late 1890s, click here.
PERSONAL STORY: ‘COMMEMORATING MY SISTER, VALERIE ANN BEETHAM, 1948–51’
Click here to see the grave of David Beetham’s sister, Valerie Ann, who is buried in Moascar Military Cemetery, Egypt.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: THE ARMY WIVES AND CHILDREN OF HMS BIRKENHEAD, 1852
For details of Peter Smith’s call for information about the army wives and children who were passengers on HMS Birkenhead in January 1852, click here.
THE LAST POST GALLIPOLI, 20–26 APRIL 2015
To learn about the Last Post project and its commemoration of the Gallipoli campaign in 2015, click here.
PERSONAL STORY: ‘MY EARLY YEARS IN KENYA AND ELSEWHERE . . . I WOULD LOVE TO KNOW MORE’
Click here for Roger Noble’s account of his childhood memories of Kenya and Hong Kong.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: ‘I ATTENDED MISS SEED’S SCHOOL IN ALDERSHOT, HAMPSHIRE, IN THE EARLY 1950S’
To read Judy Wells’ recollections of her time at Miss Seed’s School, in Aldershot, click here.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: MORE MEMORIES OF MISS SEED’S SCHOOL, ALDERSHOT, HAMPSHIRE
For Roger Noble’s memories of Miss Seed’s School, in Aldershot, click here.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: HELP SOUGHT IN LOCATING THE DOVER GRAVE OF EVA MARY LORNA BEECRAFT, 1903-7
Yvonne Spargo is looking for her great-aunt’s grave, which may be in Dover, Kent. For more, click here.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: CAN ANYONE TELL US MORE ABOUT MISS SEED’S SCHOOL IN ALDERSHOT, HAMPSHIRE?
Peter Barnes would like to know more about a school that he attended in Aldershot in the mid-1960s. Click here to read more.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: LOOKING FOR A SINGAPORE-TO-ENGLAND FLIGHT ROUTE, 1957
For details of Brian Child’s quest to discover details of a flight that he took in 1957, click here.
PERSONAL STORY: BOYHOOD MEMORIES OF ROTENBURG, (WEST) GERMANY, 1952 TO 1954
To read ‘MW’s’ memories of Rotenburg, Lower Saxony, (West) Germany, during the early 1950s, and of his schooling at that time, click here.
PICTURE: RINTELN AN DER WESER, GERMANY
Click here for a multiview postcard of Rinteln, Germany, where BMH Rinteln was once located.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: WIKIPEDIA ENTRY FOR KING ALFRED SCHOOL (KAS), PLÖN, (WEST) GERMANY
For a link to an entry on Wikipedia for King Alfred School (KAS), Plön, (West) Germany, click here.
FORGOTTEN FACES: AN ARMY CHILD AND HER PARENTS, C.1880S
Click here to view a photograph of an army child and her parents dating from around the 1880s.
VIDEO: ARMY FAMILIES’ EVACUATION FROM TRIESTE, 1953
To access a link to a British Pathé video clip that shows army families being evacuated from Trieste in 1953, click here.
PICTURE: CHURCH PARADE, WOOLWICH, SOUTH-EAST LONDON
For an early twentieth-century postcard showing a garrison church parade at Woolwich, click here.
FORGOTTEN FACES: THE PEREZ FAMILY, 1860S
To see a photograph of ‘Mr & Mrs Perez’ – a corporal, his wife and their five children – probably dating from the 1860s, click here.
PICTURE: THE MILITARY HOSPITAL, COLCHESTER, ESSEX, C.1905
To view a postcard of Colchester’s military hospital dating from around 1905, click here.
PICTURES: SOLDIERS ON A MARCH, 1805 AND 1811, BY THOMAS ROWLANDSON
Click here to see a drawing and etching by Thomas Rowlandson illustrating how some army families followed the drum at the start of the nineteenth century.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: CAN YOU HELP FLESH OUT THE DETAILS OF A SOLDIER–FATHER’S LIFE AND SERVICE?
For details of Barbara Murphy-Bridge’s quest to learn more about James Alexander Ward, click here.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: INFORMATION SOUGHT ABOUT THE ‘ARMY GUILDS HOME FOR SOLDIERS’ DAUGHTERS’
To read Maureen Flack’s request for information about a home for soldiers’ daughters, click here.
PERSONAL STORY: EXPERIENCING LIFE IN TURKEY, ENGLAND, GERMANY AND LIBYA BETWEEN 1948 AND 1957
For Janine Shirley’s photograph of her class at Ratingen School, (West) Germany, in 1952, and a little about her life as an army child, click here.
PICTURE: THE SOLDIER’S WIFE, 1793, BY WILLIAM S LENEY
Click here to see William S Leney’s engraving ‘A Soldier’s Wife.’ (and child), created in 1793.
PICTURES: THE ROYAL SCHOOL, BATH, SOMERSET
To see two postcards of The Royal School, Bath, Somerset, ‘The School for Officers’ Daughters’, click here.
PICTURE: WELLINGTON BARRACKS, BURY, LANCASHIRE
For an old postcard showing the Wellington Hotel and Wellington Barracks, in Bury, Lancashire, click here.
PICTURE: CHURCH PARADE, WELLINGTON AVENUE, ALDERSHOT, HAMPSHIRE
Click here for a postcard showing a church parade marching along Wellington Avenue in Aldershot, Hampshire, as well as images of other church parades.
PICTURES: SOUTH BARRACKS, GIBRALTAR
To see a postcard and a watercolour painting of the South Barracks, Gibraltar, click here.
PICTURES: QUEEN ALEXANDRA’S COURT, WIMBLEDON, 1900S
Click here for images and information about Queen Alexandra’s Court, ‘The Homes for Officers [sic] Widows & Daughters’ in Wimbledon.
PICTURE: FOUR POSTWAR VIEWS OF TIDWORTH, WILTSHIRE
For a colour postcard showing four views of the garrison town of Tidworth, click here.
PICTURE: ST MARY’S BARRACKS, CHATHAM, KENT
To see a postcard showing the entrance to St Mary Barracks in Chatham, Kent, around a century ago, click here.
BEING RESEARCHED: A NEW BOOK EXPLORING THE INTERACTIONS OF BRITISH SOLDIERS AND CHILDREN BETWEEN 1756 AND 1815
Click here for further information about Professor Jennine Hurl-Eamon’s research project and publishing plans.
‘NOT WARRIORS – JUST MEN: IMAGES FROM THE BATTLE FRONT – 1914 AND 2013’, AN EXHIBITION OF ART BY TWO ONE-TIME ARMY CHILDREN
To read about ‘Not Warriors – Just Men: Images from the Battle Front – 1914 and 2013’, an art exhibition featuring works by one-time army children Ron Olley and Anna Redwood, click here.
PERSONAL STORY: SWIMMING WITH DOLPHINS, A REMARKABLE INCIDENT WITNESSED EN ROUTE TO JAMAICA, 1951
Click here to read June Sage’s recollections of a memorable sea journey to Jamaica in 1951.
PICTURE: THE DEAD SOLDIER, C.1789, BY JOSEPH WRIGHT OF DERBY
To view The Dead Soldier, a painting by Joseph Wright of Derby that highlights the plight of the soldier’s surviving wife and child, click here.
PICTURES: CATTERICK CAMP, NORTH YORKSHIRE, C.1917
For a pair of postcards showing Catterick Camp in around 1917, click here.
THE HISTORICAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE BRITISH ARMY, BERMUDA AND BERMUDIANS
Click here for Seán Pòl Ó Creachmhaoil’s insight into the historical relationship between the British Army, Bermuda and Bermudians and advice for those researching their family history in Bermuda.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: BRITISH ARMY BIRTH, MARRIAGE AND BURIAL RECORDS IN BERMUDA
To read Seán Pòl Ó Creachmhaoil’s advice to those researching the births, marriages and burials of Bermuda-based British army children, click here.
PICTURES: CASEMATES BARRACKS, GIBRALTAR
For George Lothian Hall’s illustration of Casemate Barracks of 1843, as well as a colour postcard of the barracks, click here.
PICTURE: PLÖN AM SEE, GERMANY
Click here for a multiview postcard of Plön am See, Germany, the location of King Alfred School (KAS) between 1948 and 1959.
PICTURE: VARIOUS VIEWS OF ALDERSHOT, HAMPSHIRE, 1950S
To see a multiview postcard of Aldershot dating from the 1950s, click here.
THE MCAVOYS: A NORTHERN IRISH FIRST WORLD WAR ARMY FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHED IN BELFAST
For Denise Beggs’ First World photograph and story of the McAvoy family, click here.
PICTURE: CATTERICK CAMP, NORTH YORKSHIRE, C.1917
Click here for a World War I-era ‘sepiatone’ postcard of Catterick Camp.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: SEARCHING FOR AN ARMY CHILD’S DEATH CERTIFICATE, CEYLON, 1911
Gavin Grant is looking for his uncle’s death certificate. Click here for further details.
PICTURE: THE FAMILY OF SERGEANT LEWIS, STAFFORDSHIRE, 1920S
For Kathleen Squires’ photograph of her grandparents and their children and her uncle’s certificate of baptism, click here.
PICTURE: ‘DADDY MARCHING WITH HIS SOLDIERS’
To see a photograph of a British soldier marching with Indian troops, with a message written on the back to his child, click here.
PICTURE: SHORNCLIFFE BARRACKS AND INSTITUTE, KENT, C.1905
Click here for a postcard posted in 1905 showing the barracks and institute at Shorncliffe, near Folkestone, in Kent.
PICTURE: BIELEFELD, (WEST) GERMANY
To see a multiview postcard of Bielefeld, Germany, from the 1950s or 1960s, click here.
PICTURE: AN ARMY SCHOOLMASTER AND ARMY SCHOOLMISTRESSES, DEEPCUT BARRACKS, SURREY, C.1910
For a photograph described as showing ‘Wives/Instructors Deepcut Barracks c.1910’, click here.
PICTURE: TIDWORTH BARRACKS, WILTSHIRE, C.1913
To view a postcard showing Tidworth Barracks, Wiltshire, around a century ago, click here.
PICTURE: THE SOUTH AFRICA MEMORIAL ARCH, ROYAL ENGINEERS’ BARRACKS, GILLINGHAM, KENT
Click here to see a postcard showing the South Africa Memorial Arch at Brompton Barracks, Gillingham (or Chatham), Kent.
FORGOTTEN FACES: A BETWEEN-THE-WARS ARMY FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHED IN ALEXANDRIA, EGYPT
For a photograph of an army family taken at a studio in Alexandria, Egypt, after World War I, click here.
PICTURE: ALDERSHOT, HAMPSHIRE, C.1915
To view a multiview postcard of Aldershot, Hampshire, posted in 1915, click here.
PICTURES: THE MEMORIAL WELL, CAWNPORE, INDIA
Click here to see postcards of the Memorial Well at Cawnpore, India, where the bodies of murdered army wives and children were dumped in 1857.
PICTURE: THE YMCA, RHEINDAHLEN, (WEST) GERMANY
For a postcard showing the YMCA in Rheindahlen, Germany, during the 1970s, click here.
FORGOTTEN FACES: AN ARMY FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHED IN NORTHAMPTON, 1890S
To view a photograph of a late-nineteenth-century sergeant’s family produced by a Northampton photographer, click here.
PERSONAL STORY: ‘IT IS ETCHED ON MY MEMORY, THE DEVASTATION’, HAMBURG, (WEST) GERMANY, 1948
Click here for Brian Spurway’s photographs and recollections of postwar Hamburg, Norderney and Bad Harzburg, (West) Germany.
PICTURE: SHORNCLIFFE HOSPITAL, KENT
For a postcard showing Shorncliffe Hospital, or the Royal Military Hospital, in Kent, and information about it around a century ago, click here.
‘DREAMING OF DADDY’, 1915: THE SAD STORY BEHIND A THREE-YEAR-OLD’S POSTCARD
Click here to read the tragic story behind Gary Blakeley’s family-heirloom postcard, the double of one in our ‘The Army Children of the First World War: a Sentimental View’ gallery.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: THE ENLISTMENT OF A SEVEN-YEAR-OLD DRUMMER BOY IN CEYLON, 1807
To read about William Sugden, who enlisted in the 19th Foot in Colombo, Ceylon, in 1807, click here.
FORGOTTEN FACES: AN ARMY FAMILY SNAPPED DURING THE 1920S
To see a photograph of an army family dating from the 1920s, click here.
