Hi davegriigs and jaq,
Sadly, I have noticed that specific requests get less feedback than a genearl request with a very vague heading. In this case, it was a very specific request, and people did not bother to read the query, and therefore did not respond.
A bit sad really, I have seen many very poor requests like 'can you help?' which get more people checking what the query is, and then there is a greater chance of a response.
Yes, I know I am stating the obvious, but this is very true.
On the positive side, the level of response here is excellent, and a great bunch of administrators making sure that most, if not all people get a response to their query.
So, I think I will post a query ' can anybody help me with my surnames', and I should get lots of help, well that is the theory.
Final point to dave, email me personally if you want some help in Essex, and I have a lot of resources that may help out.
Best
Kevan