Remembrance Day: One in three Edinburgh residents know nothing about their family's military heritage

Edinburgh residents have been urged to find out about their family’s unknown military history as a leading family heritage site reveals that millions of military medals remain unclaimed.

The research, conducted by Ancestry, found that in some archive record collections up to 93 per cent of medals are currently not connected to a family tree.

This finding came as further research revealed that a third of adults in Edinburgh are unaware of their family’s military heritage.

To reunite families in Edinburgh with their ancestral war heroes, this Remembrance weekend Ancestry has made its extensive catalogue of historical records freely available until Sunday, November 8, 2020.

Appeal launched ahead of the annual dedication and wreath laying service at the Garden of Remembrance in the capital’s Princes Street Gardens.

With over 1 billion military, home front and wartime records now available free of charge people in Edinburgh have been encouraged to find out about their military ties.

Family history expert at Ancestry Simon Pearce said that the stories and achievements of those who served during the first and second world wars is often unknown by younger generations.

In the Capital, 41 percent of adults say they have never spoken about the wars with their relatives who were alive at the time.

This is due both to ancestors wanting to put their wartime experience behind them and by the younger generation not asking.

Mr Pearce said: “Family history stories of experiences during the war can often be lost, especially if people missed the opportunity to speak to their older relatives about the part they played.

“That’s why this Remembrance Day, we’ve made all of our wartime historical records free to give people the chance to learn more about their military family history as well as see if their ancestors were awarded a war medal they did not know about.’’

The family history expert went on to say that during the health pandemic there has been an upsurge in people interested in the role their ancestors played during wartime.

Research from the organisation found that 44 per cent of respondents in Edinburgh thought that during the current pandemic it’s more important than ever to discuss family history and to talk about the roles our ancestors played in the wars.

To learn more about your military family history and access Ancestry‘s records for free click here.

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