PICTURE: THE WESLEYAN CHURCH, QUETTA CANTONMENT, INDIA
Click here to view a pre-1947 postcard of Quetta Cantonment’s Wesleyan Church.
JAYNE SHRIMPTON’S ARMY FAMILY OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR
For family photographs and background information about dress historian Jayne Shrimpton’s army family of the First World War, click here.
PICTURE: ROYAL ENGINEERS’ MARRIED QUARTERS, LONGMOOR CAMP, HAMPSHIRE
For a postcard showing a row of Royal Engineers’ married quarters at Longmoor Camp, Hampshire, click here.
‘THE ARMY CHILDREN OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR’ PROJECT
Click here for details of TACA’s ‘The Army Children of the First World War’ project.
PICTURES: GAME CARDS DEPICTING A WORLD WAR I-ERA ARMY FAMILY
To view four illustrations, part of a card game dating from the last years of World War I, of a stereotypical army family of the time, click here.
PERSONAL STORY: A NOMADIC ARMY CHILDHOOD SPENT IN ENGLAND, WALES, JAMAICA AND SCOTLAND
For Graham Alcock’s recollections and reflections on growing up as an army child from the 1940s to the 1960s, click here.
CHRISTMAS CARDS: MILITARY HOSPITALS AT BRUNSWICK/BRAUNSCHWEIG, (WEST) GERMANY, AND LENDORF, AUSTRIA, 1947
Click here to see two Christmas cards sent in 1947 from 121 (Brunswick) British Military Hospital (BMH), Germany, and 31 (British) General Hospital, Lendorf, Austria.
FORGOTTEN FACES: AN ARMY FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHED IN BURTON ON TRENT, STAFFORDSHIRE, IN 1920
To view an army family of three photographed at a studio in Burton on Trent in 1920, click here.
PICTURE: MARRIED QUARTERS, TIDWORTH, WILTSHIRE, 1937
For a postcard first published by Raphael Tuck & Sons in 1937 showing married quarters in Tidworth, Wiltshire, click here.
PERSONAL STORY: SCHOOL TRANSPORT IN NAIROBI, KENYA, C.1960
For Robert Taylor’s recollections of travelling between home and school in Nairobi, Kenya, from 1959 to 1961, click here.
‘DADDY’S JOINED THE ARMY’: A POSTCARD IN REMEMBRANCE
Click here to see a postcard dating from World War I whose words were purportedly written by a patriotic British army child.
FORGOTTEN FACES: AN EDWARDIAN ARMY FAMILY POSED AGAINST A ROMANTIC BACKDROP
To see a photograph of a smartly dressed army family of three against a romantic backdrop, click here.
PICTURE: INFANTRY MARRIED QUARTERS, BORDON, HAMPSHIRE
For an old coloured postcard showing infantry married quarters in Bordon, Hampshire, click here.
PICTURE: THE CANTONMENT MARKET, QUETTA, INDIA
Click here for a postcard showing the entrance to the cantonment market at Quetta, when it was part of India.
FORGOTTEN FACES: A SNUGLY DRESSED 1920S’ ARMY CHILD AND HER FAMILY
To view a back-garden snapshot of an army family photographed during the 1920s, click here.
PICTURE: THE CRIMEA-WAR MEMORIAL ARCH, BROMPTON BARRACKS, CHATHAM, KENT
For a postcard showing the Crimea War Memorial Arch at the Royal Engineers’ barracks in Chatham, Kent, click here.
PICTURE: QUETTA CANTONMENT, INDIA
Click here for a summer-time view of Quetta Cantonment while it was still part of India.
FORGOTTEN FACES: A TOY GUN FOR AN ARTILLERY SERGEANT’S SON, WOOLWICH, LONDON, 1880S
Click here to see a cabinet portrait of an 1880s’ army child, his parents and grandfather, all photographed in Woolwich.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: CAN YOU HELP LOCATE A POST-WAR ARMY CHILD’S GRAVE IN SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN, GERMANY?
Richard Kirkman is looking for his brother’s grave in Germany; for more, click here.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: TRYING TO TRACE AN ARMY CHILD BORN IN EGYPT IN 1946
Sue Attridge (née Rounsley) is searching for Reginald Rounsley, an Egyptian-born army child, and his mother; click here for further details.
PICTURE: ST GEORGE’S CHURCH, BULFORD BARRACKS, WILTSHIRE
To view a postcard of the interior of St George’s Church, Bulford Barracks, Wiltshire, click here.
PICTURE: THE CANTONMENT GARDENS, JUBBULPORE, INDIA
For a century-old black-and-white view of the cantonment gardens of Jubbulpore, (Jabalpur), India, click here.
FORGOTTEN FACES: THREE ARMY FAMILIES PHOTOGRAPHED SHORTLY BEFORE WORLD WAR I
Click here to view a photograph dating from the early 1910s of three soldiers, their wives, their sons and daughters and a dog.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: TRYING TO PINPOINT A PENINSULAR-WAR BIRTH
Alyson McGarrigle is seeking information about an army child who seems to have been born on campaign in Spain in 1810. Click here for further details.
PICTURE: VIEWS OF DEEPCUT CAMP, SURREY, 1906
Click here to see a multiview postcard of Deepcut Camp, Surrey, dating from around 1906.
PICTURE: QUEEN VICTORIA WITH ARMY WIVES AND CHILDREN, 1899
For an illustration, by S Begg, showing Queen Victoria speaking ‘some words of good cheer’ to the wives and children of soldiers who had just left for South Africa in November 1899, click here.
PICTURE: MHOW CANTONMENT, INDIA
To see a postcard showing the Indian cantonment of Mhow in around 1880, click here.
FORGOTTEN FACES: AN ARMY FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHED WITH EXOTIC PROPS, 1900S
Click here to see a photograph of an army family of three posed in an outdoor setting.
BOOK REVIEW: THE AFTERMATH
For a book review of The Aftermath, by Rhidian Brook, which is set in Hamburg, (West) Germany in 1946, and features an army child, click here.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: INFORMATION WELCOMED REGARDING AN EARLY-TWENTIETH-CENTURY ‘DAUGHTER OF THE REGIMENT’
Lloyd Harris would like help with his research into the Ryland family, and in particular with locating the grave of army child Jessie Ellen Ryland (1904–5); click here for more.
PICTURE: JUTOGH CANTONMENT, INDIA
Click here for a view of Jutogh Cantonment, India.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: HELP REQUESTED IN RESEARCHING THE DEATH AND BURIAL PLACES OF THREE ARMY CHILDREN
Barbara Murphy-Bridge would welcome help with some family-history research, including locating graves in Malta for two army children. To learn more, click here.
PICTURE: VIEWS OF WOOLWICH, LONDON, 1915
For a multiview postcard of Woolwich, London, posted in 1915, click here.
FORGOTTEN FACES: A TUG-OF-WAR TEAM, DEEPCUT, SURREY, 1909
Click here to see a photograph of a boys’ tug-of-war team captured on film at Deepcut, Surrey, in May 1909.
PICTURE: MARRIED QUARTERS AT ROORKEE CANTONMENT, INDIA
To view a photograph of married quarters for British non-commissioned officers (BNCOs) at Roorkee Cantonment, in Uttarakhand, northern India, click here.
PICTURE: THE GARRISON CHILDREN’S SCHOOL, RIEHL, GERMANY, 1920s
For two photographs of classes of army children and their teachers at the Garrison Children’s School, British Army of the Rhine (BAOR), Riehl Area, Germany, during the 1920s, click here.
PICTURE: KREFELD, NORTH-RHINE WESTPHALIA, GERMANY
Click here to see a multiview postcard dating from the 1970s focusing on the western German city of Krefeld, in North-Rhine Westphalia, a postwar British Army base until 2002.
FORGOTTEN FACES: A FANCILY-DRESSED ARMY FAMILY OF FOUR, MID-1920S
For a photograph of an army family of four dating from the mid-1920s, click here.
PICTURE: MARRIED QUARTERS, BORDON CAMP, HAMPSHIRE
Click here to see a colour postcard of married quarters at Bordon Camp, Hampshire, which was posted in 1911.
PICTURE: THE GARRISON CHILDREN’S SCHOOL, RIEHL, GERMANY, 1920s
To see a photograph dating from the 1920s of a class at the Garrison Children’s School, British Army of the Rhine (BAOR), Riehl Area, Germany, click here.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: HELP SOUGHT IN RESEARCHING THE BIRTH AND DEATH OF A BABY AT BMH BENGHAZI, LIBYA, IN 1952
A TACA correspondent has requested help in researching the birth and death of a twin sibling in Benghazi in 1952. Click here for further details.
CHILDREN’S BOOK: WHY DO WE HAVE TO MOVE?
Click here for details of a book by Joy O’Neill and Lisa Southard written to provide support for younger children worried about moving home.
BRITISH ARMY OF THE RHINE NBC GUIDE, OCTOBER 1981
To view extracts from a booklet dated October 1981 giving instructions for procedures to be followed in the event of a nuclear, biological or chemical (NBC) attack on BAOR, click here.
FORGOTTEN FACES: VISITING AN ARMY CAMP BETWEEN THE BOER WAR AND WORLD WAR I
For a photograph of an army family snapped at an army camp at the start of the twentieth century, click here.
PICTURE: MARRIED QUARTERS, STATION ROAD, BORDON, HAMPSHIRE
Click here to view a World War I-era photograph of married quarters in Bordon’s Station Road.
BOOK: HEART OF THE HERO
For details of Heart of the Hero: The Remarkable Women who Inspired the Great Polar Explorers, a book by Kari Herbert, daughter of the polar explorer and one-time army child Sir Wally Herbert, click here.
PICTURE: ARMY CHILD DEBORAH DODDS MEETS PRINCESS MARGARET AT THE LOUISE MARGARET MATERNITY HOSPITAL, ALDERSHOT, IN 1960
For a photograph of Princess Margaret meeting newborn Deborah Dodds at the Louise Margaret Maternity Hospital in Aldershot, Hampshire, in 1960, click here.
FORGOTTEN FACES: A VICTORIAN ARMY FAMILY WITH AN ARRAY OF HEADGEAR
To view a photograph of an army family photographed during the 1880s, click here.
PICTURE: THE CANTONMENT GARDEN, BELGAUM, INDIA
Click here for an old postcard of the cantonment garden in Belgaum, south-western India.
PICTURE: MARRIED QUARTERS, INFANTRY BARRACKS, BORDON, HAMPSHIRE
For a postcard showing married quarters attached to the infantry barracks in Bordon, Hampshire, in 1907, click here.
FORGOTTEN FACES: A 1930s’ ROYAL ARTILLERY FAMILY
Click here to view a black-and-white image of a Royal Artillery soldier and his family photographed during the 1930s.
CHRISTMAS RECIPES FOR THE FAMILY 1950
To see the sorts of dishes that the Army Catering Corps advocated that army families living in BAOR cook for Christmas in 1950, click here.
PICTURE: THE STATION HOSPITAL, TRIMULGHERRY, INDIA
For a picture of the station hospital at Trimulgherry, India, in around 1910, click here.
FORGOTTEN FACES: THE FRILLED AND BERIBBONED SERGEANT’S GIRLS
To see an early twentieth-century photograph of a sergeant who served in South Africa and his wife and daughters, click here.
PICTURE: ‘THE DEPARTURE FROM BRIGHTON’, 1796
Click here to see a print dating from 1796 showing an army unit and female camp followers, including a child, preparing to decamp from Brighton.
PERSONAL STORY: PICTURES FROM A 1940S’ ARMY CHILDHOOD IN THE BRITISH MANDATE OF PALESTINE, EGYPT AND SOUTH AFRICA
For David Clafton’s photographs of his early childhood in Jerusalem, Egypt and South Africa during the 1940s, click here.
FORGOTTEN FACES: A WORLD WAR I ‘TEMPORARY’ ARMY FAMILY
To view a photograph of the family of a World War I volunteer, click here.
HMS HEROES: YOUNG ADVOCATES FOR SERVICE FAMILIES AND FRIENDS TO EACH OTHER
Click here to read about HMS Heroes, a ‘pupil-voice group’ that supports service children and young people.
PICTURE: A CARRIAGE RIDE IN BELLARY, INDIA, 1905
To see a postcard loaned by the Families in British India Society (FIBIS) showing a group of British army families sitting in a carriage in Bellary, India, in 1905, click here.
