Orders, Medals and Ribbons

On ANZAC Day we admire the orders, medals and ribbons so proudly and deservedly worn by the service men and women. The commander who first awarded such decorations to all the soldiers who took part in a battle was Napoleon Bonaparte. Until then only a few medals recognising specific acts of heroism and bravery were issued. Soldiers took great pride in their campaign medals and ribbons and were anxious to earn more, so much so that Napoleon was quoted as saying: "With a handful of ribbons I can conquer all of Europe."

His optimism was misplaced!

Following his defeat at Waterloo in 1815, Napoleon was exiled to the remote South Atlantic island of St Helena. The Saints had little warning of his arrival "as news of his escape from Elba and the subsequent eventful campaigns had not reached the island" so they were all "incredulous"  at the information. Thus the house eventually designated for him and his entourage was far from ready.

For his first few months of exile on the Island Bonaparte stayed with the family of William Balcombe at "The Briars". Balcombe's daughter Betsy reported that Napoleon entered into "every sort of mirth or fun with the children", the two small boys still at home being similar in age to Napoleon's own son. She remembered he "had the glee of a child and he never lost his temper or fell back on his age or rank to shield himself." She recalled "My brothers at this time were quite children and Napoleon used to allow them to sit on his knee and amuse them by playing with his orders etc. More than once he has desired me to cut them off to please them."

One of those small boys was Thomas Tyrwhitt Balcombe. How apt that his great-grandson Bill Gaden became a member of the 2/20 Battalion AIF and earned medals and ribbons of his own.  It was Bill who wrote all the letters from Malaya and Singapore which became the inspiration and formed the timeline for my book "Pounding Along to Singapore, a history of the 2/20 Battalion AIF"

Lest we forget.

References:

Campaign medals, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campaign_medal, accessed 9 April 2013.

Mrs Abell (late Miss Elizabeth [Betsy] Balcombe) , Recollections of Napoleon at Saint Helena, London, John Murray, 1844, pp 11, 39-40.

Caroline Gaden, Pounding Along to Singapore, a history of the 2/20 Battalion AIF, available from the author at <cagaden@iprimus.com.au>

Confessions of a Beginning Beginner.

By Caroline Gaden  ©

 

Glorious colours, superb designs, intricate details, visually stunning, that’s how I’d describe the wonderful quilts shown in every issue of the  various Australian Patchwork and Quilting magazines. But to a ‘beginning beginner’ like me they look so complicated; they instil feelings that “I’d never be able to do that.” and a lack of confidence. So the magazines get tossed aside again. Every month or so I’d sneak another look at the latest offerings, but find inspiration and confidence in my own ability would ebb even further away… I have no colour sense, no artistic flair, couldn’t design a quilt to save myself.

But, I’m told, “You only have to be able to sew a straight line.”

Ha! That to a lass who in Year 6 was painfully forced to unpick the apron ties seven times because the lines weren’t straight, to a lass whose grandmother was a talented and fastidious tailoress, to a lass whose mother was a perfectionist with all the beautiful clothing and every needlework piece she created. Every single thing I ever attempted to sew had to be unpicked and re-stitched several times… the patch-work fraternity would have a lifetime of negative vibes to overcome before I would be able to join them.

But that lifetime was marching on and the interest and longing were not really diminished, just lying dormant under the surface. Retirement was just around the corner, the horses had all gone to less geriatric owners, the kids had all grown and flown, the time was now available and the timing was finally right.

It was 2004 and I enrolled in a beginner’s class at ‘In Stitches’, the local Armidale patchwork shop… a new block every week for eight weeks. I soon realised that selecting colours, [auditioning, what an appropriate word] was not such a major issue… and the same design can look stunning in a myriad of colours.

I learned how to measure and cut in straight lines and the pieces were so small it was even relatively easy to sew in straight lines. I learned how to use vliesofix and appliqué and how to actually construct the blocks in logical fashion. Karyn was a patient teacher who did any unpicking that was needed so we beginners could honestly say “I made it myself and I didn’t unpick a single stitch.” Before I knew it I had made a small quilt.

