How can I do my own research?

[Yank44]

I was wondering, since it is obvious that some of you have access to archives of veterans who flew in WWI, how can I do the same? Is it a website, CD-ROM, book, etc? Where do you find your information? I would like to be able to do my own research without having to constantly bother everyone on this website for help.

[Yank44]

For example, if I find an item with a name on it, I would like to be able to look it up and find out some history on the original owner. How do you all go about that? Other than spending half of your life surfing the 'net in languages I don't speak?

[MikeW]

Firstly, what is your specific area of interest? RFC, RNAS, French, Belgian, Russian, Canadian, US - oh I see you're from the States, probably German Air Service then!

Once we know your area, it will be easier to point you in the right direction.

[Laserlloyd]

Hi

You can try Grub Street Street the Basement books, these are a great source that I use. Some of them are out of print but go to Ebay and get it from there. That's how I get my out of print books....

You can go to my site and in my book section I have reference books listed there, I do lean towards the Dr.1's but you should be able to find some. Also try Grub Streets site and Amazon.

Lloyd...

[austin08]

Hi yank,
I really empathise with you on this, I guess you need to understand that many of the contributors have spent decades on this subject, many with access to original archive material & who have built networks among fellow historians - for those of us who are relatively new to the subject its a case of reading some of the discussions & gleaning information & references from them, searching out books, cross checking sources- checking how much access to a national archive there is, etc - as for me ,This site is brilliant, my library & knowledge has grown enormously & every so often I can add some pertinent information into a discussion - one thing i've begun doing is buying back issues of Cross & Cockade which contain articles which expand on information in standard references- any information helps.

[Yank44]

I prefer U.S. Army Air Service lately, but I do branch out. I'm really a history buff and am interested in all things historical (within reason) Most importantly, are there places with lists of all veterans? (officers, pilots, and not just aces)? Obviously, the enlisted pilots in the U.S., for the most part, are not very well documented.

I constantly buy material, and I am always looking for named items. I wish there was a website with an omniscient search engine that could bring up the history of any individual from the past. I would love to have a story behind each item I purchase. Whenever I ask for provenance prior to purchase, I usually get a song and dance. Very rarely, do I actually get something that can even be remotely called provenance. People just make stuff up nowadays! It's pathetic. For example, I recently bought a pair of bullion wings from a dealer that even named a specific collection they were supposedly from, and they turned out to be fake. The creep wouldn't even give my money back. There are some real winners out there.

On a lighter note, my favorite items have years, names, specific depots, etc. on them. I don't necessarily need to keep them forever. I have come to the conclusion that I buy them just so I can have a hands on experience and display them without having to worry about freaking out some owner. (It's good to be the owner!) After awhile, I sell them to someone else who can appreciate them, usually at cost lately. One cannot exactly go to a museum and handle the goods. I display them for awhile, let my friends and family handle them, and then pass them on to happy buyers. I've never ripped off anybody, if you're wondering. It's a learning experience for myself and all that come into contact with me. (I love sharing the stories.) Most of the people I know would never hear about these things, hold them in their hands, or even hear these stories if I wasn't forcing it on them. LOL Also, I always let potential buyers handle the goods in whatever non-destructive means they wish prior to purchase.

It's not just WWI aviation either. I've been collecting historical items from all eras since I was a child. It just so happens I've been in love with WWI aviation the last few years. My family and friends always love coming over the house, because they know there will always be some new treat to play with and hear stories about. I just think you can't beat hands on history. I like reading about things and seeing them in museums, but nothing beats holding them in your hands and examining every last crevice of the item. I just love it. I remember working in a certain National Museum, handling all of those priceless artifacts, and having mixed emotions of joy, wonder, etc. Alas, archaeology does not pay very well.

Ideally, I'd love to live history and experience these things as they were used...meet the people, etc. Any time period. I just love it. This is the second best thing. I would love to get filthy working on a Gnome engine prior to takeoff. I would love to be wiping off castor oil from my goggles as I fly through the air in an open cockpit. I can skip the ingestion of the castor oil, however, and avoid the wonderful after-effects so common with Camel pilots.
Yank

P.S. I can skip getting shot down too, unless I can hit restart afterwards! LOL

[Yank44]

A funny example of the above from just a couple of days ago....
My brother, eleven years my junior, was peering through my British issue WWI binoculars and said, "Why did they bother?" I just laughed. Seriously though, holding the leather case, observing the maker names, running your finger over the broad arrow mark, feeling the leather grips on the binoculars. It almost puts you there...the feelings are inescapable.

It makes you appreciate even the daily goings on. I wore my wool pilot uniform to the last military show I attended to draw attention for sales, and I was totally dehydrated by the end of the day. I can't imagine fighting a whole war in that thing! These are the things I am talking about with hands on history.

Yank

[StephenLawson]

Begin by Volunteering. Find an organization and help out. Next purchase every copy of "Cross & Cockade" USA , GB, International and "Over the Front" you can. Cross reference the articles in each volume to the errata and addendum in the back of each issue. Find the new or added information in one volume under those headings and go back to the original article and note the location of the new info by volume, issue and page. Consume their information.

Correspond with the writers of those articles. When you do, send a SASE. be polite and remember that no one owes you anything that they own themselves. Give credit where credit is due.

I started by specializing in German materials but at this time I have more German and American docs than I will ever be able to research. I NEVER wanted a large archive but I have the responsibility of caring for one of the largest in private hands. Never back down from a pompous "$@#!!(&^%!!" when you are right. Don't let anyone put their name on your research. Never forget who gave you your first break into research.

Never take yourself too seriously. Always preserve the history.

[Yank44]

Thank you for all of your help folks. Now that I have some leads, I will begin my new journey into the depths of research.

[ONEALM]

....if you run into any aviators from New Jersey and need a hand, drop me a note. I probably have what you are looking for.

I was fortunate enough to have Bill Bailey looking out for me as a wet-behind-the-ears research pup. He fed me a few names of French AS personnel he was interested in, gave me a SASE for either the BCIAA or the SHAA in France and all he wanted in return was copies of the material I received back.

He said he had asked me to help because he didn't want the folks at SHAA to get tired of fielding his requests - and that may have been true - but I doubt it was his real motivation and the results were that I was trained to use an important resource.

Probably the thing that left the biggest impression was having my name mentioned in the acknowledgements of one of his squadron histories in C&C - at age 17.... Now that was a humbling and motivational experience.

Bill won't take credit for it, but I give him full marks for making the effort to keep me engaged.