PICTURE: BELLARY CANTONMENT, INDIA, 1909
Click here to view a postcard, mailed in 1909, showing a fort tank at Bellary Cantonment, India.
FORGOTTEN FACES: THE CONFIDENT CORPORAL’S FAMILY, C.1900
For a photograph of an army family photographed in around 1900 in a studio in Manchester, click here.
PICTURE: THE SOLDIERS’ DAUGHTERS’ HOME, HAMPSTEAD, 1858
To see a print commemorating the opening of the Soldiers’ Daughters’ Home in Hampstead in 1858, and an extract from the accompanying report in The Illustrated London News, click here.
PICTURE: THE HUGH ROSE BARRACKS, JUBBULPORE, INDIA
Click here to view an old postcard showing the Hugh Rose Barracks in Jubbulpore, India.
IN THE NEWS: THE BIRTH OF ‘BABY BASTION’, A UNIQUE ARMY CHILD, SEPTEMBER 2012
September 2012 saw the birth, at Camp Bastion, Afghanistan, of a baby to a British army soldier, the first army child to be born to a female soldier on active service. For more, click here.
FORGOTTEN FACES: A SUNNY DAY AT WHITTING BARRACKS, LICHFIELD, STAFFORDSHIRE, C.1900-10
To see a postcard showing a sergeant posing with his wife and son on Whittington Heath, Lichfield, Staffordshire, click here.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: RONALD ARTHUR LIMBURN (1953–65), AN ARMY CHILD WHO DIED IN SINGAPORE AND NOW LIES IN HAMPSHIRE
Click here to see the graves, in Singapore and in Hampshire, of Ronald Arthur Limburn, an army child who died in Singapore in 1965, and to learn a little of his life.
GUIDE TO FAMILIES PROCEEDING TO B.A.O.R., AUGUST 1946: EDUCATION
To view a form relating to children’s education that army families posted to BAOR were required to complete in 1946, click here.
FORGOTTEN FACES: AN INFORMAL SNAPSHOT OF AN EARLY-TWENTIETH-CENTURY ARMY FAMILY
Click here to see a relaxed-looking army family of six photographed in the early years of the twentieth century.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: IDENTIFYING AN ARMY RESIDENTIAL CO-EDUCATIONAL SCHOOL, 1930S
Carole Temple is trying to identify the army school that her grandfather’s children attended during the 1930s. Click here for more.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: CAN YOU HELP SOLVE THE MYSTERY OF WHAT HAPPENED TO AN ARMY WIFE AND HER DAUGHTER?
Catherine Capp would be grateful for help in discovering what happened to Cecilia and Doris Thomas following Doris’ birth in India in 1908. For further details, click here.
PICTURE: MILITARY FAMILIES ARRIVING IN RIEHL, GERMANY, 1922
For a black-and-white postcard showing the arrival by military ambulance of military families in Riehl, Germany, on 26 March 1922, click here.
PICTURE: JOINT HEADQUARTERS, RHEINDAHLEN, GERMANY
Click here to see a postcard showing the ‘Big House’ of the Joint Headquarters (JHQ), Rheindahlen, Germany, dating from the 1980s.
FORGOTTEN FACES: THE FAMILY OF A BOER WAR VETERAN, 1900S
To view a photograph of the family of a bemedalled soldier serving in the Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) dating from around between 1900 and 1910, click here.
CONTRIBUTION: AN ARMY-SCHOOL COPYBOOK, 1914
Click here to view pages from eight-year-old Harry Jones’ army-school copybook, which he completed in Gibraltar in 1914, and which was contributed to TACA by Brian Gillard.
PICTURE: THE CAMP SCHOOL, BORDON, HAMPSHIRE
For an old picture of the Camp School in Bordon, Hampshire, which taught army children from 1906, click here.
PICTURE: MARRIED QUARTERS WITH A MOUNTAIN VIEW, LOCATION UNKNOWN
Click here to see a postcard labelled ‘Snows & married quarters’, showing a location possibly in northern India.
FORGOTTEN FACES: A ROYAL ARTILLERY FAMILY OF THE 1930S
To view a photograph of an army family of four dating from the 1930s, click here.
NEW RESEARCH: ‘UNSUNG HEROES: DEVELOPING A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE EMOTIONAL SUPPORT NEEDS OF SERVICE FAMILIES’
Click here for details of the Centre for Mental Health’s report, ‘Unsung Heroes: Developing a Better Understanding of the Emotional Support Needs of Service Families’, by Matt Fossey, published in May 2012.
GUIDE TO FAMILIES PROCEEDING TO B.A.O.R., AUGUST 1946: TRAVEL
To read the official guidance given in August 1946 to army families travelling to the British Army on the Rhine on accompanied postings, click here.
PICTURE: MARRIED QUARTERS, PORT ROYAL, JAMAICA
Click here to see a postcard showing ‘a row of the married quarters, Port Royal, Jamaica’.
FORGOTTEN FACES: A SUNNY DAY ON A FOREIGN BEACH A CENTURY AGO
For a photograph showing a group of army children and adults enjoying a carefree day by the sea at the start of the twentieth century, click here.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: AN AMAZING COINCIDENCE DISCOVERED IN ARMY CHILDHOOD
To read about the astounding family-related discovery made by TACA contributor Doreen McKeown (née Routledge) on leafing through Army Childhood, click here.
BOOK: ARMY CHILDHOOD: BRITISH ARMY CHILDREN’S LIVES AND TIMES
Click here for details of Army Childhood: British Army Children’s Lives and Times, a book by Clare Gibson, The Army Children Archive’s founder, published in May 2012 by Shire Publications.
BOOK REVIEW: FOR ALL THOSE LEFT BEHIND
Click here to read a review of one-time army-child John Andrews’ book For All Those Left Behind.
PERSONAL STORY: ‘MY MISSION TO ERECT A HEADSTONE ON MY BROTHER’S GRAVE’
For Leslie Rutledge’s account of how he finally managed to erect a memorial stone on the grave of his brother Stephen, who was buried at Tidworth Military Cemetery, Wiltshire, in 1955, click here.
THREE POEMS BY ‘A DAUGHTER OF THE REGIMENT’
To read ‘Roots’, ‘In the Beginning’ and ‘Letter to an Indian Woman’, three poems by Jenny Argante, click here.
PICTURES: SNAPSHOTS OF DHEKELIA, CYPRUS, 1968–72
Click here to view Peter Goble’s photographs of Cyprus between 1968 and 1972.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: INFORMATION SOUGHT ABOUT THE BRITISH ARMY CHILDREN’S SCHOOL, MINGALADON, BURMA
Christopher Taylor is seeking photographs or information about a school for army children at Mingaladon, Burma [now Myanmar] that he attended in 1947. Click here to learn more.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: CAN YOU HELP LOCATE TWO BABIES’ GRAVES IN INDIA?
Diana M de Marco is trying to locate the graves of two babies who died during the 1920s in Trimulgherry or Secunderabad, India. For further details, click here.
PERSONAL STORY: MEMORIES OF AN ARMY CHILDHOOD
To read Roger Hall’s account of living in Woolwich during the 1940s, and Hong Kong, England and (West) Germany during the 1950s, click here.
MY DADDY IS A SOLDIER ADVENTURES: A CHARITABLE INITIATIVE FOR THE ‘LITTLE TROOPERS AT HOME’
Click here for information about My Daddy is a Soldier Adventures, a charitable initiative for British army children founded in 2011.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: SINGAPORE, 1958 TO 1961
Sue Swallow (née Perry) is seeking help in discovering more about Singapore between 1958 and 1961. Click here for further details.
GUIDE TO FAMILIES PROCEEDING TO B.A.O.R., AUGUST 1946: MEDICAL MATTERS
To read War Office instructions detailing the medical procedures that army families were required to undergo before travelling to postings in (West) Germany in 1946, click here.
PICTURE: TIDWORTH GARRISON MARKET, WILTSHIRE, C.1920
For a black-and-white postcard showing army children among the shoppers at the garrison market in Lucknow Barracks, Tidworth, Wiltshire, click here.
FORGOTTEN FACES: A LANCE CORPORAL’S FAMILY
To view a photograph, dating from around the 1890s, of a bemedalled lance corporal and his family, click here.
PICTURE: THE ARMY SCHOOL, PORTSMOUTH, HAMPSHIRE
Click here to see a photograph of a class of between-the-wars pupils at the Army School in Portsmouth, Hampshire.
PICTURE: RHEINDAHLEN DISTRICT SCOUT BADGE
To see a twentieth-century Scout district badge associated with the Northern Army Group (NORTHAG) and Rheindahlen, (West) Germany, click here.
FORGOTTEN FACES: SUITED AND BOOTED
Click here to view a photograph dating from around a century ago of a quartermaster sergeant’s family.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: ‘I WOULD LIKE TO VISIT THE PRIMARY SCHOOL AND THE HOUSE WHERE WE LIVED IN BRUNSWICK, (WEST) GERMANY’
Bruce Ford is seeking help in locating the primary school that he attended and the house that he lived in in Brunswick (Braunschweig), (West) Germany, during the 1950s. For further information, click here.
PICTURE: INFANTRY MARRIED QUARTERS, BORDON, HAMPSHIRE
Click here to see a postcard posted in 1930 showing the infantry married quarters in Bordon, Hampshire.
A 1960S’ PRODUCTION OF CINDERELLA AT BICESTER, OXFORDSHIRE, AND OTHER CHRISTMAS PANTOMIMES AND TRADITIONS
To view pages from Donald Bridge’s programme for Cinderella, a pantomime performed by the Bicester Garrison Theatre Group during the late 1960s, click here.
COMBAT KIDZ: A WEBSITE FOR THE CHILDREN OF ARMED FORCES SERVICE PERSONNEL
Click here to read about Combat Kidz, a website established to entertain and support young children with service-personnel parents or family members.
FAMILY-HISTORY RESEARCH: A JAMAICAN TRAGEDY, 1907
To read Paul Levitt’s account of the tragedy that befell an army family when an earthquake struck Kingston, Jamaica, in 1907, click here.
FROM THE NAVAL AND MILITARY FAMILIES CARD GAME: EIGHT ARMY CHILDREN DEPICTED ACCORDING TO EARLY TWENTIETH-CENTURY STEREOTYPES
Click here to see the army children depicted in the Naval and Military Families card game, which dates from the early twentieth century.
FORGOTTEN FACES: A MID-TWENTIETH-CENTURY LANCASHIRE FUSILIER FAMILY
To view a photograph of a baby photographed in Manchester during the 1930s or 1940s with its Lancashire Fusilier father and mother, click here.
PICTURE: THE MARRIED QUARTERS, WARLEY BARRACKS, ESSEX
Click here to view a black-and-white photograph of army children playing outside the married quarters at Warley Barracks, Essex, in around 1910.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: WHAT HAPPENED TO A NINETEENTH-CENTURY ARMY CHILD BETWEEN HER BIRTH IN BARBADOS AND MARRIAGE IN SCOTLAND?
Susan Brouwer would like some help in researching an army child who was born in Barbados between 1834 and 1840. Click here for more information.
PICTURE: A CHRISTMAS PARTY FOR ARMY CHILDREN AT THE CAMBRIDGE MILITARY HOSPITAL, ALDERSHOT, IN 1967
For a photograph dating from 1967 of a children’s Christmas party in full swing at the Cambridge Military Hospital, Aldershot, Hampshire, click here.
PICTURE: THE GARRISON SCHOOL, ABBASSIA, CAIRO, EGYPT, IN 1928
Click here to view a black-and-white photograph of the pupils and staff of the British garrison school in Abbassia, Cairo, in 1928.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: QUERY REGARDING MARRIED-QUARTER HOUSE-NUMBERING IN TIDWORTH, WILTSHIRE
Malcolm Tozer would like help with pinpointing the location of some married quarters in Tidworth, Wiltshire. Click here for further information.
WORLD WAR I PICTURES AND RESEARCH: ‘WHEN DUTY CALLS’ AND THE IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM’S ‘FACES OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR’ PROJECT
To see a sentimental postcard illustrating a family’s farewell, along with a family photograph from World War I, and to read about the Imperial War Museum’s ‘Faces of the First World War’ project, click here.
PERSONAL STORY: REMINISCENCES OF AN ARMY BRAT, 1946-65
Click here to read Tim Roberts’ recollections of where his family was posted while he was growing up; of their accommodation, transportation and domestic help; of his education and extracurricular activities; of aspects of ‘mess life’ like children’s Christmas parties; and his reflections on how his army childhood has affected him.
