Sergeant Ronald Stone Bomber Command- What really happened on that day November 1942?

WOW! I was just puttering about through the pages, and decided to read your article about your uncle. What an amazing tale! Was it a boondoggle by the RAF? The manufacturer? Who knows at this point!

As to skeletons in the closet--I found one in my maternal line that surprised me: a mother who was second cousin once removed...from her own child! I checked with a living cousin of mine who is a professional-level genealogist, though he only does it as a hobby, and he confirmed it was not a mistake...we share the same line up until about 1825, where it splits off. but he said, in those days, people did not uproot and move as we do now, so they ran out of people to marry besides cousins! :-O

Oh Nell....Fascinating and exciting. I'm sure you are glad you got yourself into "digging!" I've read several stories from people who have discovered so much, as you did. Some of the tales are of "mixed" review, if you know what I mean.

It's wonderful to know these things from generations ago.....has it made you feel differently in certain ways, Nell? I'd love to sit and talk to you all about this.

I always say that I'm going to explore....I don't know why I haven't yet! Maybe you've just convinced me!! Happy New Year, Nell!

Hello Nell Rose! This is a wonderful bit of detective work! Your uncle was indeed brave to try to rescue his comrade in arms. Perhaps he was more injured than he first realized. That's a common occurrence even in auto accidents. I definitely agree that his heroic chops still stand even though the facts have changed a bit.

Thank you for another wonderful hub, no less intriguing than your supernatural hubs or the tales from your well (mis?)spent youth. I think family history is thrilling though and love it warts and all. Happy New Year to you and yours.

My cousin delved into our past and came up with some interesting facts. I'm glad you were able to uncover some wonderful moments from your family background. It is all so fascinating!

This is great, Nell! My sister and I have looked into our family tree and there is quite a lot there. My grandfather continues to be a mystery as to his activities during WWII (he served in both); we cannot unearth much and it seems he did lots undercover. The story continues.....!

My mum had some funny stories too; she was in the WAAFs. Good job they had something to laugh about in those days of horror.

I enjoyed reading this. You never know what you might find but it's always interesting and there are others' stories along the way which are equally fascinating.

Thanks for a great read, Nell.

Ann

Nell

I did do some, and a family hustorian said the same, we don't thi k he's an ancestor but more like a brother of an ancestor.

Apparently he was in charge of the lifeboat that went back for those in the water.

Apparently all those in the lifeboats survived but only four of those in the water (he rescued most of them)

Lawrence

Nell

We all have those 'skeletons' whether we like them or not!

We always had 'family stories' passed down that showed a 'chequered' history and a veritable 'rogues gallery' some of which were hilarious stories!

One that did intrigue me that I actually found out was a distant relative who was a hero and survivor of the Titanic!

Great read though

Lawrence

Wow, you have some real heroes in your family. Can't wait to read about your mum, too.

What an amazing find, Nell! This is an extraordinary journey for you, in researching your family's past, some of which I hope you will be able to share with us. Family history is a fascinating and enriching tapestry.

Hello, Nell

First of all, by an amazing coincidence, I read this Hub while listening to a repeat from September of a tribute to the Battle of Britain on BBC Radio 2!

I've never heard of this site but one of my cousins is currently researching the loss of our great-grandfather at Flanders in World War I so I'll need to get in touch with him about this. I hope your digging turns up more info for you. I have always meant to get involved in research like this as I'm the eldest of my generation on both sides of the family and hold all the medals and memorabilia. I don't even know what some of the medals are.

Thanks for the interesting read, the inspiration and the prompt :)

Interesting and well-thought out hub. When you find out more about family history it is surprising of what you can find

Nell, great story and video. Love war stories and to be able to read about the people. The video was great and so was Harry's music. I will look forward for the story of Georgina.

I'm on my tablet when i saw your article on my Google+ feed and had to read your story...so very interesting...my mother was in the airforce during worldwar II in the UK. Because Holland was occupied. Look forward to your next article.

I love reading about brave military and I respect yours as much as ours; all just innocent men (and women) sticking out their neck for their country. I cannot stand to listen to anyone that put them down. Where would we be without them; and I cannot imagine I could start to be that brave. We have men fighting now that if they are killed it won't be called combat and I have no idea what that is all about...either to cheat them from honor, money or something and the government we have now has absolutely no respect for our military and thinning it out as much as possible in probably the worst time since WWII. I can't wait until they are out of office and we can have new respect in this country and a new strong military.

