I am currently helping a friend (Ray Coggin) with proof reading and editing of a diary which follows the life of his wife’s grandfather who was a medical officer during the First World War. Whilst doing this it has gradually dawned on me that my own maternal grandfather had a similar life and the two may  have known each other in Edinburgh.

If you follow the blog Whiz-Bangs, Krumps and Coalboxes you will discover that Dr D C M Page grew up in Alva Street Edinburgh. My  maternal grandfather was born in a house in Belhaven Terrace just two miles from Alva Street. They were born 2 years apart – Douglas Charles Murray Page in 1894 and my grandfather, Henry Fotheringham Ferguson in 1892.

They were both doctors and both served as medical officers during the First World War, Douglas Page being sent to Northern France with the 130th (St. John) Field Ambulance and my grandfather serving in India with the Cameron Highlanders. That is all, so far, that I know about my grandfather’s time during the War but I am now on a mission to find out more.

A starting point is a website that was created by my late aunt’s husband’s family – the Grosers (http://www.groserfamilies.com/) which lists birth, death and marriage details for several generations before my grandfather.

From looking at his marriage certificate I have discovered he was a Captain in the Royal Army Medical Corps and lived at the time of his marriage (June 1919) at 9 Windsor Street, Edinburgh which is today a reasonably priced hotel. I may have to visit!

I am now on a quest to see if there is a connection between Dr D C M Page and my grandfather. Even if I don’t find one this is definitely the push I needed to start researching my family tree.

There is also of course the Moncrieff family tree to investigate which my paternal grandmother worked on a long time before the Internet was invented. It is so much easier now so I really have no excuse.

The author of this blog (Joanna Moncrieff) is both a City of Westminster and  Clerkenwell and Islington Tour Guide. 

Details of all her walks are listed here