Then it was back to the real world. My youngest son’s 21^st was fast approaching. The challenge was on. I decided on a large quilt cover, more practical than a quilt for where he lived and there would be no worry about the quilting part of the exercise.

What to do for a young male, a student whose life at that time seemed to revolve round his motor bike? Each day he wore a T shirt with slogans like “Life begins at opening time” or “I only drink beer on days that end in ‘Y’” and “24 hours in a day, 24 beers in a slab… coincidence?”

Some perfect material was spotted, one with motor bikes, one like a chequered flag and, the best of all, old style beer labels in primary colours. The quilt cover took shape in my mind, nothing too difficult, seven rows of seven patches each twelve inches square, 49 in total. A couple or so beer labels were appliquéd onto primary colour squares, the other materials made complete squares. There were eight patches of white material with photographs printed on them, photos showing family, school mates, cadets, holidays and sporting teams. A navy border, a couple of zips and appropriate backing material and the quilt cover was born.  What a great sense of achievement over something so simple.

 Then I experimented with other designs made into cushion covers in Log Cabin, Roman stripes and Greek cross.  I try Biscuit, Crazy/Random and Seminole and am inspired by the results. I fell in love with a Bargello quilt on display in Trangie and quilter Fiona was kind enough to post me the pattern; how thoughtful and friendly to a total stranger.

The next major assignment loomed. My eldest son and his partner were leaving the Royal Australian Navy and I want something nautical as a memento. I scoured shops for appropriate material and find warships, tropical islands, dolphins, stars, material which looks like sky, sea and sand. I locate RAN ships badges and Australian flags. Trudy, from a Chatswood material shop, encouraged my quest and sent me photos of the quilt she had made for her ex-RAN father, another inspiring advocate for her craft.

Back to Karyn for a workshop on  Mariner’s Compass, an appropriate centrepiece. Gold coloured material was used to appliqué a brass anchor and ship’s bell, cord was used to depict some of the various knots and coil of lines [ships have lines not ropes, except for the bell-rope!] Again white material was used for photographs from their years of service on the various ships. This time the squares were smaller, just nine inches, and there were 81 of them…. well okay the Mariners Compass is equivalent to one nine-patch block.  The result is a lovely quilt to remind the couple of their time proudly serving their country in the RAN. And it’s not too long before I’m busy with a teddy bear cot quillow [using log cabin] for their first baby!

More experiments followed. I love the crazy design so new cushion covers appeared. I even did some foundation piecing. Confidence was growing and it was soon time to tackle the third quilt cover, this one for my middle son and his wife who adored hot pink, the colour worn by her bridesmaids. With that colour in mind, material had been slowly accumulated over a couple of years.

Another class with Karyn, this time to learn how to construct a Lone Star. It became the large centrepiece and was surrounded by three inch patches, twenty seven long by twenty four wide. In all there are over 700 pieces of material in this quilt cover… what progress from the 49 patches of the first one.

So yes I’m still working in straight lines and mainly squares but my confidence has grown and I think I’ve progressed to ‘beginner’ status. Now I’m ready to tackle some more designs using material I have accumulated in my travels to Queensland and the Northern Territory.

I still feel in awe at the glorious quilts on display in shops and photographs in the magazines, but I also realise that simple patterns can be extremely effective especially when they are sewn with love.

Conservation of those family mementos

A delightful tiny shirt worn by Emmie Parkes’ grandfather when he was a small child, and shown by Emmie at a meeting of the local Family History Group, inspired me to learn more about conservation of the fabrics I have in my care.

Old textiles need to be handled with gentleness … the mere act of lifting a heavy item can cause damage. I have a beautiful beaded evening gown which weighs over 2 kg and such weight would put huge strain on the thin shoulder straps, even if it’s hung on a padded coat hanger [never use wire or wood]. This dress needs to be stored flat because of its weight.

Before storing fabrics, they need to be clean. Deep freezing will kill pests, tweezers will remove debris, and extremely gentle vacuum cleaning will remove surface dust. And don’t forget to empty any pockets; you may even find a historical gem!