PICTURE: WOOLWICH, SOUTH-EAST LONDON
To see a century-old multiview postcard of Woolwich, in south-east London, and for information about St George’s Chapel, then and now, click here.
REVIEW: LAY GENTLY ON THE COALS
For a review of Art Cockerill’s novel, Lay Gently on the Coals, click here.
FORGOTTEN FACES: POSING FOR THE PHOTOGRAPHER IN ROCHESTER, KENT
Click here to view a photograph dating from the 1890s of an engineer sergeant and his wife and child photographed in Rochester, Kent.
PERSONAL STORY: MALTA, 1961-63; FILLING THE EDUCATIONAL GAPS; THE ROYAL NAVAL SCHOOL TAL-HANDAQ
To read Barbara Steels’ recollections of living in Malta, filling the gaps in her education as an adult, and reconnecting with former friends at the Royal Naval School Tal-Handaq, click here.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: SEEKING PUPILS AT THE LAWRENCE MILITARY SCHOOL, MOUNT ABU, INDIA, 1940S
Richard Cordeux would like to make contact with old ALS (Abu Lawrence School) Mount Abu-ites; for further details, click here.
PERSONAL STORY: PRINCE RUPERT SCHOOL, WILHELMSHAVEN, (WEST) GERMANY, 1958 THROUGH TO EARLY 1961, AND TWA TODAY
Click here to read Barbara Steels’ recollections of Prince Rupert School (PRS), Wilhelmshaven, (West) Germany, from the late 1950s to the early 1960s, as well as her description of The Wilhelmshaven Association (TWA) and the archival work that she has undertaken on its behalf.
PERSONAL STORY: PRINCE RUPERT SCHOOL, WILHELMSHAVEN, (WEST) GERMANY; THE AUTUMN TERM OF 1957
For Barbara Steels’ memories of her first term at Prince Rupert School (PRS), Wilhelmshaven, (West) Germany, click here.
PERSONAL STORY: LIFE IN LÜNEBURG, (WEST) GERMANY, 1955–58
To read Barbara Steels’ account of living in the (West) German town of Lüneburg between 1955 and 1958, click here.
PERSONAL STORY: ‘WE VISITED THE SUEZ CANAL FREQUENTLY; I COLLECTED THE NAMES OF SHIPS IN A LITTLE NOTEBOOK’, FAYID, EGYPT, 1954–55
Click here for Barbara Steels’ memories of living in Fayid, Egypt, between 1954 and 1955, when it was part of the Suez Canal Zone.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: BORN UNDER A CANNON?
Can you help Fiona C M confirm that her ancestor was born under a cannon at the Battle of Waterloo? Click here to read more.
PERSONAL STORY: ‘MY EXPERIENCES WERE RATHER UNIQUE FOR A SEVEN-YEAR-OLD’, MOASCAR, EGYPT, 1953–54
To read Barbara Steels’ memories of living in Moascar, Egypt – then part of the Suez Canal Zone – from 1953 to 1954, click here.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: THE ARMY PATCH IN BUSHEY, HERTFORDSHIRE
Do you remember a patch of army married quarters in Bushey, Hertfordshire? If so, John Andrews would like to hear from you. Click here for further details.
PICTURE: MARRIED QUARTER IN DHEKELIA, CYPRUS, 1969
Click here for a photograph of Peter Goble’s son outside a married quarter in Dhekelia, Cyprus, in 1969.
PERSONAL STORY: ‘MY SCHOOLING AT ARMY SCHOOLS WAS ON A PAR WITH, IF NOT BETTER THAN, AT THOSE NON-ARMY SCHOOLS THAT I ATTENDED’
To read one-time army-child Donald Bridge’s recollections of, and reflections on, his education and training for a life at sea from the 1940s to the 1960s, click here.
PERSONAL STORY: ‘THERE WERE NONE OF THOSE RAINY, FOGGY DAYS OF THE UK. GOOD TIMES’
Donald Bridge describes his life as an army child in England, India, (West) Germany, the [Suez] Canal Zone and Cyprus from the 1940s to the 1960s as a ‘travelogue’. Click here to read more.
NEW BOOK: A NEW HISTORY OF THE ROYAL HIBERNIAN MILITARY SCHOOL
Click here for details of a recently published book entitled A New History of the Royal Hibernian Military School, by Howard R Clarke.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: A SUNDAY-SCHOOL TEACHER, BAD OEYNHAUSEN, (WEST) GERMANY, 1950
To view Donald Bridge’s photograph of Miss Olive Courtney Jones, a chaplain’s assistant and Sunday-school teacher pictured at Bad Oeynhausen in 1950, click here.
FORGOTTEN FACES: COMMEMORATING A CHRISTENING
Click here to see a photograph of a World War I-era army family, whose youngest member is wearing a christening gown.
A CATCHPENNY VERSE TO HELP THE HOMES THAT TOMMY LEFT BEHIND
For some lines relating to army children from Rudyard Kipling’s poem ‘The Absent-minded Beggar’ (1899), and a link to the entire poem, click here.
PICTURES: CHURCH PARADES
Click here to view postcards showing church parades, including at Shorncliffe, Kent.
PICTURE: MARRIED QUARTERS, CROWNHILL, PLYMOUTH, DEVON
For a postcard showing the married quarters in Crownhill (or Crown Hill) Barracks, Plymouth, Devon, at the start of the twentieth century, click here.
A GUIDE FOR FAMILIES IN GERMANY, MAY 1954: TRAVEL
Details of travel-related advice issued to army families posted to (West) Germany in 1954 can be read by clicking here.
PICTURE: ‘GOODBYE, DADDY! GOD BLESS!’
Click here to see a postcard from World War II showing a soldier father and his child exchanging a farewell kiss.
FORGOTTEN FACES: SUMMERTIME SMILES
To view a portrait of an army family photographed during a World War I summer, click here.
PICTURE: MILITARY HOSPITAL, CURRAGH CAMP, IRELAND
Click here to view a colour postcard showing the military hospital at Curragh Camp, in County Kildare, Ireland.
FORGOTTEN FACES: A WEDDING IN GIBRALTAR, 1926
To see a photograph of an army wedding that took place at South Barracks Church, Gibraltar, in 1926, click here.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ABOUT A ROYAL ENGINEERS OFFICER AND IMAGES OF RANIKHET, INDIA
Jon Alexander would welcome information and images relating to wartime India, and specifically to his father and Ranikhet; click here for further details.
PICTURES: MARRIED QUARTERS, LYDD, KENT
Click here to see two postcards of married quarters allocated to the Royal Tank Corps in Lydd, Kent, during the 1920s and 1930s.
THE CALEY: THE ROYAL CALEDONIAN SCHOOLS AND THE ROYAL CALEDONIAN SCHOOLS TRUST
To read about the history and work of the Royal Caledonian Schools Trust (the Caley), click here.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: CAN YOU RECALL TRIESTE OR KLAGENFURT, AUSTRIA, DURING THE 1950S?
Michael Barnacoat is seeking information about Trieste and Klagenfurt, Austria. Click here for further details.
NEW RESEARCH: ‘IT’S HARD FOR ME, I MOVE A LOT.’ A PILOT PROJECT TO SUPPORT SERVICE CHILDREN AT HALTON SCHOOL DURING PERIODS OF MOBILITY AND PARENTAL DEPLOYMENT
Click here to read about the research that led Joy O’Neill to implement a pilot project designed to support the needs of primary-school-aged service children at Halton School during periods of mobility and parental deployment.
PICTURES: CHILDREN’S PARTY ABOARD THE HMT LANCASHIRE, 1948
Click here to see Tim Roberts’ menu for a children’s party held aboard the HMT Lancashire in 1948, and to discover the names of Tim’s fellow small guests.
NEW RESEARCH: ARMY CHILDHOODS FROM THE 1980S ONWARDS; PARTICIPANTS WELCOME
Dr Grace Clifton, of the Centre for Childhood, Development and Learning at the Open University, is researching army childhoods. Click here for more information.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: INFORMATION REQUESTED REGARDING THE FREE TERRITORY OF TRIESTE, 1954
Sylvia French is seeking information about her family’s posting to Trieste during the early 1950s, and about her evacuation from there. Click here for more.
REVIEW: DON’T SAY GOODBYE: OUR HEROES AND THE FAMILIES THEY LEAVE BEHIND
Click here to read a review of Don’t Say Goodbye: Our Heroes and the Families They Leave Behind, Fiona Stanford’s book about the families of the Welsh Guards and their experience of army life.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: INFORMATION SOUGHT REGARDING AN EVACUATION FROM CAIRO, EGYPT, TO HAIFA, PALESTINE, 1941
Anne Keville is seeking information about the German hospice on Mount Carmel in Haifa, Palestine, during World War II. Click here to learn more.
PICTURE: MILITARY HOSPITAL, COLCHESTER, ESSEX
To see a postcard of the military hospital that treated army families in Colchester, Essex, from 1896 to 1977, click here.
REVIEW: RED ONE: A BOMB DISPOSAL EXPERT ON THE FRONT LINE
Click here to read a review of Red One: A Bomb Disposal Expert on the Front Line, a book by Kevin Ivison, the son of an infantryman who became a bomb-disposal expert.
PICTURE: BRITISH MILITARY HOSPITAL (BMH) BOWEN ROAD, HONG KONG
To view a colour postcard of the old British Military Hospital (BMH) Bowen Road, Hong Kong, click here.
‘WIVES AND SWEETHEARTS’ SPECIAL DISPLAY AT THE NATIONAL ARMY MUSEUM, AND TWO IMAGES FROM TACA’S ARCHIVE
Click here for information on the ‘Wives and Sweethearts’ exhibition at the National Army Museum, as well as on the accompanying online exhibition, and to see some related TACA images.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: SEEKING INFORMATION ON THE BFES PRIMARY SCHOOL IN DELMENHORST, (WEST) GERMANY
Phil Craig would welcome information about the BFES primary school in Delmenhorst, (West) Germany. For further details, click here.
PICTURE: MARRIED QUARTERS, DAGSHAI, INDIA
For a black-and-white postcard captioned ‘Married Quarters Dagshai’, click here.
PERSONAL STORY: ‘NOW I WAS LIVING IN A CASTLE: STIRLING CASTLE’, 1934
Click here to read the final part of Mairi Paterson’s account of her army childhood, in which she recalls living in Stirling Castle and reflects on having been an army child during the 1920s and 1930s.
PERSONAL STORY: MY SCHOOLING IN THE UK AND SINGAPORE
For Frances Pountney’s outline of the schools that she attended as an army child during the 1950s and 1960s click here.
ARMY SCHOOLMISTRESSES IN THE NINETEENTH AND TWENTIETH CENTURIES
To read Howard R Clarke’s outline of the history of the army schoolmistresses who once taught soldiers’ children all over the world, click here.
PERSONAL STORY: THE ARMY LIFE
Click here for Winifred Hamilton’s memories of living in Scotland, Egypt and Malaya (Malaysia) during the 1940s and 1950s.
PERSONAL STORY: SAILING FROM HONG KONG HOME TO SCOTLAND, 1934
To read Mairi Paterson’s account of sailing from Hong Kong to Scotland via Singapore, Colombo, Port Said, Malta and Gibraltar in 1934, click here.
FROM THE HOME FRONT: THE NEWSLETTER OF THE 12TH ROYAL LANCERS FAMILIES’ ASSOCIATION, DECEMBER 1942
For highlights from the fourth newsletter of the 12th Royal Lancers (Prince of Wales’s) Regiment (now the 9th/12th Royal Lancers (Prince of Wales’s) Regiment), dated December 1942, click here.
CHRISTMAS IN BAOR
Click here for a post-World War II NAAFI poster advertising Christmas toys, as well as links to three British Pathé video newsreels filmed in (West) Germany showing British army children in the Rhineland in 1929, and in Hamburg and Hanover/Hannover in 1953.
FORGOTTEN FACES: A DRUM MAJOR’S FAMILY
To view an early twentieth-century studio portrait of the family of a drum major photographed in Kent, click here.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION: A SINGULAR AND MOST UNUSUAL SUB-POST OFFICE
Until recently, the Duke of York’s Royal Military School in Dover, Kent, had its own sub-post office. Click here to learn more about it.
PICTURE: MARRIED QUARTERS, DEEPCUT CAMP, SURREY
Click here for a coloured postcard showing children outside married quarters at Deepcut Camp in 1906.
