It has been suggested that we should write a series of articles on the Lin(d)fields who have served in the armed forces and who have distinguished themselves or died in battle. We could extend this idea to cover the American Civil War, the Boer War and any other campaigns for which records are available.

I have made some preliminary enquiries at the Imperial War Museum in London, and it would seem that whilst they hold a certain amount of material, it is very difficult to make a general search for a given surname, since most records are organised by regiment or battalion. The list of those who died in the First World War is arranged in this way and runs to some 70 volumes! Most records are held at the Public Record Office, Kew and this is probably the most useful place to start a search. If anyone is particularly interested in this field and is able to do some research in the London area, perhaps they could get in touch with me. Similarly, if members have any details of their ancestors connections with the armed services, I would be interested to receive copies.

We have details of some Linfield descendants of William of Massachusetts who served in the Civil War, and would interested to hear from anyone who would like to research this further.