Names Lost in Time

So today was my first day at the Museum in Stirling, and I certainly don't regret going for it.

For my orientation today I was assigned the task of answering the correspondence of people who had contacted the regimental museum wanting to know more about their ancestors who had served with the Argylls.

To answer their questions and find out the histories of their relatives, I had to delve deep into paperwork that had not seen the light of day for a while! This was a real thrill for me, the tactile history of holding papers signed by Douglas Haig, or someones Victoria Cross citation, the hand drawn maps of enemy trench networks from the First World War. This is what I want from my career in history!

I was always advised to find work that feels like play and this certainly covers it! However there was a down side. Of four of the messages I researched and replied to today, only one provided a satisfactory answer to their enquiry. The lack of information you can uncover when you're surrounded by such a vast wealth of information is maddening! I was told that this is part of the job, that because of a mix of shoddy record keeping at certain times in the regiment's history and the fact that the MOD storage facility for records was destroyed by bombing during the Second World War, the likelihood of finding all the information the people want is pretty slim.

The last enquiry I answered was one of these, someone wanting information about their relative who was a Regimental Sergeant Major for the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders at some point in the late 19th century. All I had to go on was a serial number and a name, so I had to put on my deerstalker and be a bit of a detective. However, despite trawling through the databases and the files; the obituaries, roll books, pay registers and even the personal diaries of the soldiers who served at that time I couldn't find a damn thing! You can't imagine the irritation I felt at that time, it was as if the poor sod had never even existed!

I had no choice but to reply to the person and tell them that our records held not mention of him and that he should attempt to contact the National Archives and the MOD's Scottish branches for records. I ended my email to them by saying that if they did find anything, would they please send that information to the Museum so that we can add it to our own, it's not fair for someone to be lost in time like that.

I meant it, i just hope to God it doesn't happen to me when I croak...