Release 230 000 World War I Wills/Letters by Soldiers on their way to battle

[LizzieW]

Midlad - You managed to order your will before the site gave up - presumably too many people trying to pay for wills.  I wonder how long it will take the rest of us to have the wills available that we've ordered.  Hopefully, quite quickly.

By the way, is it possible to save the will to your computer?   It seems to me that the £6 only pays to view the will.

[Midlad]

Hi LizzieW,
               Yes I did it as soon as I heard about it -- .

               Yes you can save it to your computer.
         
                Hope you don't have to wait to long,

                Midlad

[LizzieW]

Thanks Midlad - One thing I know for sure, unlike your ancestor, my g.uncle won't be leaving anything to his mother as she died in 1901, his father dying 8 years earlier in 1893.  I'm assuming he will have named his eldest brother - although he was in WW1 also, but fortunately lived to tell the tale.  I'm interested in whether or not he mentions his other brother, my grandfather who told his family he was an orphan (true) but led them to believe he was all alone in the world when he had 5 siblings originally, one died young after their parents died, and the youngest is the one whose will I'm waiting for.

[Midlad]

Hi Lizzie,
            He was only two years old when his father was killed in a mining accident.

my great granny was 7 months pregnant with my grandfather when the accident happened .

Two years to the day her father who registered my grandfather's birth was killed  also in a mining

accident -- she was left aged 26 with six young children .

Midland

[pettsy]

I found two of my gg uncle's wills in NAS Edinburgh 5 years ago. They are very moving, even the lady who works at the archives was in tears. I hope now maybe I can find my other 3 gg uncles wills too.

Pettsy

[LizzieW]

I had an e-mail at midnight to say the will I'd ordered was available.  It wasn't a will but something called a Nuncupative or Missing Will, with a copy of a statement made by another soldier, 6 months after my g.uncle's death of what he'd been told by my g.uncle "while in actual Military Service" regarding where he would like his property and belongings to go if he was killed.  It's quite sad really as the other soldier, serving in the same regiment has hand written what was said to him by my g.uncle whilst they were in a billet at Beautin.  It seems he wanted everything to go to "my girl".  His friend had the foresight to ask for a name and address which he copied down in his own pocket book.  I'm going to try to find this young lady on the 1911 census and then see if she married sometime after 1917.

Lizzie

[jan57]

 My Grandfathers cousin  ,   had  said for all his  effects to go to his Mother  ,  back in Preston ,     it  was written 15 July 1917,   but  he    didn't get  killed  till  Sept 23 1918,

[Redroger]

I believe from what my father told me that all recruits had to make a will on enlistment, and designate their next of kin.

[Barbara348]

Hi, I have found a Will for my husband's Uncle WW1 but having  completed the Registration details as requested, I'm still waiting for an E Mail from the site to activate the account. It appears that until I ( hopefully) receive the E Mail, I cannot purchase the Will.

Is this the stage at which others have been stuck?

Hope I'll get a reply today.

Barbara.