Better than reading a new novel! I think Blossom's book is a good idea for you. You have so many interesting ancestors and write about them so well. Thanks for sharing about your Uncle.

This was so interesting and you've written it so well! Family tree research can be fun, but also frustrating when we hit one of those 'brick walls.' Thank you for sharing the story of one of the people on your family tree. I wish you great success as you continue. I put mine into a book and people still buy it occasionally as, amazingly, it won a prize from a local historical society.

Nell, you find some interesting things to do. This one is also very important. I admire your research skills, and believe that you will get to the bottom of this query. Great honor to Sergeant Ronald Stone and all the crew!

wow Nell, I bet the research alone must have been heart racing and it looks like a lot of fun.. I'm going to try it now.. thanks for the share Frank

Neil, this is a fascinating account. As a Air force pilot I could connect with the tale. Sinply wonderful

Genealogy is fascinating. I've done some investigation into my family background, but I've been meaning to do more. Your hub is inspirational, Nell. Even if I discover something unexpected about my family, I still want to know! Good luck with the rest of your research.

Genealogy is a fascinating project. Tracing our roots is so interesting. I learned so many stories about my grandmother on my mothers side. She was brought up in an orphanage. I didn't know this. She had such a hard childhood. Discovering this has given me a whole new appreciation for her. I miss her.

Thanks for sharing your interesting story. Sharing.

Audrey

Nell, this find has set your curiosity on fire! You've done the same for me. My mom says one of my aunts started working on our family tree many years ago and came upon a blank snag, halting her efforts. Now, I'm really curious to see if today's technology can find the missing link.

How much does it cost to join FindMyPast?

I wasn't aware your mom was in the military. I'll be checking out that article as soon as I post this comment.

What an interesting discovery Nell, keep searching see what more you can dig up from the past, no matter what, dying to try to save someone else to my way of thinking is definitely a hero in every sense of the word. I found out in my ancestry that my great, great grandfather boarded a boat headed for Halifax N.S. Canada back in 1754 and who was on board with him but the ancestor of our current past Prime Minister. They left Yorkshire England together.

I have often thought about looking into my family tree. Your find is amazing and piques my interest even more. I know on my mother's side were of German origin and my father was 1/4 Indian. It will be interesting to find out more. Thank you for sharing..

It is thrilling when you find a bit of history that was meaningful to more than just your family. Heroes abound. I'm happy for you.

When we start researching our ancestors, we often open a few cans filled with worms. The details can either be delighting or shocking.

Good luck with your research, Nell, and thanks for sharing :)

A thrilling discovery, Nell! Glad you've gotten into the genealogy! It just gets more and more interesting as you go along!

Nice report here on what you found!

Always riveting; you can be proud of your uncle... lily

Thank you for sharing your interesting research into your ancestors Nell. It seems if we aren't prepared to unearth a few surprises it's best not to delve. I have always meant to look into my family tree but I am a little wary at what I might find...there were a few "black sheep" that I know of. Still, this hub has rekindled my interest in doing just that. I hope you get to the bottom of what really happened.

Finding out about our ancestors can be rewarding or surprising. It is sad that people lose their lives due to a fault in the plane. I hope you find out what actually happened.

Really interesting, Nell. Your uncle was a brave man especially for going beck in the river to try to save others. Many times in war the defense departments don't always tell the whole truth. It has happened here in the U.S. Too. Glad you are finding out about your ancestors. It is so interesting.

What a shock that must have been, Nell, to learn that the story you knew regarding your beloved uncle's death may not have been true. I'll have to check out the Find My Past site for myself thanks to you.

Thank you for sharing this story, Nell. It is so much fun to go back and look at our ancestors, both the heroes and the scoundrels. I hope you find out much more on your family and share it with us. I love to read about the pasts of other people's colorful families. Your uncle was still a hero because he lost his life trying to save his friend. I guess this hidden truth was kind of like the shame of today's troops being killed by friendly fire.

Now I must read your hub on Sgt. Georgina Stone. My mom's sister was in the WAVES during WWII, and my Dad's family produced a couple of "Rosie the Riveters". I think that war produced some really brave patriotic people. No wonder they are called the Greatest Generation.