Graeme..who are you ?

Fill · 1 November 2009, 04:20 AM

Graeme...your obviously a real ace at British claims and losses in the Great War . I have been looking at your posts for the best part of 10 years ... But who are you ???,,, are you published ?... tell me about you please

Graeme · 2 November 2009, 02:52 PM

Fill

Got the bug over 45 years ago - reading Biggles books during boring Sunday sermons. When my old man couldn't tell me who

Mick Mannock,

Billy Bishop et al were, I haunted my local library getting my hands on everything I could. Later I took advantage of the inter-library loan service, even getting books from the British Museum library. Later still, managed to spend time digging up info from the PRO and later, later still, launched into the world of medals and later, later, later still got hooked up on the internet.

I began by collating the information in a card index then back in the 1970s got hold of a (much) used IBM Cub (it had a huge 10 Mb hard disk!) and started transferring everything onto floppy disks - 1.4 Mb at a time! Unfortunately, later lost a great deal of text when a hard drive went flakey and the compressed back-up wouldn't decompress. So now I'm weaving a tale around the database records - not my most favourite job!

I have plans of getting published but still have a way to go before everything is formatted the way I'd like.

Still, my heart surgeon told me I'd live to 92, so plenty of time yet

Graeme

bristol scout · 2 November 2009, 02:57 PM

Hi Graeme,
I also am in awe of your knowledge----with Russ and yourself we are graced with two consumate compilers of FACTS.

I go back further--and consider myself no slouch---but you (and Russ) are millions of years ahead......as i said--awe struck!

Dave.

Graeme · 2 November 2009, 03:56 PM

Thanks for the kind words, gents. It's never been my intention to force my opinion on anyone so have tried to simply present the data I have accumulated and let the reader reach their own conclusion. Russ does similarly, although, perhaps, a little more forcefully

Graeme

bristol scout · 3 November 2009, 03:00 AM

Hi Graeme,

Well, sometimes it takes a bit of levering to swing the pendulum of objectivity back a bit from the big, bad, bold Huns sweeping the sky's clear of poor 'spandau fodder' young 'tipperraries' paradigm.

There are many twists to this--D.H.2's being superior to Albatros scouts, Bullets fired from behind so that British claims can't be true-----Ah! the list is almost endless, so IF sometimes points are made forcefully---well, as long as the argument is attacked--and not the person making it---that's O.K. isn't it?

All the best,
Dave.

Fill · 3 November 2009, 04:08 AM

Hi Graeme
Thanks for your reply .... Two things spring to mind " so you guy's from the 70's , were not always " off our nut "...... translation is you were very dilagent mate during those times .
Second thing is something you said . You said you have always tried to submit the facts without too much emotion . You know that was what always impressed me about you mate . Some of us can do that for a while , but you always do that ... a great character trait you have ..
Have always liked you without knowing anything about you ...if you ever get published then i will be buying ..
Thank you , for all your great posts !!..
Fill

YavorD · 3 November 2009, 05:40 AM

Thank you again, Graeme, and good luck with your project!
Yavor

Graeme · 3 November 2009, 04:28 PM

Hi Dave

I've no problem with forceful argument - that after all is what the Forum is all about, an honest exchange of facts and/or opinions - but unfortunately, the incidence of personal attacks seems to be on the increase, which is saddening.

I'm just glad that people find my posts of interest - seems to make it all worthwhile

Graeme

Dan_San_Abbott · 6 November 2009, 08:15 PM

Hi Graeme:
Our cardiologists must have been communicating, I was told the same thing,
Mine said. Dan you will live well into your 90's. So I said, "Hell if that's the case I'l shoot for 100!" He said, "Go for it!" I have out lived him. Now it is only fourteen years away.
GraemeI am surprised our paths have not crossed before, we have so many common interests.
Blue skies Graeme,
Dan-San

Graeme · 7 November 2009, 09:15 AM

Hi Dan-San

Since my cardiologist was presumably talking about me having survived the heart attacks (when I was 46) rather than his surgery (when I was 47) I take it to mean I'll make it to 92 - I'd prefer 94, since that would put me on a par (age-wise) with the oldest known member of my family. If that's the case, only 38 years to go!

Until I chanced upon a reference to Cross and Cockade (GB) in my local library (and later found the Forum while I was at home recovering from my triple bypass) I thought I was alone in my WW1 interest. In fact, my family, by and large, were of the opinion that I was wasting my time since "nobody else cared."

From that point on, my interest in claims widened to incorporate casualties, awards and latterly biographies - hence the problem in getting everything laid out to my satisfaction. It just seems that every time I feel Ive got things sorted out, I come across another question that requires investigation, cross-referencing etc. It all seems to be never-ending! Still, with 38 years to go, there's time for everything to gel

Graeme