WDYTYA - David Walliams

[bearkat]

What did Rootschatters think of this episode?

I thought it was a programme of 2 halves.  Yet another WWI story.  This is a difficult one as most people have ancestors who fought so there is plenty of interest and research is fairly easy. It's a shame there were WWI stories in 2 consecutive episodes.

The second part was more interesting showing the life of someone with a disability and how their life and work evolved. Without a welfare state life must have been difficult.

I thought David came across well.

[Greenvale]

I agree with you. Whilst the first half did concentrate on WW1 I genuinely felt moved by the story of his ancestor being locked away for so very long.
On his mother's side, I wonder if there are still members of his family involved in fairgrounds to this day ?

[AntonyMMM]

I enjoyed the episode.

Interesting to see Napsbury mentioned- my grandfather was treated there in January 1918 after being injured in France. The first document I ever looked up at TNA years ago was the Napsbury admissions register (more recently made available on FindMyPast).

[Keith Sherwood]

I remember going to the Battersea Funfair in about 1967, and especially an attraction called The Crooked House.  Haven't been to Battersea since.  I imagine that site has been sold and is all new housing now.
Nice to see glimpses of Salisbury and its magnificent cathedral, and Portsmouth too, with the Ironclad in the background.  I wonder if they'll be making more series, and whether the obligatory initial handshake between researcher(s) and subject will morph into something else in the future...
Keith

[Top-of-the-hill]

  Battersea Park is definitely still there, though not the funfair, I believe.

   "The Park is registered as grade II* within the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens by English Heritage for its special historic interest."

   I missed the first part of this episode, but I would like to watch it, maybe on catch up.

[Keith Sherwood]

Thanks for that, Top-of-the-hill,
And I've done a bit of googling since I posted and was reminded of the tragic loss of 5 lives on The Big Dipper in 1972, whereupon the funfair itself was closed down about a couple of years later...
Keith

[LizzieW]

I enjoyed it and I liked David Walliams attitude to the findings too. 

I'm afraid I didn't watch last week although I had recorded it when I read that Jodie Whittaker's mother was still calling her ancestors "scabs" for keeping their workers employed during the General Strike and I assumed that this had rubbed off onto Jodie Whittaker  I don't understand why people are so incensed about what their ancestors did 100 years ago.  Surely they should be proud that their ancestors started with nothing and worked their way up the ladder, ending up almost as rich as a left "luvvie".

[jaywit]

What I wondered was the plight of his wife, she had 3 children and if he had been killed she would have had a War Widows Pension and sympathy. As it was she was married but with no husband ( she died before him, I checked ).

Did he receive a Disability Pension? If so was a large portion of it paid directly to his wife?

How did she manage when she couldn't remarry even if she wanted, she was left in limbo.

What did she tell people when Shell Shock was basically not talked about.

[Gillg]

I enjoyed the details, but found David Walliams to be rather boring in voice and response, as though he was reading from a script.  And he kept plugging his TV programme (which I won't mention .