Help needed for an Arnhem Database

Discussion in 'The Lounge Bar' started by Paul Pariso, May 6, 2010.

  1. Paul Pariso

    Paul Pariso Very Senior Member

    Hello All,

    I have had an idea for a project and I need some help! The plan is this:

    You know when someone on the Forum posts a question about a person who served at Arnhem and we go “The name is familiar, but I can’t remember where I saw it?” Well I plan to go through ALL the books I have and create a database of EVERYONE mentioned in the books! That way, if someone asks a question about a guy that fought there, I will be able to go to the database and see if that person has ever been mentioned in any of the books.

    The database would include fields such as name (obviously!!), unit, rank, date of birth and death, where buried (if appropriate) what happened to them, photos and which books they are mentioned in with page numbers etc etc.

    Simple huh!

    My problem is that I don’t just want to create an 'Excel' type spreadsheet as it would obviously become too large to handle properly. I want to use some sort of proper software similar to the BookCat software I use to catalogue my books. It will need to be flexible enough to allow me to create ‘custom’ fields and obviously it must be easily searchable. Now, my questions to you guys are these; firstly, do you know of any such software and secondly should I be put in a padded cell with a straight jacket!! :lol:

    What do you think?????????

    Best regards,

    Paul...........
     
    wtid45 likes this.
  2. kingarthur

    kingarthur Well-Known Member

    I not sure about the programme side of things, but I think the idea is an excellent one.


    Dave
     
  3. wtid45

    wtid45 Very Senior Member

    Paul my fellow Arnhem loony:D great idea mate........... aint got a clue on the Software side of things but im sure on here some where we have a computer 'nerd'. Trouble is if its names from books the rest of us wont have much to do........ you got all the books:lol:
     
  4. ronald

    ronald Senior Member

    This is an excellent idea, maybe it should not only contain those who
    served in the 1st Airborne Division but also names of civilians, resistance
    men and women and others mentioned in the books.
    Btw Paul doesn't has all the books, how about all the Dutch ones, polish ones?
    It will be a time consuming project but very valuable for research.

    Ron
     
  5. Ramon

    Ramon Senior Member

    Hello All,

    I have had an idea for a project and I need some help!

    Hé Mate,
    You have time to much:D
    but a graet idea
     
  6. dbf

    dbf Moderatrix MOD

    Paul

    For a couple of years now I have been thinking about how to do the exact same for Irish Guards and now other Guards regiments. I am still relying on spreadsheets to record details from all the various sources... and I can't see a way around it apart from designing a database myself. [Have books and hardware gathering dust in a corner while I wait for my husband who is a programmer analyst to have a spare day or two ;) to start it off.]

    If anyone knows of an off-the-shelf product, I too would be interested, otherwise it'll be end up as another one of those things I will never get around to doing.
     
  7. Lofty1

    Lofty1 Senior Member

    Go for it paul, it will be a boon to all students of The Battle of Arnhem, lofty
     
  8. James Daly

    James Daly Senior Member

    Excellent idea. Especially with a subject like Arnhem that has such a level of interest in it.

    On the IT side of things, I would seriously consider having a look at Access for building the database. I've used it for building my Portsmouth WW1 and WW2 war dead databases. It gives you a lot of options for searching, compiling reports, etc.
     
  9. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    Like Diane...I have too often thought about something like that when I read a name in one of my 1940 books.

    The one thing I do try and always do when possible. If a book tells the story of a mans death I make a point of looking on CWGC for their details and when I photograph the headstone I tell 'their' story. So people know a bit more behind that headstone. I feel they all deserve to have their stories told when possible.

    An example of what I mean here:

    6898432 Lance Corporal Leonard F. Webber, 2nd Battalion, Queen Victoria's Rifles, KRRC.

    He like so many deserves to have his story told.

    Good luck with it Paul, if you decide to take it on.

    Regards
    Andy
     
  10. TomTAS

    TomTAS Very Senior Member

    Hi Paul,

    Guess what I have :) :) a database with wait for it about 40,000 names on that... Ok Not all Arnhem but all Airborne or with a link to the Airborne.. You name it I have it here are just some of them....

    SAS
    Pathfinders
    SBS
    RAF
    Paras
    Glider Pilots
    1st Airlanding
    2nd Airlanding
    6th Airborne Divi

    You should know by now what a Nutter I am LOL

    Cheers
    Tom
     
    CL1 likes this.
  11. wtid45

    wtid45 Very Senior Member

    Hi Paul,

    Guess what I have :) :) a database with wait for it about 40,000 names on that... Ok Not all Arnhem but all Airborne or with a link to the Airborne.. You name it I have it here are just some of them....

