Trove Tuesday: Trove and the Wardley ONS WWI Project

Trove, as we all know, is an absolutely amazing resource. And now, it is helping me research Wardleys who fought in World War One for the Wardley ONS WWI Project.

I have set up a list (Wardley ONS WWI Project) on Trove so that I can quickly add articles I find to review later, especially if I come across an article for someone other than the individual I am looking for at the time.



According to the service records available at the National Archives of Australia, 12 Wardleys enlisted in Australia. Ten of them served overseas, one never came home. The only Wardley on the list that is one of my “own” is Harold Wardley, my great-great-grandmother’s brother (she is one of my Amys). He was one of the two who did not serve overseas. The other was John Wardley, who was 41 years old at the beginning of the war.

Of the ten who served overseas, seven of them were from amongst three sets of brothers - two sons of Levi and Kate Wardley (Arthur and Ernest), three sons of John and Amelia Wardley (Francis John, George, and Walter Leslie John), and two sons of Edward and Harriet Wardley (Frederick William and John).

Unfortunately, Thomas William Wardley, the one who never came home, was the only son of Thomas and Julia Wardley.

At first it appeared that there were two “loners” - David Robert, son of Thomas and Jane Wardley and Thomas Wardley, son of Edward and Jane Wardley. But at least one of them wasn’t really a loner - David Robert Wardley was actually uncle to John and Amelia Wardley’s three sons and to Thomas William Wardley. And I suspect that I will find Thomas Wardley's brothers serving in the British Army.

Trove has helped me put the start of the story together, and even led me to the discovery that Arthur Wardley found an English sweetheart whilst he was recuperating from wounds, and that she arrived as his dependent fiancee in August 1919. I'm looking forward to what else I can find using Trove, which is definitely one of our national treasures!

1919 'COMING HOME.', The West Australian (Perth, WA : 1879 - 1954), 28 August, p. 8, viewed 2 July, 2013, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article27615567

Do you have any Wardleys? Get Involved in the Wardley ONS WWI Project

With the centenary of the beginning of the First World War quickly approaching, I am currently researching and writing a book collating all of the stories of the Wardleys who served - soldiers, sailors, and nurses. This is not geographically limited; so far I have Wardleys from Australia, Canada, the US and the UK. If you have any Wardleys in your family tree that served (or may have served) during WWI, please contact me. I’m happy to share what information I have, and would appreciate your input into the Wardley One-Name Study WWI Project.

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