FORTHCOMING SERVICE CHILDREN SUPPORT NETWORK (SCSN) ACADEMIC CONFERENCE AND CALL FOR PAPERS
TACA has received the following announcement from the Service Children Support Network (SCSN).
‘Papers are invited from participants working within the fields of education, psychology, health and social care and childhood studies, carrying out research related to the education or life experiences of service children in the UK.
This first annual conference of the Service Children Support Network (www.servicechildrensupportnetwork.com) will bring together academics and professionals working within this important area. We aim to create a positive and collegial atmosphere and will provide opportunities for participants to be able to meet, talk and socialise.
The conference will be held at the Department of Education, University of Oxford (www.education.ox.ac.uk), on Monday 10 September 2012 between 10am and 5pm. Lunch and all refreshments will be provided. Booking will open in the spring at www.servicechildrensupportnetwork.com.
ABSTRACTS
Electronic abstracts of between 300 and 500 words should be submitted to Grace Clifton (e-mail: g.e.clifton@open.ac.uk) by 1 May 2012. Authors will be notified of acceptance by 15 May 2012.
ORGANISATION AND ACCOMMODATION
Further information can be obtained by e-mailing Grace Clifton (see above). Participants will be responsible for organising their own accommodation, although the conference committee can offer some information.’
FORGOTTEN FACES: SUITED AND BOOTED
The black stockings and boots worn by the two boys in this photograph of an army family, which probably dates from the first decade of the twentieth century, are in striking contrast to their light-coloured suits. The three chevrons beneath a crown that are visible on their father’s right-hand sleeve indicate that he is a quartermaster sergeant.
TACA CORRESPONDENCE: ‘I WOULD LIKE TO VISIT THE PRIMARY SCHOOL AND THE HOUSE WHERE WE LIVED IN BRUNSWICK, (WEST) GERMANY’
Bruce Ford, whose father was in the APTC (Army Physical Training Corps), has contacted TACA with the following query focusing on the German town of Brunswick (Braunschweig):
‘I attended Brunswick primary school from 1954 to 1956, when I was 8 to 10 years old, and would like to find out if it is still there. I would be grateful for an address or any information.’
If you can help Bruce, please contact TACA, and we’ll pass on your message.
PICTURE: INFANTRY MARRIED QUARTERS, BORDON, HAMPSHIRE
The caption on the black-and-white postcard shown below, which was posted in 1930, reads ‘Infantry married quarters, Bordon’. Click here to see more photographs of accommodation for army families at Bordon, in Hampshire.
A 1960S’ PRODUCTION OF CINDERELLA AT BICESTER, OXFORDSHIRE, AND OTHER CHRISTMAS PANTOMIMES AND TRADITIONS
‘In most large forces bases, a Christmas pantomime was produced annually by husbands, wives and children for the entertainment of the garrison, with many wives and children being included in the audience. There was always an amateur dramatic society in large garrisons as some national servicemen had had some theatrical experience at school before being called up and many officers had been to university where there were amateur dramatic societies.’
‘Regarding Cinderella, remember that I sent you a photograph of me appearing in a production at the Garrison Theatre in Bad Oeynhausen when I was eleven years old. This production was directed by Pat MacGregor of the YWCA [Young Women’s Christian Association], so it would appear that if a garrison was of one army unit (e.g., Bicester was RAOC [Royal Army Ordnance Corps]), then the local corps or regiment personnel put on the production, but if the garrison was of all regiments and corps, as at Bad Oeynhausen, then it was put on by an organisation like the YWCA.
I have remembered that it was customary at Christmas for the officers to serve the troops at a festive meal. In Mönchengladbach, in Germany, when I was 19, I assisted my father at one such event, wearing my merchant navy (midshipman/cadet’s) uniform. There was nothing unusual about a naval uniform at an army base, and with national service, most young men were in uniform in those days.
Your site has made me search back into my memory and all sorts of events keep popping up.’
COMBAT KIDZ: A WEBSITE FOR THE CHILDREN OF ARMED FORCES SERVICE PERSONNEL
Vickie writes: ‘We want children to know that we are here and that there is support available to them, and we can’t do this without the support of others. We are always in need of competition prizes and raffle donations, but all help is greatly received.’ If you’d like to help, you can contact the Combat Kidz team through the ‘Contact us’ web page.
Click on the link to visit the website: http://www.combatkidz.co.uk; and here to view a BFBS news report on Combat Kidz and its purpose.
PREVIOUSLY ON TACA LATEST . . .
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.
BOOK: SERVICE CHILDREN: A GUIDE FOR EDUCATION AND WELFARE PROFESSIONALS
Joy O’Neill wrote her book, Service Children: A Guide for Education and Welfare Professionals, to help support current British service children. To learn more, click here.
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.
PICTURE: ARMY FAMILIES OUTSIDE THE GARRISON CHURCH, SHORNCLIFFE, KENT
Click here to view a postcard showing army families gathered outside the garrison church at Shorncliffe, Kent, in around 1900.
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.
THE SERVICE CHILDREN SUPPORT NETWORK (SCSN)
For details of the Service Children Support Network (SCSN), click here.
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 CORRESPONDENCE: HOMEFRONT FORCES WEBSITE FOR CURRENT FORCES FAMILIES
Click here for information about the Homefront Forces website, for forces families with a parent away on active service.
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.
