View Full Version : Who Do You Think You Are - Hugh Dennis 12th Sep
kiterunner
12-09-12, 07:48
This evening at 9pm on BBC1. Actor and comedian.
As I have at least three lines of Dennises, I might watch - though it will probably turn out he's related to the truck people:d
maggie_4_7
12-09-12, 18:10
As I have at least three lines of Dennises, I might watch - though it will probably turn out he's related to the truck people:d
I read this on my iPhone earlier and my eyes being not what they were read "truck people" as "thick people" :D
Anyway moving on hopefully it will be like last week's one more family history with more ancestors.
I like Hugh but I like him more as a stand up or panel comedian rather than a structured comedic actor type role in sitcom with a script.
I hear that he will be concentrating on the First World War relatives.
kiterunner
12-09-12, 18:43
I remember going to see him in the Cambridge Footlights Revue in the mid 80's.
Margaret in Burton
12-09-12, 21:01
Very interesting
Olde Crone
12-09-12, 21:03
Nope, didn't enjoy it one bit. another history documentary, very interesting for him I'm sure...but not for me!
OC
kiterunner
12-09-12, 21:11
Episode Synopsis
Hugh Dennis lives in East Sussex with his wife and two children. He grew up in London, the younger son of John Dennis, a Bishop, and Dorothy Hinnalls. His parents met each other at Cambridge. Both of Hugh's grandfathers fought in the First World War.
John's father was Hubert Ronald Dennis, known as Ronald. He was born in 1899 in the village of Wales, near Sheffield. His parents were John Dennis, a miner, and his wife Edith. The 1901 census of Wales and Kiveton Park shows John and Edith with their two sons John W age 3 and Hubert R age 2.
1901 census entry on ancestry (http://search.ancestry.co.uk/iexec?htx=view&r=5538&dbid=7814&iid=YRKRG13_3126_3129-0314&fn=Edith&ln=Dennis&st=r&ssrc=&pid=18269895)
1911 census on ancestry (http://interactive.ancestry.co.uk/2352/RG14_20255_0215_03/23643545?backurl=http%3a%2f%2fsearch.ancestry.co.u k%2fcgi-bin%2fsse.dll%3findiv%3d1%26rank%3d0%26gsfn%3dedi* %26gsln%3dden*%26rg_81004011__date%3d1872%26rs_810 04011__date%3d5%26f18%3dyor*%26prox%3d1%26db%3d191 1england%26ti%3d5538%26ti.si%3d0%26gss%3dangs-d%26pcat%3d35%26fh%3d4%26h%3d23643545&ssrc=&backlabel=ReturnRecord)
Hugh visited Wales Primary School where he saw his grandfather's name on the Honours Board showing that he received a scholarship to grammar school in 1910. The grammar school was Woodhouse Grammar School which opened in 1909, and Ronald's elder brother John (known as Jack) also went there.
In 1917 Ronald joined the army. He joined as a Private but was recommended as an officer cadet and went through officer training at Cambridge, at St John's College which Hugh later attended as a student.
Hugh visited the Imperial War Museum to meet a military historian who showed him Ronald's army record. This showed that he arrived in France on the 12th Oct 1918, i.e. very close to the end of the war. He led a battalion who captured the village of Futoy, losing a lot of men. Ronald was wounded by fragments of a shell and was sent home. After the war he became a secondary school teacher. He died in 1990 aged 91.
Hugh then found out about the wartime experiences of his other grandfather, Godfrey Parker Hinnalls. Hugh's aunt Margaret gave him some information and showed him some photos, including one of Godfrey's brother Frank who died at Gallipolli age 17. Hugh had a look at Godfrey's service record online, and then went to France and Belgium to visit the battlefields. Godfrey served in the Suffolk Regiment when they were sent to Arras to bury the bodies of those who died in the battle there. His battalion were then involved in attacking the Hindenburg Line and in the battle of Passchaendale, where a lot of men died. He spent the winter at Popperinge where there is now the Talbot House Museum, which Hugh visited. In 1918 Godfrey served in the Lincolnshire Regiment and took part in defending the village of Wytschaete against the German attack. Only 86 men survived out of 400 in Godfrey's battalion.
After the war, Godfrey returned to his home town of Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk, where he got married and spent the rest of his life. He died in 1974.
kiterunner
12-09-12, 21:35
Here is Hubert's medal index card:
medal index card (http://search.ancestry.co.uk/iexec?htx=View&r=5538&dbid=1262&iid=30850_A000438-01430&fn=Hubert+Ronald&ln=Dennis&st=r&ssrc=&pid=4291684)
And Godfrey's:
medal index card (http://search.ancestry.co.uk/iexec?htx=View&r=5538&dbid=1262&iid=30850_A000749-01900&fn=Godfrey+P&ln=Hinnells&st=d&ssrc=&pid=4396478)
Godfrey's service papers are also available on ancestry:
Godfrey Parker Hinnells army papers (http://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=BritishArmyService&so=2&rank=0&=%2c%2c%2c%2c%2c%2c%2c%2c%2c%2c%2c%2c%2c%2c%2c%2c% 2c%2c%2c&gsfn=god*&gsln=*n*ls&sx=&gs1co=1%2cAll+Countries&gs1pl=1%2c+&year=&yearend=&sbo=0&sbor=&ufr=0&wp=4%3b_80000002%3b_80000003&srchb=r&prox=1&db=&ti=5538&ti.si=0&gss=angs-b)
I thoroughly enjoyed it. Particularly so, because one of my grandfather's was in the same places as his during WW1.
