Thread: CWGC - New Search Engine

Originally Posted by Kyt

Shayman on rafcommands* posted a link to a new search engine created for the CWGC, yesterday.

Geoff's Search Engine
http://www.hut-six.co.uk/cgi-bin/search39-47.php

I have had aplay around with it and it is a great add-on. Geoff (the creator) has increased the number of fields with which to search, as well as allowing more flexibility in finding units and/or dates.

As it is add-on search engine it is linked to the CWGC database and so is a little slow. So be patient.

There are also some anomalies that, at first, seem to be the fault of the programme. However, after doing a number of searches it appears not to be the programme but the way that the original data is entered on the CWGC.

For example the word squadron will only bring up 3 entries. That is because the CWGC uses Sqdn. It should also be noted that this will not bring up all those who were killed in a particular squadron because the majority of the casualties will only have Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve as their unit.

I particularly like being able to be specific on a date rather than just a year.

The CWGC have been promising to expand their search facility for years without anything happening. Until they finally do this is a great addition to peoples' research toolkit.

* CWGC Search Engine - RafCommands Forums

Hi everyone.....

Hoping that repeating what I've already posted on another site is not too infra dig I still thought you might still like to hear of my own experience while testing out Geoffs very ingenious new search engine.

Ron



Geoff

I feel must tell you and others, of my experience this morning on testing out your admirable CWGC Search Engine.

My Army number was 14300260.

I decided to enter only the first six digits, i.e. 143002 in the "number" field and see if any one who joined the Army near my time had been killed in WW2.

The search produced, amongst others a Trooper Fletcher, Reginald Water who died on the 12th of March 1945, is buried in The Reichswald Forest Cemetery and who's Army Number was 14300257.

Trooper Fletcher's number is just 3 digits lower than mine and he must have joined on the same day, 1st October 1942.

Truly a case of "There but for the Grace of G-d go I"

Ron

Ron,
Bet you had us all running for our dictionaries there!!

Cheers Ron, for both highlighting how useful the new engine is, and for a most interesting story. I have often wondered what happened to people who joined together (but not together, if you know what I mean - sequential numbers for people who didn't know each other). I would have thought that in the army, individuals ended up in the same units etc, unlike the RAF where they ended wherever their training, trade and unit allocation dictated.

Kyt

You say:

I would have thought that in the army, individuals ended up in the same units etc, unlike the RAF where they ended wherever their training, trade and unit allocation dictated

Not so....

My Army number was a General Service one and I was stuck with it from then on despite the fact that I moved from:
1. An Infantry training unit (Beds & Herts)
2. The Royal Artillery (Light Ack Ack)
and finally
3. The Royal Armoured Corps (4th QOH)

As Michael Caine might say.......Not-a-lotta-people know that !

Cheers

Ron

Ah, of course Ron - I'd completely forgotten about that. Thanks

Try also the "back door entry" into the ADMIN section of the CWGC.

For example, try this link:

http://www.cwgc.org/admin/files/Stats.pdf

Now try to go to this link:

http://www.cwgc.org/admin/

The difference is I used the standard Google Search Engine to find the file I wanted and by-passed the padlock at the front door. All by accident but it opened a whole new world! Nothing really private in the "admin vault" just a lot of great files. I even told them about the "hole" and they did not repair it.

The best way to search any site is to download the Google Toolbar and then select the function for "search current site". You can do this manually from any site by using a standard Google Page and entering the following: (as an example)

admin site:cwgc.org

The word "admin" could be any word on any web site and then just put "site:address of site" and away you go!

You will be surprised what you can find quickly on almost any site!

Geoff's search engine is fantastic.

With a bit of juggling, I extracted 202 Aussies who had enlisted and died in the RAF. I had been trying for ages to find a way of getting these names.

Alsoworked for the RFC, RNAS & RAF from WW1.

Geoff has just added a new search engine - Geoff's AFM Search Engine this searches names on the Armed Forces Memorial - post ww2