REMEMBRANCE PICTURES: THE WARTIME SEPARATION OF ARMY FAMILIES
To see a pair of images dating from World War I emphasising the cost to families when a soldier parent goes away to war, click here.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: THE 43RD REGIMENT OF FOOT AND A MISSING BIRTH RECORD, c.1811
Judith Curtis has reached a dead end in researching her soldier ancestor; if you think that you could help her, click here to read more.
RAF HOSPITAL WEGBERG, (WEST) GERMANY, 1953–2010
Click here to read about RAF Hospital Wegberg, (West) Germany, which treated British service personnel, their dependants and associated civilians from 1953 to 2010.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: INVESTIGATING AN ARMY CHILD’S IRISH-BORN SOLDIER FATHER
Gill Bassett is trying to discover more about the parents of her ancestor John McKee, a soldier’s son who was born in Spain in 1814; to learn more, click here.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: THE BRITISH SCHOOL HAMBURG, (WEST) GERMANY
To see a photograph of the British School Hamburg, (West) Germany, and to read Jeanne Dawson's memories of the school during the late 1940s, click here.
PERSONAL STORY: GOING TO SCHOOL BY RICKSHAW AND KEEPING A LOW PROFILE IN HONG KONG, 1932–34
Click here to read of Mairi Paterson's experiences while living in Hong Kong between 1932 and 1934.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: SEEKING IMAGES AND INFORMATION ABOUT THE SUEZ CANAL ZONE
Can anyone help Peter Howell with information about and photographs of the Suez Canal Zone? Click here for further details.
FORGOTTEN FACES: A PIONEER SERGEANT'S FAMILY
To view a studio portrait of an army family attached to the King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster), and to read an assessment of the photograph by the regimental museum's curator, click here.
NEW BOOK: THE LITTLE BOOK OF HEROES
For information about The Little Book of Heroes, a book published in 2010 to which British forces children and teenagers have contributed, click here.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: WERE TRADES TAUGHT TO ARMY CHILDREN IN THE EARLY NINETEENTH CENTURY?
Click here to read Gay Fielding's request for information regarding how army children might have learned trades during the early nineteenth century.
SCOTTY'S LITTLE SOLDIERS: THE CHARITY FOR CHILDREN OF THE FALLEN
To read about Scotty's Little Soldiers, a charity that has recently been established to support children who have lost a parent serving in the armed forces, click here.
SUPPORTING MILITARY CHILDREN AND FAMILIES: THE SCE DEPLOYMENT RESOURCES WEBSITE
For information about the Service Children's Education (SCE) Deployment Resources Site, which provides materials aimed at helping current British military children affected by deployment, click here.
PICTURE: ROYAL FIELD ARTILLERY MARRIED QUARTERS, BORDON, HAMPSHIRE
To view a postcard showing Royal Field Artillery married quarters in Bordon, Hampshire, which was posted in 1915, click here.
PICTURE: MILITARY HOSPITAL, ROBERTS HEIGHTS, PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA
For a picture-postcard view of the British military hospital at Roberts Heights (today, Thaba Tshwane), Pretoria, South Africa, during the early years of the twentieth century, click here.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: 'CAN YOU HELP ME FIND MY BROTHER'S GRAVE?'
Click here to read about Shelagh Jones' quest to locate the grave of her brother, Graham, who died in (West) Germany aged five, and about the information supplied by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWCG).
FORGOTTEN FACES: A PRE-1918 VISIT TO AN ARMY CAMP
To see a photographic postcard dating from before 1918 showing some young visitors to a temporary army camp, click here.
PERSONAL STORY: 'I AM GLAD THAT I CAN REMEMBER WEIHAI AS IT WAS EIGHTY YEARS AGO'
To read Mairi Paterson's memories of Wei-Hai-Hei (Weihai), north-eastern China, where she lived between 1930 and 1932, click here.
PERSONAL STORY: CROSSING THE PACIFIC, 1930
Click here to read Mairi Paterson's account of crossing the Pacific in 1930, aboard a troopship travelling from Jamaica to Wei-Hai-Wei (Weihai), north-eastern China.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: SCHOOLS IN CYPRUS AND SINGAPORE, 1950S
For details of Dr Alastair MacKenzie's call for information about the school that he attended in Cyprus during the early 1950s, and his junior school in Singapore, click here.
'WE TRAVELLED AROUND A FAIR BIT, BECAUSE DAD WAS IN THE ARMY': AN INTERVIEW WITH DAME ELISABETH FRINK
To read extracts relating to her army childhood taken from an interview with Dame Elisabeth Frink in the British Library's National Life Story Collection: Artists' Lives, click here.
TACA BLOG: 'TACA DRUM'
TACA now has a blog, 'TACA drum', which can be read (as well as followed and commented on) at: http://tacadrum.blogspot.com.
A GUIDE FOR FAMILIES IN GERMANY, MAY 1954: THE NAAFI
To read the official advice given in 1954 to service families concerning what they could buy at NAAFI shops in (West) Germany, and their locations, click here.
PICTURE: MARRIED QUARTERS AT LARKHILL, WILTSHIRE
For a postcard showing married quarters at Larkhill, Wiltshire, dating from at least the 1950s, click here.
PERSONAL STORY: 'IT WAS A MAGICAL PLACE, WITH PALM TREES AND COFFEE PLANTATIONS', JAMAICA, 1928–30
Click here to read Mairi Paterson's evocative memories of living in Jamaica as an army child between the wars.
FORGOTTEN FACES: A PRE-WORLD WAR I ARMY FAMILY OF SEVEN
To see an approximately hundred-year-old postcard of an army family of seven, in which hair bows, the Prince of Wales' feathers and gleaming metalware feature prominently, click here.
SHOWING SUPPORT FOR THE ARMED FORCES, THEN AND NOW: ARMED FORCES DAY
For a pre-1918 fundraising photograph of children supporting the armed forces of their day, as well as links to the Armed Forces Day website and to those of some armed-forces-related charities, click here.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: HELP SOUGHT REGARDING SEK KONG ARMY QUARTERS AND JUNIOR SCHOOL, HONG KONG
Click here to read William Ritson's message requesting information relating to Sek Kong (now Shek Kong), Hong Kong, during the 1950s.
PICTURE: THE ROYAL SOLDIERS' DAUGHTERS' HOME, HAMPSTEAD
For some background information on the Royal Soldiers' Daughters' Home in Hampstead, London, which was established in 1855, as well as an image, click here.
PICTURE: MARRIED QUARTER, KENNEDY ROAD, HONG KONG
To view an old postcard of a married quarter in Kennedy Road, Hong Kong, click here.
FORGOTTEN FACES: AN ARMY FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHED AT SOUTHSEA, PORTSMOUTH, HAMPSHIRE
To see a photograph of three army children with their parents, photographed at Southsea, Portsmouth, Hampshire, click here.
PICTURE: THE RHEINDAHLEN MILITARY COMPLEX, (WEST) GERMANY
Click here to see a multi-view postcard of Rheindahlen, Mönchengladbach, (West) Germany, in the days when it was the headquarters of BAOR.
PICTURE: MARRIED QUARTERS AT BULFORD CAMP, WILTSHIRE
For a postcard captioned 'Salisbury Plain. Bulford Camp. Married Quarters', click here.
PICTURES: CONDITIONS FOR NINETEENTH-CENTURY ARMY FAMILIES ABOARD TROOPSHIPS ("TOMMY ATKINS" MARRIED – PAST AND PRESENT, 1884)
To see a trio of images from the composite print "Tommy Atkins" Married – Past and Present (1884), illustrating conditions aboard troopships for army families during the nineteenth century, click here.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: MEMORIAL AT ALL SAINTS' CHURCH, HUTTON, BRENTWOOD, ESSEX
Click here to read Judy Warner's query regarding the memorial at All Saints' Church, Hutton, Brentwood, Essex, to former pupils of the Duke of York's Royal Military School, and Art Cockerill's reply.
PICTURE: 'ALL THROUGH WALKING WITH A SOLDIER'
For a comic postcard illustrating the belief that army families are large families, click here.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: MEMORIES OF BOURNE SCHOOL, KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYA
Click here to read Richard Mellish's message concerning Bourne School, Kuala Lumpur, Malaya (now Malaysia).
PICTURE: MARRIED QUARTERS IN RANIKHET, INDIA
To see an old black-and-white postcard captioned 'Married Quarters & Half noon Barracks in snow, Ranikhet', click here.
PICTURE: THE CAMBRIDGE MILITARY HOSPITAL, ALDERSHOT, HAMPSHIRE
Click here for an image of the Cambridge Military Hospital (CMH) in Aldershot, Hampshire, and a brief history of the CMH and the Louise Margaret Maternity Hospital.
PICTURE: THE MV FREE ENTERPRISE VIII
For a picture of the MV Free Enterprise VIII, a Townsend Thoreson ferry that carried passengers across the Strait of Dover during the 1970s and 1980s, click here.
PICTURES: THE CONTRASTING FORTUNES OF NINETEENTH-CENTURY ARMY FAMILIES PRIOR TO OVERSEAS POSTINGS ("TOMMY ATKINS" MARRIED – PAST AND PRESENT, 1884)
To view two images from "Tommy Atkins" Married – Past and Present (1884) illustrating the contrasting fates of nineteenth-century army families when married soldiers were posted abroad, click here.
PERSONAL STORY: 'IT SURPRISES LISTENERS WHEN I SAY THAT I WAS AN ARMY BRAT'
Click here to read Chris Crowcroft's outline of his life as an army child during the 1950s and 1960s, and also of his musician father's army career.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: POPPIES FROM THE HEART OF STRATHSPEY, BY PETER ANDERSON
For details of former army child Peter Anderson's book, Poppies from the Heart of Strathspey, click here.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: THE NAME OF THE BLUE HOUSE AT THE SCHOOL IN PASIR PANJANG WAS . . .
Click here to read the names of the houses at the BFES junior school in Pasir Panjang, Singapore, supplied by Paul Loy.
NEW RESEARCH PROJECT: GREEN LIGHT FOR STUDY ON CHILDREN WITH FATHERS IN THE UK ARMED FORCES
For further details of a three-year study by the King's Centre for Military Health Research (KCMHR) into the health and well-being of forces children, click here.
PICTURES: MARRIED QUARTERS IN BORDON, HAMPSHIRE
To see a pair of postcards showing Royal Artillery married quarters in Bordon, Hampshire, click here.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: THE HAVEL SCHOOL, BERLIN, (WEST) GERMANY
Click here to learn what happened to the premises of the former Havel School in Berlin, (West) Germany, which educated army children during the Cold War era.
A STANDING INVITATION TO ALL FORMER AND CURRENT ARMY CHILDREN
If you were, or are, an army child, how about contributing your story to TACA? Click here for more details, including how to get in touch.
PICTURES: NINETEENTH-CENTURY SERVICE FAMILY ACCOMMODATION ("TOMMY ATKINS" MARRIED – PAST AND PRESENT, 1884)
Click here for scenes from "Tommy Atkins" Married – Past and Present (1884) showing army families in camp at Cove Common, Aldershot, as well as at home in the corner of a barrack room and in modern married quarters ('modern' by the standards of 1884, at least).
PICTURE: A SOLDIER’S FAMILY GRIEVES BY HIS GRAVE ("TOMMY ATKINS" MARRIED – PAST AND PRESENT, 1884)
For a sad scene entitled 'A Soldier's Funeral', dating from 1884, click here.
ADVICE FOR FORMER BRITISH ARMY CHILDREN WHO WERE BORN ABROAD ON HOW TO APPLY FOR THEIR BIRTH CERTIFICATES
Click here for some pointers on how to apply for the birth certificates of army children who were born abroad during the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.
PICTURES: ARMY WIVES AND CHILDREN ON THE MARCH ("TOMMY ATKINS" MARRIED – PAST AND PRESENT, 1884)
For an idea of how army families were transported from posting to posting on land during the nineteenth century – that is, before railways became prevalent – click here.
PICTURE: "TOMMY ATKINS" MARRIED – PAST AND PRESENT, 1884
Click here to see "Tommy Atkins" Married – Past and Present, a composite print first published in 1884 in The Graphic depicting details of Victorian army families’ lives.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: WHERE ARE THE ADMINISTRATIVE RECORDS OF RNS VERDALA, MALTA, ARCHIVED?
David Woolfenden would like to discover the whereabouts of the administrative records of the Royal Naval School (RNS) Verdala, in Malta, which closed in 1976. For more, click here.
