Thursday 4th October 2018

Thursday 4th October 2018 - Number 3266

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We reach out to all, regardless of Race, Colour, Creed, Gender & Orientation, or National Origin, with support for researching family history and documenting cultural inheritance.

Dear Ancestor

Your tombstone stands amongst the rest, neglected and alone,

The names and dates are chiseled out on polished, marble stone.

It reaches out to all who care, it is too late to mourn.

You did not know that I exist, you died and I was born.

Yet each of us, are cells of you, in flesh, in blood, in bone.

Our blood contracts and beats a pulse not entirely our own.

Dear Ancestor

The place you filled one hundred years ago,

Spreads out amongst the ones you left, who would have loved you so.

I wonder if you lived and loved, I wonder if you knew.

That someday,

I would find this spot and come to visit you.

One Man’s War – A bit about the RAF

John Robert Laws

1921-2008

Part 4

One Mans War - A bit more about the RAF

It was now mid-September and the crew and I went to Marston Moor in Yorkshire to convert on to Handley-Page Halifax which was to be our operational aircraft. The Halifax was a good strong business-like aircraft with four radial engines each giving 1600hp. It weighed some thirty tons when loaded. We spent just a month there doing some forty hours flying, including just eight hours night flying.

A fortnight later we were at Lissett and started local flying from there on 5^th November and our operational flying began 16^th November with a daylight trip of fewer than five hours to Julich. By the end of November, we had done five ops, the second of which, we were diverted to Carnaby on FIDO (Fog Intensive Dispersal Of) due to fog.

Carnaby was an emergency landing strip about three miles long, equipped with pipes down either side with a series of jets from which fuel could be sprayed and ignited. The effect was rather like descending into Hell, as we came down between two or three miles lines of raging fire.

December was quiet for us, just one trip to Cologne on the 30^th. Training of various sorts went on all the time, gunnery, navigation and practice bombing.

I recall one occasion when one of our little practice bombs failed to release in the air but fell off with a mighty bang when we had taxied back to our dispersal and filled the aircraft with smoke. We got out in record time but there was no damage. Far dodgier was an occasion when a 500lb bomb failed to come off its hook over the target in the wing bomb bay but fell out through the bomb bay doors when we landed. It was, of course, dark we only knew that a shower of sparks was following us down the runway. Fortunately, it could not explode as the safety pin was still in (it comes out on the way down) It got pretty hot with the friction however and the bods sent out to see what had happened didn’t stay long to examine it.

January 1945 saw us busy again with a couple of night trips and a daylight trip in fine weather, over a snow-covered Saar valley. It was all night trips in February, including a couple of over 8 hours duration. These ops do not separate themselves clearly in my memory, sometimes an isolated incident sticks in the mind, like the nakedness of being lit up by searchlights and a quick corkscrew to get away, or the sight of a thick curtain of flak over the target ahead of us. Generally one was too busy to worry much about either what was going on around us or our own safety.

'Window' might have to be dropped out, at particular points to confuse the radar and often we would turn in on to the target at the last moment having feinted a passing movement. There might be changes of height and then it was bomb doors open and a final straight run in at a steady speed with the bomb aimer giving corrections till the final “bombs away”, when I put the nose down a bit and the speed up with another course change. In the midst of a lot of aircraft about and no lights showing a good lookout was essential.

It was usual for the target to be lit up with flares and incendiaries, but if the ‘pathfinder force' was a minute late and very embarrassing if they the main force had to circle over the target with the considerable danger of collision. Inaccurate timings were fortunately rare.

In daylight, the squadron flew as a ‘gaggle’ led by a Vic formation of three crews with some experience. In the air, squadrons were led by flight lieutenants and on the ground by squadron leaders. The leading Vic formed an aiming point for the flak of course and it was while leading the squadron in daylight we suffered our only hit from flak. This put one engine out of action and forced us to hand over to number two and to creep back at a lower level on the remaining three engines which brought us safely home a little behind the rest. When you land on three engines everyone turns out to see the fun and we were greeted with ‘we didn’t expect to see you back’.

Our operational flying continued through February, March and April, the last trip being to Wangarooge on 25^th April, and the last op the squadron did just before the German surrender. After that it was a quick change, we did trips bomb dumping and some navigational practice including a trip over Hamburg and Kiel with one or two ground-based colleagues from the squadron as passengers to see that it was all for real. Then we started taking aircraft over to Ireland for storage or disposal, so my last trip in a ‘Halifax’ was one hour to High Ercall on 22 June 1945.

To be continued tomorrow

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Dear Reader, we are happy to work on your

LAWS FAMILY TREE

(maybe we already have)

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Hi everyone, our database has

48,868 Folks - an increase of 20 this week

16,054 Families - an increase of 5,

116,594 Events - an increase of over 64,

All in 10,980 Places

Is your LAWS family amongst them?

Did one of your family marry, into one of these,

Mail us today with your inquiry. we'd be glad to help you.

Enquires are still very welcome, so please e-mail us at

registrar@lawsfamilyregister.org.uk

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PLEASE NOTE GDPR (2018) PRIVACY TERMS

We have excluded records of living people to protect their Privacy. We only show births before 1920 and marriages before 1940. If you are interested in anyone listed here, email us with the name, dates and reference number, and we will happily do a lookup. We are happy to help you with your, Laws or Lawes research, and in certain instances, we may be willing to undertake private research on your behalf. We will be happy to publish in this blog the stories of your Laws or Lawes research, and also to list members of the Laws or Lawes family you are searching for. (Subject to the rule above.)

