General Chat

I'm glad I didn't watch it. I would have been so angry with her!! And she's only an old lady! My nana was German, she went through hell after they emigrated here (before WW1). One incident was a man banging on the door, she opening it, being young at the time, and him brandishing a gun at her calling her all types of filthy names! I'm proud of my German heritage, even though I can't trace it back! lol. There's also this gentleman in our village who was a German POW. He never went back. He was Polish and made to fight for the Nazis but didn't want to. Taken as a POW, married an English woman and never looked back (family all died in the war).

The one fault with last night's programme was that they showed Julian getting the train up to Ryde pierhead, where the passenger catamaran goes from, and THEN showed him travelling back to the mainland on the CAR FERRY which leaves from Fishbourne, a couple of miles away! Do they think we can be fooled! Who do they think they are!!!!!! Allie

Paxman programme was the best in this series BUT J C last night just goes to show that we haven't all got such interesting histories and majority of us have ag labs going back centuries and you have to be good scriptwriter to make a series on any of them. Also note how these programmes appear to go back to about mid-1800s and I wonder how interesting they were in early centuries. In the meantime we are all trying to find names that take us back centuries - I wonder why ? I notice that one person tried to compare the Trier research room with any of ours. Problem with German histoiry is that unless you know the origin of the family you just can't get started and there is no central place where you can see what happens generation by generation to German ancestors; Karl born Frankfurt, married in Frankfurt, children born Frankfurt, died Frankfurt is easy to follow but if Karl had moved to Berlin and then on to Dresden then you would have to know each movement and go to three areas to research. Thank Heaven that the 'alien' papers that my gran had to complete when she came here gave the name of her mother and where she was born otherwise I would never have got the family history - and that now goes back in Germany (maternal side) to 1620. Others I am trying to help do not know in which German state their rellies were born and so we are having terrible time trying to find answers. Anyone who has relatives knlkwn to have been born in the Hunsruck area of Prussia ( between Trier and Mainz) are welcome to see if I have their ancestors on disc.

I saw the first half then went to sleep. Either it was not as interesting as the others or I was knackered!! It's on tape so I will catch up with it later. I thought the 91 year old was very with-it.

My mother was always going on about the Irish side of Dads family, she'd have had a fit if she'd seen her side of the family tree, guess what??? Irish! name of Costello, poor old Mum, I'm glad she never found out before she passed away. Me I'm quite fascinated by the connections, just sorry I cant trace any of them. Len

was disappointed with family ties as it ended without tracing his brother. He had quite a few shocks to find out there were a couple of sisters but one had committed suicide in 1995. I wonder if he finds his brother will they announce it to the viewer? Gloria

Didn't have it on here. It was supposed to come on at 9.30, but football or something on before it overran and they cancelled it. Probably won't show it at all now, not fair. M.

My wife's grandfather was a Police Constable in Lincolnshire. In a record book that we have in our possession, is an entry :- 1916. 7th Sept. Took Ernest Schwenayer a German to the Isle of Man. (Knockaloe Camp). There is no comment on why, so presumably he was being interned, because of his nationality.

I thought it was the most boring so far. J. Paxman was the most interesting in the series so far. It almost seemed that after Julian found out he had German reletives on both sides of the family he didn't want to go on. Watched FamilyTies on BBC4 after and found it far better. Would like to see WDYTYR do some programmes for non famous people.

Agree with Christine thought it very odd to thank her son for visiting, felt they did not have a good relationship, may explain a lot! I then fell asleep, found it quite boring compared to last week. Carol

We never really know, with these TV programmes, how much is 'manufactured' for the camera or whether anything is scripted. It's obvious that the celebrities involved are used to being filmed and in the public eye, but it must be very difficult for people such as Julian's parents to act naturally when suddenly they find themselves being filmed and recorded - especially if they're told what they can or can't say. I thought Mrs C seemed distinctly uncomfortable on camera, especially at the Bowling Green. One thing that did strike me was how well the family seemed to get on. There was an obvious bond. Shame about Valerie not being allowed to wear her glitzy collar, but ... takes all sorts! ;>))) CB >|<

Julian's father seemed disappointed his father wasn't a pilot! Sounds more exciting I suppose, but in actual fact his father was very important ,in that he and his working crew were knowlegeable and responsible for safety of the pilots. They would have worked in hazardous conditions, bet he feels more proud of him now. Thought it was a lovely tender moment when Julian was touching the type of plane his grandfather would have known so well. Mau

Andy, LOL That's another one for the list - North Yorkshire Co Durham London Somerset Wales Germany Where next? CB >|<

First one that I've watched so have nothng to compare it to. Thought it was a good show and just wish that I could have someone show me all the things that I'm struggling to find about my ancestors. I didn't notice his nipples, thought his clothes were great and that Julian even appeared quite masculine at times.

I thought that about the shotgun wedding too. I do think last nights programme allowed Julian to jump to a lot of conclusions about his family without a lot of fact. I'd liked to have heard a response to his romantic notions anout the Boxing Day marraige (along the lines of it was probably done for free so it was the only day they could afford to) And if the family of the artist were that well to do - why did she nee dto seek out a job suitable for a girl? Grrrrrrrrr

Haven't watched it yet, I taped it. Started it this morning, I'm just going back to it now. Goodness knows what they would have done if they had found a murderer in their tree!! NO, I haven't YET! LOL Deanna X

Did anybody else think it was funny when Julian Clary found out that his great-grandparents got married with a baby well on the way and came to the conclusion that the woman's parents thought it disgraceful and disowned her? If my family tree is typical, that was the norm in those days! They would have been more likely to disown her for not getting married when a baby was on the way! There was only one person (Ivy) who said that she thought the woman's family didn't want to have anything to do with her, and she didn't really know anything about it. Couldn't it have been that the family were all dead or just as poor as her and couldn't help even if they wanted to? Kate.

Didn't find the programme very interesting. Didn't think that Julian Clary was particularly interested. Loved Jeremy Paxman and Stephen Fry. I was born and bought up in Islington. 3 of my direct lines come from the 'black areas' on Booths map. They might have been extremely poor but with one exception I have found no dishonesty in the families. This is something I am very proud of. I love bringing my tree up to date and seeing how well parts of the family have done. btw my mother is 89 and does not, and never has, harboured any grudges against the Germans. As she will tell you the people to dislike are the 'men in charge' who decide our fate...... whatever their nationality. Jean x.

I missed the first 5 minutes, so missed his mothers comments, however i did find the programme a bit repetative...as if they didn't have enough to fill the show! A real shame as i find Julian very entertaining, and was quite impressed at how he felt so connected to his ancestors....told hubby it proved i wasn't so strange after all ;-) Yvette

Don't forget the BBC would have already known about the ''foreign'' ancestors when they filmed Mrs C making her unfortunate remarks......no doubt they spoke to her about possible ''foreigners'' in order to goad her into saying something she maybe otherwise wouldn't have thought to mention.......... I have spoken to many people over the years about doing their trees and I can't remember anyone ever saying ''I hope you don't find any foreign blood'' (or whatever she said) in their very first sentence!! She still shouldn't have said it, but I can see how this may have come about....... Same as Jeremy Paxman's slightly ''false'' whinging at the man behind the camera who asked if he was proud to be Scots/Yorkshire/Suffolk bred! Merry