General Chat

I also found it a bit boring

Maybe because an hour before I had watched a repeat of Gerry Springer's family during the war.Those who were murdered and those who escaped.

Genuinely heart breaking story and wonderful when he was surprized to meet a family member.

I have watched all of them so far. Good series, I think my favourite was Gregg Wallace. What a hard life his ancestors had.

Very good viewing in my oppinion. Can't wait for next week - hoping it is Alex Kingston. She is a good actress. Enjoyed her in Molly Flanders.

Dee

I found it boring,,and his voice was boring as well

Mmmmm............ not too interesting but I guess once the groundwork has been done it must be difficult for a production team to say to a celebrity 'sorry but there is nothing of interest in your past'. Not to mention what it has already cost to come to that decision. That isn't the fault of the celebrity but more the team for not seeing what might be of interest.

I believe that Michael Parkinson was told his past in Barnsley was nothing special ,but going down a mine where most of his relatives worked can be made interesting. There is a mining museum just a few miles away and showing what conditions children as young as 6 had to endure can give some background to what many children and adults had to endure to earn a crust.

Its sometimes 'reality checks' that make us appreciate what our forefathers endured in order for us to benefit in modern times. Whilst the carnage of WW1 cannot be compared numerically with being down the mine the devastation of injury,death, entombing,gassing etc is no different to the conditions which prevailed in those dark days.-jl

Just digressing slightly and following on from Janet

My father in law born 1904 went to work down the mines at 14. He saw accidents injuries and even death to his work mates. He was a miner until he had to give up through sickness at 60 and died of the respiratory disease Silicosis at 66.

Hard life and a hard man, bless him

Janet, in WW1, They used miners to dig tunnels under the enemy lines then filled them with explosives and blew them up, sometimes they were unlucky an the Germans blew there tunnels up first and entombed them.Very brave men,a generation lost.For What??

I suppose the point I was trying to make was that people suffered so much in 'peacetime' down the pit and were just trying to earn a living and comparing it to the trials of war which in the case of the WDYTYA had featured in two of the stories but considered a background of mining wasn't deemed 'interesting' enough to feature as a story in the case of Michael Parkinson.

I haven't any family from a mining background but I have been to look underground at the mining museum and thought about the men/women and children who spent their lives making money for the owners and the conditions they endured. -jl

Glad we were'nt the only ones - at a point during the maternal g.father I realised I was leafing through a magazine and OH had gone asleep!

Most unusual as he usually finds it as interesting as I do.

Well this weeks story was a good history programme, but I have like all of us family members who were out there but most did not come home.

But us trying to find records like he go it is like looking for a needle in a haystck, after the 1940 fire.

So he was lucky in some respects.

A nudge as a reminder for tonight. ;-)

Emma

Yet another programme around military theme

Not one military theme in tonight's programme

What an amazing woman Elizabeth Braham was!!
If I was Alex, I'd want to know which house Rosa was in charge of, and would look at the occupants of all the other houses (and scan any newspapers) to see if they were bawdy hoouses or rented out to families - and if rented to families,how many per house!!! :-D :-S

Well I had to laugh as Alexs gggrandmother Elizabeth Braham was involved with a Mary Ann Dalton the same name as my gggggrandmother but I do not think they are the same person

This one was both informative and entertaining - her reaction when she realised the 'proffession' of her grt x n grandmother was priceless!

I'm fairly certain that one of the witnesses at the marriage of an n x aunt is the same on one of mine (Official from the Grt Synagogue) , so today's task is to re-watch that segment with the cert to hand

Mrs Braham. The Cynthia Payne of the Victorian era. Strange how we are keen to criticise (rightly often) a mill owner for profiteering from his girls, yet seem to think this lady was a great entrepreneur rather than a criminal who should have had her assets seized and finished her days in Holloway.

I am really ashamed of two of my ancestors. One came over from Germany and rid Ireland of peasants in early 17th century. Another was involved on edges of slavery. Both had extensive estates and some titles and honours, but I am so ashamed of them.

Yet Alex last night (who seemed a nice enough girl but have never before seen her in my life) seemed to show inappropriate glee that her ancestor had got wealthy ruining so many lives of clients and staff alike. :-S :-S

The photographer was a fascinating subject and it reminded us of that wonderful band of women who raised healthy and happy families after the tragedy of WW1. Probably all of them dead now, but plenty of children and grandchildren who still remember them fondly.

Well I thought it was a very good programme and I would have been very proud if my ancestor was the enterprising Elizabeth who showed she was a shrewd and clever woman who was left alone to bring up four children. There were worse things than running a house of ill repute, in my opinion, and I was full of admiration for this woman.

Well i enjoyed last nights programme. Very interesting and as I've
learn't over the years not to be judgemental of anything I find out
whilst researching my or anyones' ancestors.
What would I have done in their shoes??

Next week William Roache.

Emma

BC Am amazed that you think there are worse things that the "oldest profession". I am not sure I agree with that at all, and I am a man arguing with a lady.

Any profit from anything illegal that belittles the humanity of others is wrong. Fagin was wrong. Drug dealers are wrong. In 100 years, would you be praising a drug dealer for his entrepreneurial spirit.

But, for me, prostitution is even lower down the scale. It is on a par with slavery even.

Wonder why her husband died in 1827? So young.

Firstly I enjoyed last nights episode

Who knows what a mother would do to keep her fatherless children fed and housed. In those days there wern,t benefits to be had

Anyway John

Prostitution low and on a par with slavery??????

If it wasn,t for MEN there wouldnt be any prostitutes Get it :-)

Really enjoyed last nights programe.

Elizabeth: Was she to take the alternative route and try and bring up 4 children on her own without money. She used her initiative and did well from it. Of course, if it had been 2012, I would not have thought it a good course in life to take, but things ARE different now.

Interesting that she had the first house recorded in 1827 (the year her husband died). Perhaps he was like a modern day pimp? and ran the house with her! Then again, it was in her name - but who else would he have left the house too?

It was nice to see her looking after her grand-daughter Rosa.

As for Alex's reaction to Elizabeth's profession - Mol Flanders came to mind!

Can't wait for William Roach next week.

Dee