Take great care with dry cleaning or washing any item, the chlorine in town water damages old material, so that is one advantage we 'bushies' have with our tank water. If in doubt ask an expert.

Check out the internet, a Google search using “textiles conservation” brought up more than four million web sites, you’re sure to find something useful, including recipes for the laundry.

The Australian War Memorial web site < www.awm.gov.au/aboutus/conservation/index.htm > has excellent information online where you can learn how to care for Works of art on paper, Books, Documents, Medals, Oil paintings, Photographs, Textiles, Disaster Recovery  and Cleaning Soot Damaged Objects.

Once your item is clean you need to decide where and how to store it. You need an insect-free, clean, dry area with some air flow. Damp means mould, so anywhere damp is definitely unacceptable. This means you can’t use a roof storage space, a linen cupboard in a bathroom or laundry especially if you use a drier, a cupboard above a damp area such as a fish tank or evaporative cooler.

Items are best stored flat but you may be able to roll a large item. If you do have to fold, make sure the folds are not sharp (to avoid splits in the fabric) and support the folds with acid free tissue, that is white pH neutral tissue. Never use coloured tissue, the colour will stain your precious memento. If you can’t find appropriate tissue, a well used clean colourless tea towel or sheet may suffice.

Make sure you have removed any safety pins and badges. Don’t use plastic bags, don’t use newspaper, don’t allow moth balls or insect strips to touch the textiles and don’t use lavender as it will attract insects after a few months.

Storage in the dark is recommended to prevent fading and check frequently to make sure there have been no winged invaders. My wedding dress had a couple of munchers in its box before I learned how to take action! And my century old christening gown is now under much better supervision.

If in any doubt, ask an expert before you start. Textile Conservators willing to advise are at

Australian War Memorial, Canberra, phone 02 6243 444

Endangered Heritage, Canberra, phone 02 6287 1291

Acknowledgements: 

Endangered Heritage <http://www.endangeredheritage.com/services.htm  > 

and the AWM with its brilliant web site <http:// www.awm.gov.au/aboutus/conservation/index.htm >

   by Caroline Gaden   ©

So you want to publish your book electronically

Around 15 years ago I published a couple of family history books called The Schrader Letters and From Baron to Battler, both about the family of Dr Christian Ulrich Detlef Schrader who lived in Walcha. The two volumes are now out of print and, after several requests for reprints,  I decided electronic versions would be the quick way to reproduce them. Wrong! I have just spent a couple of very frustrating weeks as I tried to navigate the maze of web pages and instructions. I started with The Schrader Letters as it is a book consisting of words only.  From Baron to Battler has many photographs and inserts, so it will have to wait a while until knowledge and confidence grows.

You need to decide on which eBook publishing program to follow. Hopefully this article will help you  sail through the sea of web pages  a bit more easily than my initial efforts, so here are a few tips gleaned from that extremely steep learning curve!

Here are some things to consider:-

Make sure your manuscript  is word perfect with no spelling errors. Forget the fancy formatting, forget unusual fonts, forget indented paragraphs; the simpler, the better. You are subsequently going to purge it with a nuclear bomb to get rid of all that and the extra hidden bits and pieces you don't even know are there, so don't waste time on setting up 'the fancy stuff', it's all going to go. Save your book as a Microsoft Word file in Word.doc  format.

Forget page numbers. Your eBook will have a different number of screen 'pages' depending on the font size used by the reader and whether they use landscape or portrait orientation for reading.

Decide on a title then make a separate cover for your book. It needs to be in jpg format. The more professional looking the better. Perhaps you can have a play with your photographs in Picasa (a free Google download). I made a small collage from  a couple of photos and was able to add the text to the page... it's very simple but legible as a 'thumbnail', which is what your potential customers will see.

Now you will need to decide which eBook  program to follow so you can upload your book to their website  and they then sell it to readers who download it to their reading device.

 I have a Kindle reader so thought Kindle would be the way to go.  It's part of the Amazon network at       < https://kdp.amazon.com/self-publishing/help>.

