In the summer of 2014 I began researching my great-grandfather’s involvement in the first world war. I decided the best way to collate all the information I had gathered was to build a website/blog where I could not only detail his story for my own interest, but also share his story with others who may find it interesting. What followed was entirely unexpected…
Since starting the blog:
I’ve been visited in my home town of Ayr by Newfoundlander’s and Canadians.
James Cooper’s story has been featured as part of an exhibition about the war in Rozelle house.
I’ve had the pleasure of appearing on BBC Radio Scotland to tell the story of James and the Newfoundlanders.
I’ve had numerous emails from people from home and abroad who felt the need to get in touch after reading the blog.
I could go on and on with further events and dialogues that have happened, but instead I intend to feature some of these developments in this new site and log new updates through the blog.
When I published the original site in the summer of 2014 I knew it was not finished. I added a few updates along the way, including detailing the Rozelle house exhibition and my appearance on BBC Radio Scotland. I’m sure I’ve only scratched the surface of telling the story of James Cooper, and I’ve barely even touched researching the Newfoundland regiment in Ayr.
I expect I’ll be researching James Cooper and the Newfoundlander’s in Ayr for a very large part of my life, which is where this new updated website comes in.