‘I HAVE FOUND MYSELF THROUGH MY MILITARY ANCESTORS’
Ever since he was a boy Paul Darran has taken great pride in his family’s contribution to the armed forces. “My aunt Rene used to regale me with stories about our military ancestors,” Paul says. “I loved hearing about their service in India, the World Wars and the Boer War. One of our ancestors even fought at Waterloo.
“Rene was ill at the time, so as a child I would carry round her shopping. I’d get a slice of chocolate Swiss roll and we would look through photographs of my grandfather and great grandfathers in uniform. I was so inspired by them that I joined the Army myself at the age of 17.
“It’s a thrill to have discovered more about the ancestors Rene told me about. All of this has been made possible through genealogy.
“Rene was very close to her father Frederick Darran, my grandad, and his