PICTURE: MARRIED QUARTERS, JULLUNDUR, INDIA
Click here to view a postcard captioned 'Parade Ground, Showing Married quarters – Jullundur'.
A GUIDE FOR FAMILIES IN GERMANY, MAY 1954: ENTERTAINMENT
To read some extracts from a booklet published in 1954 outlining the types of entertainment available to British service personnel and their families in (West) Germany, click here.
CHILDREN'S BOOK: MY DADDY'S GOING AWAY . . .
For information on My Daddy's Going Away . . ., an illustrated storybook for young children by serving army officer and father of two Major Christopher MacGregor, and its associated website, click here.
PICTURE: GARRISON SCHOOL, VERDALA, MALTA, 1921
To view a photograph, dated 1921, showing staff and pupils at the Garrison School, Verdala, Malta, click here.
PICTURES: MISS AND MASTER TOMMY ATKINS, c.1910
Click here for two playing cards showing 'Miss Tommy Atkins the Soldier's Daughter' and 'Master Tommy Atkins the Soldier's Son' from a set called 'Funny Families', c.1910.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: SEEKING INFORMATION ON A BIRTH DURING THE RETREAT TO CORUNNA
Liz Brown is researching the birth of an army child to the wife of a private in the 42nd (Royal Highland) Regiment of Foot during the retreat to Corunna (1808–9); click here for further details.
PICTURES: BMH/RNH GIBRALTAR
For a pair of postcards of BMH Gibraltar, click here.
PICTURE: 'THE CAMP AT ALDERSHOT – ON DUTY', MARRIED QUARTERS IN 1871
Click here for an illustration of a Victorian army family in front of their married-quarter hut in Aldershot, Hampshire, which was published in The Graphic in 1871.
SOME CHRISTMAS RECIPES FOR THE FAMILY: CHRISTMAS FARE 1949
To read extracts from Some Christmas Recipes for the Family: Christmas Fare 1949, a booklet produced by the Army Catering Corps for 'married families' stationed in West Germany at the start of the Cold War, click here.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: BOY SOLDIERS AND EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY REGIMENTAL MUSTER ROLLS
Click here for Art Cockerill's advice to Janet Adams regarding discovering more about her great-great-grandfather, an army child born in Gibraltar in 1781.
PICTURES: ASSAYE BARRACKS AND MARRIED QUARTERS, TIDWORTH, WILTSHIRE
To view an old postcard of Assaye Barracks, Tidworth, Wiltshire, click here; and to see another, showing a row of terraced married quarters, captioned 'Assaye, M.Q., Tidworth', click here.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: SEEKING OLD FRIENDS, HONG KONG, 1956–58
David Rumford would like to hear from anyone who knew him between 1956 and 1958, when he and his family lived in Hong Kong. Click here for further details.
PERSONAL STORY: 'THE HUMDRUM LIFE OF AN ARMY BRAT'?
Click here to read John Legg's account of his army childhood, including his experiences in Malta, Libya, Wiltshire, Cheshire and Malaya/Malaysia during the 1950s and early 1960s.
ONGOING RESEARCH PROJECT: THE 'FAMILY LIFE AND THE ARMED FORCES STUDY'
Katherine Shelton, of Cardiff University's School of Psychology, is looking for forces families to participate in a research study on family life and the armed forces. Click here for further details.
PICTURE: MARRIED QUARTERS, FLORIANA, MALTA
For a view of some married quarters in Floriana, Malta, as they appeared around a century ago, click here.
NEW RESEARCH: THE ORIGINS OF THE TERM 'BRAT'
Dr Grace Clifton, working with the US Army, has investigated why military children are often familiarly termed 'brats'; click here to read their conclusions.
NEW RESEARCH: 'THE OVERLOOKED CASUALTIES OF CONFLICT'
Click here for information on a report published on 5 November 2009 by the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Children's Fund detailing the challenges faced by children with a parent in the armed forces.
REMEMBRANCE POEM: 'TO TONY – AGED 3 (IN MEMORY: T. P. C. W.)'
For Marjorie Wilson's memorial poem, written for the child of a soldier who was killed in action in France in 1918, click here.
PERSONAL STORY: MY ARMY LIFE, AND THE CONSEQUENCES OF MY PERIPATETIC UPBRINGING
Click here to read Julie Hewitt's account of growing as an army child in the UK and Cyprus between 1953 and 1965, and her thoughts on the damaging consequences of 'going to too many schools and living in too many houses'.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: 'I WONDER IF I'LL EVER FIND OUT WHICH HOUSE WAS BLUE IN PASIR PANJANG'
To view some photographs of Bourne School, Singapore, dating from the 1960s, contributed by former pupil Leslie Rutledge (who also attended junior school in Pasir Panjang), click here.
'WHERE THERE ARE FIVE CHILDREN, THE REGULATION PROVIDES FOR FOUR ROOMS AND A SCULLERY': CHILDREN OF THE REGIMENT IN 1896
For a description of the married quarters that were being built to accommodate soldiers' families in the UK by the end of the nineteenth century, click here.
PERSONAL OBSERVATIONS: 'ARMY LIFE CERTAINLY FORMS PART OF A PERSON'S CHARACTER'
Click here to read Leslie Rutledge's thoughts on the advantages and disadvantages of being brought up as an army child (and here for the Rutledge family's story).
THE SERVING SOLDIER: NEW HISTORICAL WEBSITE
For details of The Serving Soldier website, which provides online access to original material held by King's College London's Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives, click here.
PERSONAL STORY: AN ARMY SCHOOL TEACHER IN NEPAL, 1976–78
Angela (Vikki) Richardson was a teacher with the Service Children's Education Authority (SCEA); click here for her recollections of SCS Dharan, Nepal, where she taught primary-school-aged army children.
PERSONAL STORY: LIFE AS AN ARMY CHILD, 1950–70, PART XI
To read Leslie Rutledge's account of his army family's last posting, to Malvern Wells in Worcestershire, click here.
PERSONAL PICTURES AND PAGES FROM PUBLICATIONS: MALAYSIA AND SINGAPORE, THEN AND NOW, PART V
Click here to see images contributed by Jeff Harrison of St John's School and Bourne School, Singapore.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: WILLIAM ISLEY AND THE 52ND (OXFORDSHIRE LIGHT INFANTRY) REGIMENT OF FOOT
Read CC's reference to a nineteenth-century soldier and erstwhile army child by clicking here.
PERSONAL STORY: LIFE AS AN ARMY CHILD, 1950–70, PART X
For Part X of Leslie Rutledge's army-child story, in which he tells of life in Willich, (West) Germany, during the mid-1960s, click here.
PERSONAL STORY: GREAT DAYS IN SEREMBAN, MALAYA
Click here for Stuart Lloyd's memories of Christmas 1968, which he spent in Seremban, Malaya/Malaysia.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: BOURNE SCHOOL, KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA, AND GROUP WEBSITES
To read Colin McCormac's report on how Bourne School, Kuala Lumpur, Malaya (now Malaysia) appeared on a return visit in 2006, and for information on Yahoo! and Facebook groups dedicated to former British forces' schools in the Far East, click here.
PERSONAL PICTURES AND PAGES FROM PUBLICATIONS: MALAYSIA AND SINGAPORE, THEN AND NOW, PART IV
For a selection of images from a pamphlet marking the closure of Bourne School in Kuala Lumpur, Malaya (now Malaysia), in 1965, as well as some of Jeff Harrison's photographs showing how the school's former premises appear today, click here.
PERSONAL STORY: LIFE AS AN ARMY CHILD, 1950–70, PART IX
Click here to read Part IX of Leslie Rutledge's story, in which he describes living in temporary accommodation in Blackpool before moving to Willich, (West) Germany, and attending Kent School, at Waldniel Hostert.
PERSONAL STORY: 'A COUPLE OF YEARS AFTER THE CLASS PHOTO WAS TAKEN, WE WERE ON A SIX-WEEK VOYAGE TO JAMAICA'
Army-child Barbara Rayner lived in (West) Germany and Jamaica during the late 1950s and early 1960s; click here for her photographs of a Sennelager primary-school class in 1958 and the troopship MS Dunera.
PERSONAL PICTURES AND PAGES FROM PUBLICATIONS: MALAYSIA AND SINGAPORE, THEN AND NOW, PART III
To view Jeff Harrison's photographs of Arakan House, Bourne School, Kuala Lumpur, Malaya (Malaysia), then and now, click here.
PERSONAL STORY: LIFE AS AN ARMY CHILD, 1950–70, PART VIII
For Part VIII of Leslie Rutledge's story, which includes his recollections of Bourne School, Singapore, in 1964, click here.
PERSONAL STORY: 'I LOVE MY PARENTS AND THE ARMY FOR "DRAGGING" ME AROUND THE WORLD WITH THEM'
Click here to read Kerry Millward's account of an army childhood spent in Hanover (Hannover), Wickrath and Rheindahlen, in (West) Germany, as well as in Northern Ireland, Scotland, Gibraltar and England.
PERSONAL PICTURES AND PAGES FROM PUBLICATIONS: MALAYSIA AND SINGAPORE, THEN AND NOW, PART II
For some photographs from Jeff Harrison's copy of the 1964 issue of the magazine published by Bourne School, Kuala Lumpur, Malaya, click here.
PERSONAL STORY: LIFE AS AN ARMY CHILD, 1950–70, PART VII
To read Part VII of Leslie Rutledge's story, in which he tells of his family's posting to Singapore between 1962 and 1964, click here.
'EVEN THE WEEK-OLD INFANT IS SUPPLIED WITH A GOVERNMENT RATION': CHILDREN OF THE REGIMENT IN 1896
For an indication of how army children were fed in 1896, click here.
PERSONAL PICTURES AND PAGES FROM PUBLICATIONS: MALAYSIA AND SINGAPORE, THEN AND NOW, PART I
Jeff Harrison attended Bourne School, Kuala Lumpur, Malaya (now Malaysia), as a boarder between 1963 and 1965. Click here to view some photographs of Jeff's then home in Seremban, also in Malaya; of Arakan House's open day at Bourne School in 1964; and of Prince Philip’s visit to the school in 1963 or 1964.
PERSONAL STORY: LIFE AS AN ARMY CHILD, 1950–70, PART VI
Between May and September 1962, the Rutledge family lived in Hong Kong, in both Kowloon and Sek Kong, where they were exposed to the full force of Typhoon Wanda. Click here to read the sixth instalment of Leslie Rutledge's story.
'CONFLICTS OF INTEREST': A NEW EXHIBITION AT THE NATIONAL ARMY MUSEUM
For information on the 'Conflicts of Interest' exhibition that opened at the National Army Museum in London on 12 September 2009, click here.
PERSONAL STORY: LIFE AS AN ARMY CHILD, 1950–70, PART V
In Part V of his account of life as an army child, Leslie Rutledge recalls moving to Sennelager, (West) Germany, and gaining three more sisters there, before briefly living in a hostel in Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex. Click here to read it.
PRINCE RUPERT SCHOOL (PRS), WILHELMSHAVEN, GERMANY: A VIDEO CLIP OF THE LAST DAY
Click here, and then navigate down to 'PRINCE RUPERT SCHOOL (PRS), WILHELMSHAVEN, GERMANY: THEN AND NOW', for the link that activates a video clip of the last day, in June 1972, of PRS at Wilhelmshaven.
REVIEW: SMALL WARS
Click here to read a review of Sadie Jones’ novel, Small Wars (2009).
PERSONAL STORY: LIFE AS AN ARMY CHILD, 1950–70, PART IV
For Part IV of Leslie Rutledge's recollections of life as an army child, in which he describes sailing from Hong Kong to Liverpool on HMT Oxfordshire and his family's subsequent posting to Paderborn, (West) Germany, click here.
'A CONCERT BY SOLDIERS' CHILDREN IS FREQUENTLY A TREAT': CHILDREN OF THE REGIMENT IN 1896
Click here for a brief description of army children's education circa 1896, and of their apparent talent for making music.
PERSONAL STORY: LIFE AS AN ARMY CHILD, 1950–70, PART III
To read Part III of Leslie Rutledge's story, in which he describes sailing to Hong Kong by troopship in 1956 and family life in Kowloon and the New Territories, click here.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: MYSTERY BIRTH IN 'ISLEY BLOU'
For more information on the puzzle that Anne Hitchen has been trying to solve for years – the mystery birth of Eliza Isley Kelly in 'Isley Blou, Spain', in around 1812 – click here.
