In my extensive collection of old photos, I also have a specific collection of wedding photos. For this guest blog, I would like to share a glimpse into my research on two of these pictures. Using free and paid research tools, I traced the lives behind the veils and vows, uncovering surprising details from their past.
Who are Olga and John?
I’m starting with this fabulous wedding group photo, taken by Mrs G. Swain, St. Giles Studio, Norwich.
John & Olga Family History
So now I started a small tree on Ancestry with what I had found out.
Continuing my research, I visited FamilySearch.org. This site offers free indexes of England/Wales census records from 1841 to 1911 and provides links to the original images. This is a great alternative to just relying on transcriptions available on Ancestry, Find My Past or other sites, which require a subscription.
As an example from FamilySearch, here’s what you see when you’re searching for Olga on the 1911 census. I’m just showing you the information for her father. As you can see, the transcription is good enough to add lots of details to your family tree wherever you have it, even if it’s not online, and all for free.
This search also showed me Olga and other members of the family on the 1901 and 1891 censuses and several more genealogy records. These two websites are excellent if you are researching on a budget. You don’t have to register on FreeBMD, but you do have to register on Family Search. It’s a very simple process; then you log in. Links here: https://www.freebmd.org.uk/ and https://www.familysearch.org/en/search/
To explore your family’s history further, a subscription to a family history site is required after inputting the basic information.
During World War 1, John Percy Tilley served as a Lieutenant in an APC (Armoured Personnel Carrier), typically commanding a platoon, which is the unit that rides in the APC.
I currently have access to genealogy platforms like Ancestry and Find My Past, so I can show you information about Olga and John, along with their family, staff, and visitors from the 1921 census, which took place on June 19, 1921. This census is invaluable because it provides insight into where people were and what they were doing shortly after World War I had ended.
As you can see, John Percy Tilley was a Chartered Accountant. John and Olga have three daughters, the two eldest born in Norfolk and the youngest in Surrey. The eldest daughter, Diana Vera, married Richard Gough Dowell in 1942. Lillian Joan married Robert Hunter Roxburgh on 28 June 1941. They had a daughter, Jennifer, born in 1942, just a few months before Robert was killed while serving on board H.M.S. Dulverton, 7 December 1942; he is remembered on the Plymouth Naval Memorial, Panel 76, Column 3. Lillian remarried a few years later and had two sons.
Genealogy | World War 2 records
The youngest, Olga Ann, died when she was 23, but why? Having access to the British Newspaper Archives via Find My Past is invaluable, so I searched for the year she died and found the cause of death in a newspaper article about her funeral.
Young Olga Tilley worked at the Royal Naval Hospital, Portsmouth, during World War 2 as a VAD nurse.
After reading the newspaper article about young Olga’s death, I checked the 1939 register and found that our mother, the bride, Olga and young Olga’s two sisters were also working for the Red Cross VADs.
During World War 2, VAD (Voluntary Aid Detachment) nurses, primarily women, played a crucial role in supporting the war effort by caring for sick and wounded soldiers. VADs received training in first aid, home nursing, hygiene, and other essential skills.
They provided vital support in both military and auxiliary hospitals, and in some cases, they served near the front lines. Their duties encompassed a wide range of tasks, from basic nursing care to transportation and organisation. VADs were responsible for transporting patients, assisting with wound care, and even acting as ambulance drivers. Some VADs specialised in areas such as X-ray operation, massage therapy, dispensing medication, and cooking. They were known for their ability to improvise and adapt to the challenges posed by wartime conditions.
John died on 17 June 1955. He was 69 years old. Olga died on 12 November 1977; she was 87 years old.
From Olga and John’s 1914 vows in Norwich to the service and sacrifices of their children, these discoveries remind us that behind every name and date lies a life lived. Look out for my next guest blog where I will share my second choice photo.
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