I'm surprised it lasted as long as it did, because it would be very hard to justify the diversion of ADFA, ie Defence Department, resources necessary to create and maintain the site. Lovely for us, but not so lovely for Defence operating in tight budgetary restraints only to find that some of its people were more or less amusing themselves with a non-essential project.
For a number of years, in another life, I was responsible for the section that maintained the records of all former members of one of the three services. I could write a book about the problems caused by civilians who believe that they have a God-given right to virtually unfettered access to military personnel records while researching their family histories. Suffice to say that the more polite and detailed the request for information, the more chance of its being successful. People should also realise that there are some things that can never be released.
That book could also contain quite a few chapters about people who about their war service. Just as there were many, perhaps a majority, of people who rarely if ever spoke about their war service to their families, there were some who never shut up about it, but the stories they told were largely fictional. If you do go looking for your father's wartime military records, don't be surprised to find that they don't support the family's recollection of what they were told by the person concerned. Please don't demand that the service concerned to amend their records so that they match the family legend. It isn't going to happen.
Mike