I spent a week trying to learn how to use the Kindle program. It is suggested you work in Word doc format then save as a filtered htm.  I downloaded the three necessary programs i.e. MobiPocket Creator, Kindle Previewer  and KindleGen V 1.2 . I also printed all the help pages to consult. In addition I used CJs Easy-as-Pie Kindle tutorials which are at <www.cjs-easy-as-pie.com/p/kindle-publishing.html >.

I followed the Simplified Formatting Guide and I have to say I found some of the instructions were not that easy to follow. I then used the MobiPocket Creator instructions to build my book. It was somewhat annoying to reach a spot only to be told you should have done something earlier... like a recipe which suggests you should have added the baking powder but you're now at the point of putting the cake in the oven.

I was eventually told I needed to have an NCX file for ease of navigation, I should have set it up before..... but where? and how?  I asked on the help forum but still was stumped. As the Easy-as- Pie tutorial says, NCX stands for Not Clearly eXplained. I spent close to a week going round in circles here. Now you may be more web savvy than me but I just couldn't get to where I needed to go. So apologies to Kindle, but in sheer frustration,  I ended up defecting  to Smashwords, a site I only heard about  by chance from another  eAuthor who I consulted for help.

Now there are a couple of bonuses with Smashwords < http://www.smashwords.com/about > which I had not realised. Smashwords pay into PayPal and, because of my eBay purchases, I already had an account. But probably more important is that Smashwords can be read by Kindles, Kobis, Nook, Sony and iPads as well as other eBook devices, you can even download as a pdf file onto your computer... it seems to be more versatile. They have a "Meat grinder" program which takes your Word doc and can translate it into the format needed for the various eReaders.

But how easy was Smashwords to prepare my book and upload? Well the instructions are brilliant, taking  you step by step through the whole process, it has screen pictures and is easy to understand. The free download is  at < http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/52 >, and you do need to print a copy to follow (all 72 pages, but well worth the investment in paper and ink).  I think of it as my Smashwords recipe book. You are working in Word all the time ... my only hiccup was the dreaded NCX  file again... you need to link your Table of Contents to your Chapter headings, but you also need to link the Chapter headings back to the Table of Contents.... this time I had it all done and checked in under half an hour.  Mark Coker has done a brilliant job in making the Style Guide simple to follow and easy to do! If I can do it, so can you!

Your book will need an ISBN ... print and electronic versions of the same book need their own separate ISBNs. If your book has no ISBN  then Apple and Sony will not distribute it, you are limiting your market. To apply for an ISBN you have some choices. Smashwords offers  a free ISBN from < http://www.smashwords.com/about/supportfaq#isbn > or, if you specifically want an Australian issued number, go to ThorpeBowker at < www.thorpe.com.au/isbn/index.htm > . They deal with all Australian ISBN applications. The number takes a few days to be sent to you and the cost is $40.

You may need a Tax File Number for the United States or the United Kingdom. Why?  Well Smashwords pay your sales income into a PayPal account... if you've bought anything on eBay you'll know this system. It is based in US so has tax implications over there.  Kindle will pay your sales fees into either a UK based or a US based bank account which mean you have an income in an overseas country.  The UK  site for tax information is <http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/index.htm> . 

The US Tax site is <www.irs.gov >. I spent a few hours surfing this site and still ended up sending a question for their hard-to-locate help desk... and the answer was just as complicated! My understanding is that royalties in the US are normally taxed at 30% but for Australians it's 5%  as we have a treaty. We need a Form W-8BEN and a Tax Identification number  (ITIN) obtained by filling in form W-7, the forms are available on the web site... I'll investigate that next week!

I know it all sounds a bit daunting, but please don't be put off. I've found it to be quite an adrenalin rush to have completed the target I set for myself. After all the frustration of the past two weeks,  the thrill of seeing MY BOOK up there on the web, available for sale around the world, has made it all worth while.

And for those Schrader relatives who may be interested here is my very special link < http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/109893 >

by Caroline Gaden©

So you want to research your family history....