I watched it with my grandson who was unusually quiet after it finished. When asked why, he said "I wouldn't exist if your grandad had not come back, and that has just been brought home rather graphically. I am thinking about what he would have experienced"
I left him to be quiet with his thoughts.
Enjoyed it, but the prog seems to have changed - again just concentrating on one generation. Very similar to the one before last.
In the trailer, Connie Huq used to feature - she seems to have gone now. Looking forward to Bill Roach and Celia Imrie episodes
It's quite chilling for me to realise that one of the bodies he buried at Arras was likely to be my father's cousin, who was also in the Suffolks.
In the trailer, Connie Huq used to feature - she seems to have gone now.
Had your time machine out again Jess?? :):p:)
Konnie was on Who Do You Think You Are? which was broadcast in Autumn 2008.
TBH I didn't notice her in the trailer, but I wonder if anyone (else) has been on the show twice?
As usual I haven't been able to watch this week's episode yet, as I'm not allowed to touch the remote until about 11pm, but hopefully will get to see it on iplayer this evening.
kiterunner
13-09-12, 07:03
Some unseen footage:
http://www.whodoyouthinkyouaremagazine.com/footage/13822
Margaret in Burton
13-09-12, 07:30
I thoroughly enjoyed it. Particularly so, because one of my grandfather's was in the same places as his during WW1.
I watched it with my grandson who was unusually quiet after it finished. When asked why, he said "I wouldn't exist if your grandad had not come back, and that has just been brought home rather graphically. I am thinking about what he would have experienced"
I left him to be quiet with his thoughts.
We had a similar discussion.
My husbands grandfather was taken prisoner in 1915 and remained so until the end of the war. I said to OH, that probably saved his life, neither him nor his dad (b 1920) would have been born had he died.
My grandfather was called up in 1917 as one of the older men to go (b 1883). I suppose he was just lucky.
WendyPusey
13-09-12, 10:16
My Grandfather was very near to where his was during WW1, only he didn't come back, he died in April 1918!
Quite interesting, but I enjoyed Patrick Stewarts more.
Patrick Stewart and Hugh Dennis both focus on the war experiences of close male relatives - father and grandfather respectively. Both absorbing episodes, but I feel these episodes are better suited to the History Channel.
One of my main areas of research is the First World War. However, my focus is their family lives before the war and the impact their service had on their families and communities. In one small town I'm studying, 17 men lost their lives on the same day in the same action. One woman in this town lost her husband and son on the same day - killed as the result of a booby-trapped dug-out.
So I am interested in the subject, but felt there was something lacking. Part of the joy of WDYTYA is challenging a person's perception of who they are. I loved the Alistair McGowan episode a few years back discovering he had Anglo-Indian and Irish blood, not Scottish as he thought. Hurdler Colin Jackson had the most wonderful heritage, as I recall.
I feel these episodes are better suited to the History Channel
I'm glad they're not, as we don't get the History Channel!
Well, I quite enjoyed that! Was slightly frustrated by the particularly slow pace of the programme though.
I would have liked to have heard a couple of minutes about the background of Godfrey Hinnels and about when and where his brother died to see how that fitted in with when Godfrey joined up (Godfrey was older than his brother Frank and Frank was 18 not 17 when he was killed but still younger than soldiers were supposed to fight abroad)
I thought the male line all looked very alike!
I like Hugh Dennis but I didn't enjoy this one as much - I've seen too much of this sort of programme before and I didn't get enough sense of either grandfathers' personality so it left me a bit cold.
I forgot about this on Weds and only got round to watching it yesterday afternoon on Iplayer... I do like the way these episodes are focusing on one or two relatives now and not going back generations. It shows that you can build up quite a detailed picture from various available resources (service records, war diaries, published memoirs etc) to get an insight into our ancestor's wartime experiences :)
It would be lovely, however, to have a trip to the WW1 battlefields with an expert on hand to give you a detailed description of battles etc, with all the necessary maps, documents and books... but sadly I can't see that happening for me!!
I like Hugh Dennis but this programme didn't tell me anything new - WW1 was horrible and its effects stayed with people for a lifetime.
I did perk up when they mentioned Poperinghe as my maternal grandfather was near there in WW1, with the Royal Engineers. He had a miserable war although he was lucky not to be physically injured. My paternal grandfather was too old to be actively engaged, though he was in a training camp at Chilham, Kent, with the Royal Artillery when my Dad was born in 1917.
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