This is the first of what we hope will be a series of articles by Doreen Norton, already known to those members of the family whose research she has most generously taken up. In particular, she visits the Public Record Office at Kew from time to time - something that many of our family historians can never do for themselves. If some input from Doreen would help you to discover more about your ancestors, you can contact her by e-mailing minnienorton@aol

There used to be a regular article in the "Daily Express" called "It's fun finding out!" It has certainly been fun for me recently - in fact I think this has been a very exciting month!

It started with me writing to four "Stentifords"  I found in the local Portsmouth Telephone Directory, asking for any information that they might be able to give me about their family of Stentifords. Within two days, I had a phone call from a man called Victor to tell me that his family came from Chawleigh and that his father was called Thomas Stentiford.

Tom Stentiford

Photographed in Exeter at the studio of Alan Mills in Heavitree Road

His casualty form shows that he embarked from Southampton on the "SS Atlanta" on October 19th 1915. He was a private attached to 584 Coy which was a mobile repair unit at GHQ. Next day, he disembarked at Rouen in France. In the June of 1916, he reported unfit to work after an accident in the workshop.

His commanding officer described on a certificate attached to his records how the accident happened:

"About April 1916 at St.Martin, while working in the Blacksmith shop swinging a hammer. The soldier was in no way to blame. The incident was not reported  at the time since the soldier did not wish to make much of, what then, appeared to be a slight matter"

But over the following weeks, inflammation of the knee joint  became more and more debilitating and from that time on, Thomas seems to have been in constant pain, frequently reporting for medical  treatment. It was not until July 1918, however, that he was finally admitted to hospital.