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EXTRACTS FROM OUR DATABASE FOR TODAY 4th OCTOBER

(Please note all spelling is British English)

Please also note we have several hundred LAWS & LAWES who were alive 29 September 1939
so mail us with your inquiries registrar@lawsfamilyregister.org.uk

Family Events

BIRTHS and BAPTISMS

1761 - Christen: Robert LAWES-11955, Ryton Durham England
1772 - Baptism: Mary LAWES-12002, Bishopstone Wiltshire England

1772 - Christen: William LAWES-587, Fittleton Wiltshire England

1824 - Birth: Elizabeth LAWES-11879, Hevingham Norfolk England
1837 - Birth: Henry LAWS-10739,
1851 - Birth: Mary Adelaide LAWS-40367, New York City, New York United States
1861 - Birth: Elizabeth Jane LAWS-35172, Sydney, New South Wales Australia
1871 - Birth: George W LAWES-48483, (Electric Crane Driver)
1872 - Birth: William Henry LAWS-33697, Tennessee United States
1876 - Birth: John Edward LAWS-4656, (Venture Bus Cleaner) Medomsley Durham England
1883 - Death: John LAWS-34542, Northumberland England
1885 - Birth: John Percy Granville LAWES-39020, (Retired Local Council Schoolteacher)
1891 - Birth: Daniel Shelvie LAWS-19516, Lebo, Coffey Kansas United States
1900 - Birth: William LAWS-44948, (Boilermaker)
1901 - Birth: Frederick O LAWS-44206, (Chef & Butler)
1902 - Birth: Leslie Harry Walton LAWS-17673, (Carpenter & Attendant in Mental Institution) Great Yarmouth Norfolk England

1907 - Birth: Mona Edith LAWS-21701, Dulwich Hill, New South Wales Australia
1908 - Birth: Norma Lorena LAWS-46204, Hopkins Texas United States
1911 - Birth: Phyllis M LAWS-42369,
1912 - Birth: George David LAWS-17765, (RNVR L/Cmdr MBE DSC) Orpington Kent England
1913 - Birth: Sylvia Violet LAWS-21704, Rookwood New South Wales Australia
1915 - Birth: Arthur Leslie LAWS-37543,
1916 - Birth: Raymond LAWS-44159, (Estate Agent)
1920 - Birth: Donald Reginald LAWS-38476, (Bricklayer)

MARRIAGES

1601 - Marriage: John REEVE-28233 and Thomasin LAWES-28234, Barnham Norfolk England
1827 - Marriage: Samuel LAWS-6971 (Ag Lab) and Mary THACKHAM-6972, Newington Surrey England

1846 - Marriage: John LOOKER-23181 (Stone Mason) and Rebecca LAWS-23180, Limehouse Middlesex London
1862 - Marriage: James FLETCHER-5969 and Barbara LAWS-5968, Lastingham, North Yorkshire England
1914 - Marriage: William DANIELS-47273 (Train Conductor) and Susannah Elizabeth LAWS-34050, (Ironer) Wandsworth Surrey England

DEATHS and BURIALS

1843 - Burial: Eliza LAWS-31689, Fincham Norfolk England

1906 - Death: James A LAWS-17043, (Coal Miner - Hewer) Trimdon Grange Colliery Durham England
1926 - Death: Ethel LAWS-35372,
1928 - Death: Sylvester LAWS-25543,
1944 - Death: Frederick (RAFVR Sergeant 1593644 5 OTU) LAWS-22269, Sansum Narrows British Columbia Canada and Burial: Victoria British Columbia Canada plus Monumental Inscription: Ottawa Ontario Canada
1949 - Death: William Henry LAWS-33697,
1952 - Death: Letitia LAWES-755, (Assists in a Boarding House) Southampton Hampshire England
1971 - Death: Joseph Thomas LAWES-32003, (Furniture Remover) Southend-on-Sea Essex England

1985 - Death: Ellen Flora LAWES-24501, (Hand Sewer) Norwich Norfolk England

1996 - Death: John S LAWS-20537, (Military Veteran)
1997 - Death: Kathleen Jessie LAWS-43292, Coventry Warwickshire England
2003 - Death: Joel Wayne LAWS-46928, Blue Ridge, Fannin County, Georgia, United States
2003 - Death: William Frank LAWS-11552, Southport Queensland Australia
2007 - Burial: Harry LAWS-27071, (MRPharmS) Hadleigh Suffolk England

2007 - Death: Sammye Carol LAWS-26601, Stanton Texas United States

MISCELLANEOUS

OTHER BIRTHS and BAPTISMS

1801 - Birth: Mary THACKHAM-6972, Chertsey Surrey England
1813 - Birth: Charles Thomas WARDE-14956, Cubbington Oxfordshire England
1857 - Baptism: Robert CHARTERS-21853, (Labourer) Torpenhow Cumberland England

1902 - Birth: David J HUXTABLE-47466, (Grocer & Confectioner)
1911 - Birth: Arthur PECK-28608, Armley West Yorkshire England
1916 - Birth: Dorothy M HUCKETT-48630,

OTHER MARRIAGES

OTHER DEATHS and BURIALS

Did you find anyone?

whether it's yes or no, we'd still love to hear from you.

Mail us at

registrar@lawsfamilyregister.org.uk

-----------'HMS Trincomalee' ---------

Lord, help me dig into the past and sift the sands of time.

That I might find the roots that made this family tree of mine.

Lord, help me trace the ancient roads, on which our fathers trod.

Which led them through so many lands, to find our present sod.

that missing link between some name that ends the same as mine

Lord help me find an ancient book or dusty manuscript,

that's safely hidden now away, in some forgotten crypt.

Lord, let it bridge the gap that haunts my soul when I can't find,

that missing link between some name, that ends the same as mine.

Sharon Nicola LAWS

2008 Olympics Cyclist

Environmental adviser for Rio Tinto Zinc

1974-2017

R I P

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