Researchers get family details wrong
In the past two years, two different researchers have given different family details for my grandfather L/12191 Acting Bombardier George Barker, C Battery 161 Brigade Royal Field Artillery (The Scarborough Pals Battery). Niether version being correct.
My grandfather only came to live in Scarborough shortly after his marriage to Violet May Jones, a Scarborough girl, in 1913 and so does not appear on any local census. This seems to be the cause of the problem, as both the researchers concerned found the family details of two different Scarborough born men with the same name and approximate age and attached them to my grandfather’s service details. Thereby causing possible confusion for those two families should they decide to research their family history.
The concerning factor is that flawed research of this nature affects family history, local history, and, if not corrected, also national history.
Dave Barker
The Whins, Newby,
Scarborough