PERSONAL STORY: LIFE AS AN ARMY CHILD, 1950–70, PART II
Click here for Part II of Leslie Rutledge's story, in which he tells of his father briefly returning to civvy street in Wales before rejoining the Royal Engineers in 1954 and then being posted to Korea, leaving his growing family behind in Perham Down, Wiltshire.
'CLEAN, STURDY, HEALTHY LITTLE URCHINS': CHILDREN OF THE REGIMENT IN 1896
Click here for a description, dating from 1896, of the 'children of the regiment', and of how the birthday of the 'daughter of the regiment' was customarily celebrated at that time.
PERSONAL STORY: LIFE AS AN ARMY CHILD, 1950–70, PART I
To read the first part of Leslie Rutledge's story, which spans the years 1948 to 1953 and features the birth of two of Leslie's seven siblings and his family’s posting to Trieste, click here.
PICTURE: MARRIED QUARTERS, SHORNCLIFFE, KENT
For an early twentieth-century view of married quarters at Shorncliffe, Kent, click here.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION: BMH RINTELN, (WEST) GERMANY
Click here for a little background information on BMH Rinteln and the (West) German town of Rinteln, in Lower Saxony, where this British military hospital (BMH) was situated before its closure in 1996.
TACA-RELATED ARTICLE IN FAMILY HISTORY MONTHLY MAGAZINE'S SEPTEMBER 2009 ISSUE
Family History Monthly magazine's September 2009 issue featured 'Following the Drum', an article by Clare Gibson on tracking down army children of the past, and also on TACA. For further information, click here.
OPEN LETTER: WHEN THE WORST HAPPENS
For a link to Alexandra Blair's 'Open letter to Lieutenant-Colonel Rupert Thorneloe's daughters, from the daughter of a murdered officer', which was published in The Times newspaper on 9 July 2009, click here.
PICTURE: MARRIED QUARTERS IN PESHAWAR, INDIA
For a glimpse of what soldiers' married quarters in Peshawar (then part of British India, and today of Pakistan) looked like in around 1910, click here.
IN THE NEWS: THE ELIZABETH CROSS
For information on the Elizabeth Cross, which will be awarded from 1 August 2009 to the next of kin of UK armed forces personnel who have died on operations or as a result of terrorism from 1948 to date, click here.
PERSONAL STORY: 'I HAVE CHANGED COMPLETELY'
For Taima McDonald-Pizey's summary of her army childhood, including her experience of attending school in Münster, (West) Germany, between 1979 and 1980, click here.
PERSONAL STORY: AN EAST AFRICAN ADVENTURE
Click here to read Penelope Ann Perry's account of travelling from England to Kenya in 1949, and of living near Nakuru, and later in Jinja, Uganda, during the 1950s and 1960s.
A GUIDE FOR FAMILIES IN GERMANY, MAY 1954: MEDICAL SERVICES
For an idea of the medical care available to army families stationed in (West) Germany in 1954, click here.
PICTURE: MARRIED QUARTERS, HOUNSLOW BARRACKS, MIDDLESEX
Click here for a sepia-toned view of married quarters at Hounslow Barracks, in Middlesex.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: ENLISTMENT AS A DRUMMER, AGED FIVE
Janet Adams is keen to learn more about the life of John Murray, who was born to a British soldier serving at Gibraltar in 1781 and enlisted in the British Army as a drummer at five years of age. To learn more, click here.
IN THE NEWS: JOANNA LUMLEY
To see why actress and former army child Joanna Lumley hit the headlines on 21 May 2009, click here.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: INFORMATION SOUGHT ON BEECH-HANGER COURT, CATERHAM, SURREY
Jane O'Connor is seeking information on Beech-hanger Court, Caterham, Surrey, in around 1945. For further details, click here.
PERSONAL STORY: LIFE IN MARRIED QUARTERS IN EARLY POST-WAR BRITAIN
Click here to read about Peter Crump's disrupted early years and to learn what it was like to be a young army child in Manorbier, Pembrokeshire, Wales, during the early 1950s.
A GUIDE FOR FAMILIES IN GERMANY, MAY 1954: FOOD
For an insight into the advice given to army families moving to (West) Germany in 1954 on family food rations, where to buy food and what to avoid, click here.
PICTURE: MARRIED QUARTERS, WOOLWICH, LONDON
Click here for a postcard of married quarters in Woolwich, south-east London, dating from around World War I.
PICTURES: WEST RIDING BARRACKS, DORTMUND, (WEST) GERMANY, 1954–56
To see some photographs that Alan Robson took between 1954 and 1956, featuring army children at West Riding Barracks, Dortmund, in (West) Germany, click here.
CHILDREN'S BOOK: SOLDIER OLI
For details of Soldier Oli, a rhyming picture book for pre-school children, written by Kirsty Marvell to help army children understand and cope if someone in their family has to go away on tour, click here.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: SEEKING A SCHOOLFRIEND, (WEST) GERMANY, 1978–81
Linda McIver is trying to trace a friend from her schooldays in Sennelager and Gütersloh, in (West) Germany. For further information, click here.
PICTURE: CATTERICK CAMP, NORTH YORKSHIRE
To see a postcard of Catterick Camp, North Yorkshire, with details of Sandes Soldiers Home; the post office; the garrison theatre; and Boulogne Lines, click here.
PERSONAL STORY: 'MÜNSTER – I CAN'T FAULT THE PLACE'
For Gerald Lipton's memories of attending Swinton Primary School in Senden, (West) Germany, and then Edinburgh School in Münster, and of the shock of moving from Germany to Scotland in the early 1980s, click here.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: DO YOU RECOGNISE YOUR YOUNGER SELF?
If you were an army child living in Katapahar, Darjeeling, Bengal, India, in 1935, Michael Few wonders whether you'll recognise yourself in the photograph that you'll see if you click here.
CHILDREN'S BOOKS: MY DADDY IS A SOLDIER AND MY MUMMY IS A SOLDIER
For details of My Daddy Is A Soldier and My Mummy Is A Soldier, by Gerry Waters, both books that were written to help today's small army children cope with their fathers' or mothers' absence when they are deployed on operations, click here.
PERSONAL STORY: 'I'M JUST SO GLAD I WAS AN ARMY KID'
Joan McCartney (née O'Brien) and her twin sister were born in BMH Wuppertal, in what was then West Germany. Click here for her memories of her army childhood, which encompass living in Germany, England, Cyprus and Hong Kong.
PERSONAL STORY: MY LIFE AS AN ARMY CHILD
Sheila Danks (née Wayman) spent the first years of her life as an army child in (West) Germany, Cyprus, England, Hong Kong, North Wales and Scotland. To read more, click here.
PERSONAL STORY: MY EDUCATION AS A MARRIED-QUARTERS' CHILD
To read Chris Fussell's outline of his education as an army child, click here.
PICTURE: MARRIED QUARTERS, BULFORD CAMP
To view a postcard showing red-brick, terraced married quarters at Bulford Camp, Wiltshire, click here.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: LOOKING FOR OLD FRIENDS
Helen Posaner (née James) is looking for friends from her childhood days in Fallingbostel, (West) Germany, and Colchester; for further details, click here.
NEW RESEARCH: THE EDUCATION OF ARMED FORCES CHILDREN IN STATE SCHOOLS
For Aggie Robertson's conclusions following her research into the education of armed forces children in British state schools, click here.
PERSONAL STORY: MY TIME AT ALEXANDRA GRAMMAR SCHOOL, SINGAPORE, 1959–62
Click here for Roger White's memories of attending Alexander Grammar School, in Singapore, during the late 1950s and early 1960s.
PERSONAL STORY: A WARTIME CHILDHOOD SPENT IN MALTA, 1938–46
To read Doreen McKeown's memories of being bombed – and more – while living in Malta during World War II, click here.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: RATINGEN JUNIOR SCHOOL, GERMANY, 1956–59
Stephanie Strawbridge (née Hollier) would like to hear from anyone who went to Ratingen Junior School, in (West) Germany, between 1956 and 1959. For further details, click here.
FAMILY-HISTORY RESEARCH: ROBERT AND SYDNEY COCKMAN, GORDON HIGHLANDERS (AND AN ARMY SCHOOLMASTER) DURING THE BOER WAR
For Virginia Silvester's article outlining the story of the Cockman brothers' army careers, and of the impact that the military way of life had on their families, click here.
PRINCE RUPERT SCHOOL (PRS), WILHELMSHAVEN, GERMANY: THEN AND NOW
For a selection of links to some video clips taken from a DVD about PRS Wilhelmshaven that can now be watched on YouTube, click here.
PERSONAL STORY: BULLFROGS, CICADAS AND MACHINE-GUN FIRE IN EGYPT, 1951
For Chris Fussell's recollection of the jitteriness that pervaded his army-child's world in the aftermath of rioting in Ismailia, Egypt, in 1951, click here.
PERSONAL STORY: LIVING AND LEARNING IN AUSTRIA, 1953 TO 1955
John Leggett lived in Vienna, Graz and Klagenfurt as an army child. Click here to discover more about his time in Austria.
DEATH ON THE MARCH: FALLING BY THE WAYSIDE ON THE RETREAT TO CORUNNA, 1808–9
To read Rifleman Benjamin Harris' haunting description of the suffering that army children experienced on the retreat to Corunna, during the Peninsular War, click here.
PERSONAL STORY: A MARRIED-QUARTER CRISIS IN EGYPT
For Chris Fussell's account of a family crisis in Egypt, click here.
PICTURE: CHRISTMAS DINNER ON A TROOPSHIP, 1889
To view a sketch of Victorian-era army children enjoying Christmas dinner on a troopship, click here.
PERSONAL STORY: MAGICAL CHRISTMASES IN GERMANY
To read Terry Friend's memories of Christmases in Hohne, (West) Germany, click here.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: INFORMATION SOUGHT ON ARMY SCHOOLS IN AUSTRIA
Do you know anything about the BFES schools that educated army children in Austria after World War II? If so, William Dickins (and TACA) would like to hear from you. Click here to read more.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: EDWARD JAMES BIRCH, BORN 1881, BERMUDA
For details of Jack O'Brien's quest to discover more about the Bermudan-born army child Edward James Birch, click here.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: REGARDING 'DID YOU GO TO A STATE SCHOOL IN THE UK?'
To read a message from Aggie Robertson to those who contributed to her research, click here.
PICTURE: MARRIED QUARTERS, CATTERICK CAMP, NORTH YORKSHIRE
Click here to see a postcard captioned 'Warrant officers' married quarters, Royal Signals, Catterick Camp'.
PICTURE: 'LIFE ON BOARD A TROOP-SHIP: "COMMENCE FIRING"'
For an illustration showing the presence of army children when permission was given for pipes to be lit on the Himalaya troopship's upper deck in 1873, click here.
PERSONAL STORY: MAYHEM IN A MALTESE MARRIED QUARTER
To read Chris Fussell's account of the night that his family's dogs ran amok on Malta, click here.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION: GIBRALTAR
For details of the Discover Gibraltar website, visit the 'LINKS' section of TACA'S 'POSTINGS' page.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: THE KING'S GERMAN LEGION AND NINETEENTH-CENTURY ARMY SCHOOLS
For details of Peter Cole's request for information about the King's German Legion in Bexhill, East Sussex, and particularly about the regimental school there, as well as about the 8th Acting Army Schoolmasters' Course, click here.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: THE PROS AND CONS OF AN ARMY CHILDHOOD
For Anne Miller's views on the benefits and disadvantages of an army childhood, click here.
PICTURE: 'THE CHILD HE WILL NEVER SEE!'
Click here to see a tear-jerking World War I-era postcard.
PERSONAL STORY: REFLECTIONS ON REMEMBRANCE DAY
To read Terry Friend's reflections on past and present Remembrance Days, click here.
PERSONAL STORY: EXPERT FIRST AID IN MALTA
Click here for Chris Fussell's tale of being tended to by some expert first-aiders while living in Malta.
PERSONAL STORY: LEISURE TIME IN LIBYA
For Mick Kiernan's recollections of how he and his army-children friends spent their free time while living in Benghazi, Libya, during the early 1950s, click here.
PERSONAL OBSERVATION: 'I HAVE NO MEMORIES'
Click here for more on how the army-child experience has affected Marie O'Brien.
