WW2 Pod: We Have Ways of Making You Talk What Did My Family Do In WW2?
Dec 25, 2025
Explore the intriguing world of family history during WWII! Discover the hidden surprises in service records, from clerical errors to personal stories. Hear about the harrowing experiences of POWs through detailed questionnaires. Learn how to trace units using operational record books and gain insights into the relentless operations of coastal commands. Get practical tips for beginners on starting your family tree, and dive into the logistical challenges faced in Sicily. Unravel the past while connecting with your family's wartime legacy!
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Digitized Records Turn Names Into Stories
- Ancestry aggregates war records like POW questionnaires, war diaries, and operations books that reveal granular, personal details of WWII service.
- James Holland says these linked records let you follow a name to a unit to a diary entry and place you beside an ancestor's wartime experience.
Clerical Errors Tell A Bigger Story
- James Holland found his grandfather in casualty lists where initial clerical errors even mis-recorded his initials and status changes from missing to killed.
- He notes these mistakes reveal the chaotic administrative process behind wartime casualty reporting.
POW Questionnaires Contain Dramatic Escapes
- James reads a POW questionnaire from Captain John Lothian Nicholson detailing an escape attempt from Singapore, travel through Dutch islands, and eventual capture in 1942.
- The typed, personal account shows how POW questionnaires can contain vivid first-person escape and capture narratives.