17 April 2025
Investigating forebears in the records of the past: An interview with Ken Foster
Ken Foster is a retired police officer who lives in Eastbourne. He uses the British Newspaper Archive website, run by the British Library and FindMyPast.com, to research family history. He is the secretary of the Great War Forum Ltd.
I left the Metropolitan Police after over 30 years’ service with the rank of Detective Superintendent. I have always been interested in the Great War of 1914–1919. When I retired, I began to research in greater depth the part my family had played in the war, and that’s where my interest in family history began.
The newspapers held by the British Library, which are available online, are a fantastic, unfiltered resource for family historians. They reflect the values of the communities they were published for and help the reader build a more intimate picture of their lives.
My great uncle Percy served on the Western Front
My father was named Percy, a living memorial to his uncle, who was a member of the 14th Battalion Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders in the First World War. This was a bantam regiment for soldiers under five foot three in height. The under-height men were recruited in 1915; they were supposedly fit, but because they were from industrial cities, they had lots of medical problems such as rickets.
Many, including Percy, were formed into the 40th Division, who served on the Western Front. They helped to capture Bourlon Wood as part of the Battle of Cambrai and suffered tremendous losses. They were disbanded in 1918 and soldiers were sent to the base depot at Etaples. Percy was there on 20 May 1918, when the Germans bombed the base. There were a number of Scottish soldiers killed, and they're all buried together in the cemetery at Etaples, which is one of the biggest war cemeteries in France.
My interest in Percy’s generation led me to research why some members of my family had volunteered while others had not. It turned out that my family were Methodists. Generally speaking, the Methodists are pacifists, but there was some question as to whether or not this was a just war. Percy and my grandfather volunteered before conscription was introduced to the United Kingdom and Ireland (as it was then) in March 1916. Their other two brothers were shoemakers, and they didn’t fight in the war. One of them joined the Local Defence Volunteers. The fourth brother carried on in his own sweet way, making boots for the army.
Thieves broke into my great great grandfather’s shop
My second great grandfather, James, was the start of my family’s connection with the boot and shoe trade. Using the newspaper collection, I found out that in November 1855, his shop in Stainland, West Yorkshire, was burgled. The whole shop was ransacked, and the newspaper account said that every shoe in the shop, even those that were in for repair, was taken; he had absolutely no stock left at all. The thieves broke into the back of the shop, according to the newspaper report, and the burglary wasn’t discovered until James went in the front door the following morning. It was a typical night burglary, if you like.
As far as I'm aware, the burglars were never caught. I've had a look for them, to try to find out who they were. I had a really good dig around in the newspapers, but without any luck. Shortly after the incident, James moved away – whether as a result of the burglary, I don't know.
The Methodist community had a whip-round for him, and it was reported that they raised about two thirds of the value of his stock. I think he probably used that money to set up his business in Camberwell in London with his new wife. Was it an insurance fraud? I don't know. The fact that every item was taken, even including those boots that were in for repair, does make you think.
The discoveries I’ve made answer some puzzling questions
The mechanisation of the boot and shoe industry meant that James’ bespoke business folded after a few years, and he moved to the East Midlands, the centre of the trade. My mother and father met in the Timpsons shoe factory in Kettering. The discoveries I’ve made answer some questions that have always puzzled me as far as my childhood was concerned. My dad used to use these Yorkshire phrases, and I never understood where they came from, until I found that that was where his father was from.
As a former investigator, my research is a kind of continuation of my career. The downside of the internet is that people can put any old rubbish on there. I think it’s important that there is evidence that corroborates what is written on a website. There’s actually a parallel in the past: after World War I, there were a number of vanity publications, like the National Roll of the Great War, where you could pay to have your name put in, and puff up your service, just a little bit.
Researching family history is a fascinating pursuit
I should like to find more photographs related to my family history. Whenever people ask the Great War Forum where they can find photographs, we refer them to the British Newspaper Archive, because when people became casualties in the Great War, relatives could submit a photograph to the local newspaper. It’s been quite gratifying when people have found pictures, when they never knew what their ancestors looked like before.
In the last 10 years or so, it’s become much easier to research the past because so much information has been digitised, including, of course, the British Newspaper Archive. Newspapers are released by the British Library to FindMyPast.com week on week, so more and more information is made available. Researching family history is a fascinating pursuit and there are always too many avenues to explore and too little time.