Oh lordie, I had forgotten what a pleasure it is to traipse down the M4 in the morning…. I am sure you spotted the sarcasm there, eh?! For the first time in a long while, I hit Junction 16 long before daylight hours. However, it would seem – unsurprisingly – that I was not in the minority. Not at all. The motorway was heaving with traffic and of course, the traffic and travel bulletins delivered ‘not so positive’ news of delays at J8/9 Maidenhead and an accident after the junction for Langley. Deep joy …. I am sure that during newsreader training they enforce the importance of only delivering bad news to listeners.
Despite the inevitable not-so-pleasurable journey, I was looking forward to my long-awaited return to The National Archives. Now that I am based down in Wiltshire (an extra hour from London, on the previously mentioned thoroughfare and some more rural A-roads), my visits are less regular and hence, it has been a long while since I have caught up with some of my geneamates who frequent TNA for business purposes each week (sometimes on my behalf!). With a long wish list, I was delighted (though surprised) to see that TNA was not very busy today. Documents appeared in double quick time and I photographed the whole of a very interesting PCOM file relating to a murder case. Fascinating stuff!
In a quest for information on a case for a client, I stumbled across the J 267 series with many documents relating to murder and rape cases from the 1970’s available to view, photograph or whatever else I chose to do. OK, I could only consult them in the invigilation room but to be able to access such recent documents was a great surprise to me…. with photographs and plans of the scene (and victims) …. Wow! [In this particular instance, I was pleased not to locate any Sillifants.]
A thoroughly successful day and lovely to catch up with geneamates Karen Cummings, Mark Daly, Sarah Minney, Helen Osborn and many more …. They are real people you know! [and lovely ones too….!] Now to wend my merry way home, via a Rangers meeting in Cholsey to enthuse the girls about family history. Never a dull moment…..