    SAS
    Pathfinders
    SBS
    RAF
    Paras
    Glider Pilots
    1st Airlanding
    2nd Airlanding
    6th Airborne Divi

    You should know by now what a Nutter I am LOL

    Cheers
    Tom
    When Paul reads this he will either jump for joy or go cry in the corner:lol:
     
  12. Pete Keane

    Pete Keane Senior Member

    There is a website that may be able to use the info you collate...its the Paradata site...I have a link somewhere, englandphil contributes.

    of course, this wouldnt cover civilians and other units, or, getting really exotic here, Axis troops (wouldnt that be a task, names of all involved on both sides!)

    Pete
     
  13. TomTAS

    TomTAS Very Senior Member

    Hi wtid,

    LOL no he'll just point his Big gun and say hand it over PMSL :) and Pete yes I know all about the Paradata thanks....

    Cheers
    Tom
     
  14. Paul Pariso

    Paul Pariso Very Senior Member

    Hello All,

    Thanks to everyone for their encouragement and suggestions :D.

    Diane has come up with some interesting options and I also like what Andy has done so their is plenty of food for thought! That said though, I guess if Tom already has such a database then I'll only be duplicating his work and that seems a bit pointless! :unsure:

    Tom, how is your database constructed? Is it a series of seperate documents or is it on some sort of spreadsheet system and does it contain references to any books that the chap may be mentioned in??

    Oh and Ron, you're right of course, I don't have all the books in Dutch, Polish, French, German etc etc. but I do have about 95% of the English ones (magazine articles and booklets not included of course!) :lol:

    Best regards to all.............
     
  15. Lofty1

    Lofty1 Senior Member

    Hi Paul,
    If I undersand correctly your idea, this would be like no other site, names linked to books, would be a boon to Arnhem students, I waste loads of time looking through for something I have read about someone, in a book amongst 170 Arnhem books, and no idea which one it was in. Added to this would be your collections information made available, is in itself a generous gesture, and for anyone following a specific name could possibly find more, from books that are now almost unobtainable, with a email to you. Sounds fantastic.
    An instance, I searched for the refererance to the women taken prisioner in Arnhem, were the last sentance states, this women was very ugly, can you help with that. regards lofty
     
  16. Paul Pariso

    Paul Pariso Very Senior Member

    Hello Lofty,

    I know exactly what you mean about trawling through books for ages searching for a reference to a particular man, that's what gave me the idea for the database. A quick search on the fellas name and I could then see if he has ever cropped up in any book and then go straight to it! Well, that's the theory at least :lol:!

    All the best mate.............
     
  17. Mike L

    Mike L Very Senior Member

    Paul, great idea but I feel you realise (and Di has hit the nail on the head) that you would need some serious programmer/IT expert help to get such a database both useable (for you) and searchable (for the greater unwashed world) who would doubtless find it invaluable.
    Good luck with it mate, hope you can get it up and running, I wouldn't even know where to start.
    Mike
     
  18. Paul Pariso

    Paul Pariso Very Senior Member

    "An instance, I searched for the refererance to the women taken prisioner in Arnhem, were the last sentance states, this women was very ugly, can you help with that. regards lofty"

    You see mate, you've hit the nail on the head! I know exactly the line you mention but I can't for the life of me remember where I read it!! For some reason my mind is telling me it's in one of the "Then & Now" books but I'm not sure :unsure:.
    If only someone would produce some sort of database.......................:lol:
     
  19. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    Funny I was going to say Vol.2 Operation Market Garden Then and Now. Then again its the only airborne book I've got unless you include 'And Maybe A Man'.
     
  20. Paul Pariso

    Paul Pariso Very Senior Member

    Paul, great idea but I feel you realise (and Di has hit the nail on the head) that you would need some serious programmer/IT expert help to get such a database both useable (for you) and searchable (for the greater unwashed world) who would doubtless find it invaluable.
    Good luck with it mate, hope you can get it up and running, I wouldn't even know where to start.
    Mike

    Thanks a lot Mike. You're right, I am starting to think that the sort of thing I'd like to create may be just too much for me to do, especially the part about making it accessible to the wider audience.
    Just the time involved going through nearly 400 books page by page and making notes on EVERY name mentioned is quite daunting to say the least!
    Maybe if I set my sights a little lower to start off with and just made a database that only I could access, it would be a bit more realistic. Obviously I would be more than happy to help out with any enquiries anyone had but the system would have to stay 'grounded' as it were and not internet based :unsure:.
    Best regards.........
     

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