PERSONAL STORY: THE HUNGARIAN UPRISING, OCTOBER TO NOVEMBER 1956
For Terry Friend's recollections of the knock-on effects of the Hungarian uprising on Bonfire Night in Hohne, (West) Germany, click here.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: BFES PRIMARY SCHOOL AT STADE, (WEST) GERMANY
For Elaine Hart's reflections on her BFES primary school at Stade, (West) Germany, and her quest to discover the name of her inspirational teacher there, click here.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: BFPO, BTA AND MELF NUMBERS
Lists of British Forces Post Office (BFPO), BTA (British Troops Austria) and MELF (Middle East Land Forces) numbers are being compiled by Peter Watson. If you think that you can add to them, click here for further information.
PERSONAL STORY: SCHOOLDAYS IN BENGHAZI, LIBYA
To read Mick Kiernan's memories of the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation School, in Benghazi, Libya, and a camping trip to Ras el Hilal, click here.
PERSONAL STORY: SOME SNAPSHOTS OF GROWING UP IN POST-WAR AUSTRIA AND BERLIN
For Lorina Lumsden's recollections of her family's postings to Austria and Berlin, (West) Germany, click here.
HIDDEN LIVES REVEALED: THE VIRTUAL ARCHIVE OF THE WAIFS AND STRAYS' SOCIETY
For information on a virtual archive that focuses on the stories of children, some of them army children, in the care of the Waifs and Strays' Society between 1881 and 1918, click here.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: BAOR POSTCODES
Click here for Peter Watson's list of British Army of the Rhine (BAOR) postcodes.
PERSONAL STORY: SCHOOLDAYS AT HOHNE AND PRINCE RUPERT SCHOOL, WILHELMSHAVEN, GERMANY
For Terry Friend's recollections of life at primary school in Hohne, (West) Germany, and at Prince Rupert School (PRS), a secondary (boarding) school in Wilhelmshaven, (West) Germany, click here.
FAMILY-HISTORY RESEARCH: RICHARD FORD (1807–84), ARMOURER SERGEANT, ROYAL IRISH REGIMENT/18TH REGIMENT OF FOOT, AND HIS FAMILY
Chris Merry's research into the lives and times of his soldier great-great-grandfather and family can be read in the January 2009 issue (issue 73) of Your Family Tree magazine.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: BRITISH MILITARY HOSPITALS IN GERMANY
For information provided by Peter Watson on British military hospitals (BMHs) in Germany, click here.
PERSONAL STORY: 'MALTA SEEMED VERY EXOTIC TO ME'
For Mick Kiernan's account of a memorable stopover on Malta in 1951, en route from England to Benghazi, Libya, click here.
PERSONAL STORY: THE ARMY CHILD WHO GREW UP TO BECOME AN ASTRONAUT
US astronaut Piers Sellars was a bona fide British army child. To learn more, click here.
PERSONAL STORY: THE CAMP AT HOHNE, GERMANY
To read Terry Friend's recollections of the camp at Hohne, in (West) Germany, between 1951 and 1961, click here.
PICTURE: MARRIED QUARTERS, HOUNSLOW
To see how some married quarters in barracks in Hounslow, Middlesex, looked at the start of the twentieth century, click here.
REVIEW: CURRIES & BUGLES: A MEMOIR & COOKBOOK OF THE BRITISH RAJ
For a review of Jennifer Brennan's evocative, India-focused memoir-cum-cookbook, click here.
PICTURES: KING ALFRED SCHOOL (KAS) TRAINS
To see some photographs of the trains that transported pupils to and from King Alfred School, Plön, in Germany, click here.
PERSONAL STORY: MARRIED QUARTERS IN HOHNE, GERMANY
For Terry Friend's description of the married quarters in which his family lived in Hohne, Germany, from 1951 to 1961, click here.
PERSONAL STORY: 'EVER HEARD A SHOT FIRED IN ANGER?'
Chris Fussell has. To read more about his exciting experience in Ismailia, Egypt, in 1950, click here.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: EDINBURGH SCHOOL, MÜNSTER, GERMANY
For a few facts on Edinburgh School's beginning and end, click here.
PERSONAL STORY: HAPPY DAYS IN HONG KONG, 1953
To read about Richard Hall's voyage east on the Empire Orwell and year in Hong Kong, click here.
PERSONAL STORY: WARTIME IN THE UK; PEACETIME IN MALTA, EGYPT AND OXFORDSHIRE
For Chris Fussell's recollections of growing up in Northern Ireland and Aldershot during World War II, and then Malta and Egypt, as well as Oxfordshire, after the war, click here.
PERSONAL STORY: MEMORIES OF MÜNSTER, 1958–60
To read Richard Hall's memories of living in Münster, (West) Germany, during the late 1950s, click here.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION: PLÖN AM SEE
For a view of Plön, in northern Germany, where the BFES' King Alfred School (KAS) was located between 1948 and 1959, as well as some useful related links, click here.
FROM KASHMIR TO KENT: JOANNA LUMLEY'S ARMY-CHILD CREDENTIALS
For details of Joanna Lumley's links with India, and the Gurkhas, click here.
PICTURE: A REGIMENTAL SCHOOL IN INDIA
To see an image of the regimental school of the 1st Battalion of the Northamptonshire Regiment (previously the 48th Foot) in India, in around 1889–90, click here.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: LOOKING FOR LOST FRIENDS
Nathan Williams (b.1985) is looking for lost friends from his army childhood in Germany, Hong Kong and Britain. For further details, click here.
PERSONAL OBSERVATION: THE PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF A FORCES' CHILDHOOD
For a TACA correspondent's suggested negative consequence of growing up as an army child, click here.
RECENT RESEARCH: 'BORN ABROAD' STATISTICS
For some information on the findings of analysis of the 2001 census of Britain relating to the birthplaces of army children, click here.
PICTURE: THE SS NEVASA
To see a photograph of the SS Nevasa, click here.
QUESTION: 'WHERE IS MY HOME?'
For more on the perennial army-child question, click here.
PERSONAL STORY: BERLIN, 1948 TO 1951
To read Tim Sanders' account of travelling from England to West Germany as young army child in 1948, and then of living in West Berlin from 1948 to 1951, click here.
'YOU'RE SELF-RELIANT': JENNY AGUTTER'S REFLECTIONS ON ARMY-CHILD TRAITS
For actress Jenny Agutter's thoughts on the character-forming effects of growing up as an army child, click here.
PERSONAL STORY: A GERMAN-BORN ARMY CHILD'S EXPERIENCES IN WEST GERMANY, MALTA AND ENGLAND
To read Hans-Jürgen Kariger's story of his 'odyssey' as an army child between 1954 and 1966, which encompassed periods living in Hameln, Helmstedt, Berlin and Krefeld in [West] Germany; Birkikara and Hamrun in Malta; and Catterick Camp in England; as well as his memories of Kent School, Hostert, and Hipswell County Modern, Catterick, click here.
PERSONAL STORY: MEMORIES OF POST-WAR BERLIN
Elizabeth Robertson's father was the commandant of Berlin's British Sector between 1949 and 1951. To read her recollections of Berlin at this time, click here.
PERSONAL STORY: EXPERIENCING TERROR AND THRILLS AT CATTERICK CAMP AND WAR'S OUTBREAK AT ALDERSHOT
To read JRG's memories of Catterick and Aldershot during the 1930s and early 1940s, click here.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION: THE BRITISH FORCES POST OFFICE (BFPO) AND BFPO NUMBERS
For an overview of the history and function of the British Forces Post Office (BFPO), and a selection of BFPO numbers current in 2008, click here.
TACA NEWS: MAGAZINE MENTIONS
For details of the magazines that have featured TACA to date, click here.
PICTURE: 'LIFE ON BOARD A TROOP-SHIP: DINNER-TIME'
For an illustration depicting army wives and children aboard the Himalaya troopship at dinnertime in 1873, click here.
REVIEW: MALTA, 1937-1942: SOME CHILDHOOD MEMORIES
To read a review of a booklet recalling Michael Longyear's experiences as an army child in peace- and wartime Malta, click here.
PICTURES: BULFORD CAMP, SALISBURY PLAIN, WILTSHIRE
For an early bird's-eye view of Bulford Camp, click here; and for an early picture of the 'C' lines married quarters at Bulford Camp, click here.
PERSONAL STORY: LIFE IN THE BARRACKS, DORCHESTER, DORSET, 1925-35
For Bob Manning's memories of growing up in the Dorsetshire Regiment's Depot Barracks, in Dorchester, Dorset, between 1925 and 1935, click here.
PERSONAL STORY: MARY SEACOLE
For Mary Seacole's explanation of her army-child credentials, click here.
PICTURE: NEWCASTLE MILITARY CANTONMENT, JAMAICA
For an image of Newcastle Military Cantonment, Jamaica, and Mary Seacole's observation regarding English people's vulnerability to yellow fever in Jamaica, click here.
PICTURE: MARRIED QUARTERS IN TRIMULGHERRY, INDIA
To view a snapshot of the married quarters in Laswarrie Road, Trimulgherry, India, taken before World War II, click here.
QUESTION: AN INFLUENTIAL START IN LIFE?
To consider this question further, click here.
NEW RESEARCH: THE EXPERIENCE OF EDUCATION OF THE ARMY CHILD
For the main conclusions of Dr Grace Clifton's research into the educational experience of twenty-first-century army children attending secondary schools in the UK, click here; and for more details of her research and findings, click here.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION: BAOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS AND SPECIAL TRAINS
For Peter Watson's summary of the establishment of BAOR secondary schools in (West) Germany in the aftermath of World War II, and of the special trains that served them, click here.
PERSONAL STORY: WARTIME IN EGYPT AND SOUTH AFRICA, PEACETIME IN ENGLAND AND SINGAPORE
For Daisy Caroline Blythe's outline of a peripatetic childhood, click here.
PERSONAL STORY: LADY ELSPETH CAMPBELL
To read about Lady Elspeth Campbell's experiences as an army child, click here.
PICTURE: MARRIED QUARTERS IN DEVIZES
For a World War I-era postcard showing the married quarters at Devizes Barracks, Wiltshire, click here.
QUESTION: BARRACK RATS AND ARMY BRATS
For Alan Greveson's suggestion regarding the question posed on the 'Memories & miscellanea' page, click here.
PERSONAL STORY: RECOLLECTIONS OF A 'DAUGHTER OF THE GUARDS'
For Ada Evelyn Tapner's recollections of life at the Guards Depot, Upper Caterham, Surrey, during World War I, click here.
PERSONAL STORY: BROTHERS IN ARMS
For a summary of the places in which Daniel Phoenix lived as an army child during the 1980s and 1990s, and the Phoenix brothers' career choices, click here.
PERSONAL STORY: MEMORIES OF WOOLWICH, BY AN RAF OFFICER
For Squadron Leader Trevor Peacock's memories of Woolwich between the wars, click here.
PERSONAL STORY: GOING TO SCHOOL ON BOARD A TROOPSHIP, AS WELL AS IN GERMANY, HONG KONG, WALES, PLYMOUTH, SINGAPORE, SOUTHAMPTON AND CYPRUS
For Thelma Jean Marshall's memories of the places where she went to school as an army child, click here.
PICTURE: 'PERFECT LITTLE DEVILS'
For an illustration, dating from 1887, of a children's tug-of-war game aboard a troopship, click here.
PICTURES: QUARTERS IN TIDWORTH
For pictures of married quarters in Tidworth, Wiltshire, around a century ago, click here.
PERSONAL STORY: A CHILDHOOD SPENT IN INDIA, ENGLAND AND ITALY
For Maggie Johns' memories of spending her early years in India during the 1930s, the World War II years in England and the immediate post-war years in Italy, click here.
PERSONAL STORY: FROM BRITAIN TO GERMANY, VIA KENYA
For Margaret Cleeve's tale of travelling on the troopship Nevasa to Kenya, and of going to school in Gilgil and Eldoret, click here.
PERSONAL STORY: BARRACK RATS OF THE PAST & PERSONAL STORY: KILLED IN ACTION
Dan Kirwan's father was killed in 1915, at the second battle of Ypres. To read Dan's story and Art Cockerill's account of the Kirwan family's plight, click here.
PICTURE: BMH ISERLOHN, GERMANY
For an aerial postcard of BMH Iserlohn, Germany, click here.
PERSONAL STORY: BOARDING IN BROADSTAIRS
For KW's memories of Hildersham House, Broadstairs, Kent, click here.
PERSONAL STORY: HOLIDAYS IN GIBRALTAR
For SW's memories of holidays in Gibraltar, click here.