 

HEALTH WARNING - Genealogy is ADDICTIVE

These are some free resources to use as a starting point

·         Begin with YOU and search backwards [can add your children and grandchildren later].

·         Do not start with some famous person with the same name and try to find a link.

·         Collect family stories, talk to close and distant relatives, some of those old yarns may have a grain of truth and they add colour to your tale.

·         Collect family mementos eg Bible, photographs, medals, letters, diaries, books, furniture and try to find the story of each piece .... the  ‘who’, ‘what’, ‘where’ and ‘when’.

·         Find birth certificates, they give mother’s maiden name.

·         Find marriage certificates, will give father’s names for both bride and groom.

·         Death certificates are less reliable as someone else is giving the information, nevertheless they can indicate number of children.

·         Visit cemeteries to view gravestones as most give a birth and death date.

·         NSW Records start in 1788, can look online for Births to 1910, Deaths to 1980, Marriages to1960.  The NSW index is at < http://www.bdm.nsw.gov.au/familyHistory/search.htm>

<http://www.bdm.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/Index/IndexingOrder.cgi/search?event=births>

<http://www.bdm.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/Index/IndexingOrder.cgi/search?event=deaths>

<http://www.bdm.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/Index/IndexingOrder.cgi/search?event=marriages>

·         This will give the reference number so you can order the certificate [$30 each online]

·         Naming patterns may help eg first son after father’s father, first daughter after mother’s mother, second son after mother’s father, second daughter after father’s mother. The (grand-) mother’s maiden name may be included as a given name e.g. Matthew Taylorson Barry Ford which give clues that you have found the right person.

·         Many rich resources are located with local Family History Groups who are manned by enthusiastic and knowledgeable volunteers.  They are likely to hold electoral rolls, P.O. directories, cemetery inscriptions, probate indexes, local newspaper obituaries.

·         There may be local or regional Archives or University with newspapers on film and Government Gazettes which are excellent for land grants, medical appointments, mining leases etc. You may be looking at microfiche or microfilm because multiple copies can be made and originals become too fragile. These can also be accessed from places like the National Library.

·         Make use of the BRILLIANT new National Library web site of digitized newspapers which are searchable by name and place and date....<www.trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper>

·         Your local Latter Day Saints Church has access to extensive records from all over the world. International Genealogical Index , the IGI, compiled from millions of records worldwide but especially UK and USA. You can look up the IGI on line and then order the specific film for confirmation and detail.

<http://www.familysearch.org/eng/search/frameset_search.asp?PAGE=igi/search_IGI.asp&clear_form=true>

·         Use census records, some are available free online  eg the 1881 British and Canadian <http://www.familysearch.org/eng/search/frameset_search.asp?PAGE=census/search_census.asp>

·         Maps may show land subdivisions with owners

·         Education Records, Police records, Post Office records. Inquests, Gaol returns, Divorce records, Occupations eg lists of Clergy or Doctors

·         If your ancestor was a soldier the AWM has a brilliant set of records available online <http://www.awm.gov.au >and follow links to ‘people’. See my blog called 'Researching Your 8th Division Soldier'.

·         Read books about the area where your ancestor lived as he or she may get a mention and you certainly learn about the place where they lived, you may even identify their old house.

·         First arrival in Australia. When? Death cert of this person will give clues for date.

·         Where did they come from? May be on death cert.

·         Convict records, Immigration and Shipping records are available. Some online.

·         Cyndi’s list has close to 300,000 thousand links to web sites  <http://www.cyndislist.com/>

·         Pre 1837 in UK need to go to Parish records

·         For UK the best site to start is < http://www.genuki.org.uk/>

Once you have collected all the information for one family line you’ll need to chase up the other family names....remember you have 2 parents, 4 grandparents, 8 great-grandparents, 16 great- great-grandparents, 32 great-great-great-grandparents, then 64, 126, 256, 512... so it doubles for each generation you manage to get back…. it’s a never ending task but the detective in you will find it such fun!

And don’t forget you are part of your descendents family tree so remember to write out the story of your life for your own children and grandchildren.

By Caroline Gaden ©