Killed in WW2
My immediate family were from Hull, all the male members were seamen working on deep sea trawlers.

My grandfather and three of his sons, my uncles, were killed during the war and my father was badly injured – I remember him being covered in plaster of paris across his chest and arms.

I have on occasion searched what little knowledge I have of their demise; the grandfather’s name was Albert (or possibly Sam) Garton, my three uncles were named George Garton, James (Jim) Garton and Walter Garton. My father’s name, John (Jack) Garton.

My father died 60 or so years ago with illness which was directly linked to his war wounds.

I am 83 years old. I would really like to learn of anything about my grandfather and three uncles, I have no memory of my uncles but I have a ery faint memory of my grandfather giving me a small fluffy koala toy which leads me to wonder if there was a connection to Asia or Australia.

I have very clear memories of an occasion when a telegram was delivered to my grandmother informing her of either her husband or a son was killed in action. I remember how distraught she was; she would have received such news four times in total, and my father returning badly wounded would have been equally drastic.

During the recent 75th anniversary of VE day, I told family and friends that my family gave so much that enables them to live in peace today.

John (Jack) Garton

Nick Thorne, our resident genealogist, replies:
Did your trawlermen relatives serve in the Royal Navy in wartime? The Admiralty certainly requisitioned fishing vessels and conscripted some men, while allowing some others working on trawlers to continue to fish. Trawlermen conscripted would normally have served as part of the Royal Naval Patrol Service as minesweepers or on anti-submarine duties, as well as carrying out a number of other duties.

I would suggest that you start by looking for the deaths of your grandfather and uncles in the General Register Office (GRO) Birth Marriages and Death Indexes. This can be done, for example, from within TheGenealogist.co.uk which includes those for Military Deaths as well as the usual BMDs. With the information that these indexes provide you will be able to use the references to purchase a copy of the various death certificates from the GRO and that would give you more details about the causes and the places they occured. I took a look at the indexes for you on TheGenealogist, but without knowing the initials of any middle names that your grandfather and uncles had, as well as their ages, I am uncertain if I have identified the correct men.

From the Military Death Indexes there is a George F Garton who died in 1940 while serving on HMS Resolution (though this was a big battleship – did George join the regular navy?) and then there is another very likely candidate for one of your other uncles. There is a James B Garton who died on His Majesty’s Trawler (HMT) Southcoates in 1940. This is in the War Deaths Naval Ratings 1939-1948, Vol 4, Page 1416.

There are also various Gartons who appear in the regular death indexes. If your grandfather and uncles died onshore, having sustained injuries, then this could well be where you will find them.

You may need to engage a professional researcher to discover even more about your family’s story. After the lockdown, and when the archives and heritage centres reopen, with some luck a researcher may be able to discover more in the records held in these repositories.

New research in lockdown
I am two months in, to what now appears to be very long, but very interesting exercise. I realised that I knew very little about my family – only snippets of things my parents mentioned when I was growing up. I left the family home at the age of 16 to join the Army and never returned; after a career of 24 years I left the Army at the back end of 1999, married an Essex girl and duly lived there since then.

Then came the lockdown; with time on my hands I started in earnest to look up family. I discovered that I had cousins and uncles still living that I knew nothing of. Now that I am back in touch with lost relations is a bonus that I never thought of, so not only have I a family I also know more about my roots.

I spend my time looking for the Mutches and Addys from Yorkshire and Lancashire, but also look after my wife’s side, the Augers from Essex. It’s truly an eye opener, from those detained at ‘Her Majesty’s Pleasure’ to gold medal Olympic swimmers. It’s a journey I find fascinating and illuminating. I have made mistakes along the way but I learn everyday: the resources available are outstanding. The only drawback is that I am unable to visit records offices, churches and other establishments that will help me.

My wife’s side is driving me nuts at the moment: there’s a stream of her ancestors called Auger or Ager, all from the same area of Essex. It’s taking a lot of time; I ask for help now and again from places like Facebook and I have to admit some of the people there are brilliant, so if you are one of them, thank you it is much appreciated. So for people out who like me, are thinking of joining this genealogy quest, then I say go for it!

Steve Mutch

The editor writes: Well done for getting started, Steve, especially in these challenging times! You now have a fantastic hobby which will never run out of inspiration.