North West Kent Family History Photographic Collection. Branch Meetings. Gazetteer. The latest, August 2013, NWKFHS Newsletter. Northfleet Harbour Restoration Trust.

North West Kent Family History Photographic Collection.

The Society’s small but growing collection consists of donated private family history collections, private picture collections or from the Ivan Green ‘Kent Parish Church Collection’.

The original photographs and slides have been scanned and printed into a standard format for reference and display in the Library on the open shelves. The original photographs have been put into the Library store and can be produced if requested. There is a catalogue of the pictures which can be searched on the Society website  NWKFHS Catalogue   

The Map collection. The catalogue of this collection is included as part of the main library catalogue which you can view or download as part of the Library Catalogue Listing (April 2013 update).

Also on the website is the West Kent Parish Gazetteer an on-line resource based on the much more comprehensive version to be found in the Society's publication West Kent Sources This on-line version includes a photograph of each ancient parish church, as well as of many Victorian churches. There are currently 250 church photos. NWKFHS Gazetteer

NWKFHS Branch Meetings for August 2013. Visitors are welcome.

Bromley Branch. In the main hall, Bromley Methodist Church, College Road, Bromley BR1 3NS (on the corner of North St). There is free parking at the church; access is from College Rd. and from North St. The hall opens at 9.45am, the meeting proper starts at 10.30am, ending by 12.15pm.

17th August, 2013. Rob Cottrell, Watermen & Lightermen.

Dartford Branch. New Auditorium, Dartford Technology College, Heath Lane, Dartford DA1 2LY. Open from 9.45am with the meeting proper starting at 10.30am, ending by 12.30pm.

3 August 2013. Stephen Humphrey, The burial grounds of Southwark.

Please check with website before travelling to ensure that there are no changes. Visitors are welcome, a donation is appreciated.

The latest, August 2013, NWKFHS Newsletter is available free to download and read at NWKFHS Newsletter you will also find Branch Newsletters that can be downloaded and read  for free.

Other news: Northfleet Harbour Restoration Trust. Northfleet Harbour Restoration Trust has been set up to reverse the decline and decades of neglect of Northfleet Harbour and to bring it back into use.

The River Fleet was by the 18th Century no longer navigable as a watermill and weir had been created for flour production, parts of this may still survive a full archaeological study is needed, this flour mill was then superseded by a watermill for cement production parts of which still also survive. This would have been one of the earliest sites for cement exporting.

This site has photographs and history of Northfleet Harbour and is worth looking at, especially if you had ancestors or family who lived in the area.

 

WWI Anniversday and the NWKFHS: Commonwealth War Graves Photographic Project. The Royal Arsenal, Woolwich – information to become available. Publications and Projects.

Like many other Societies The NWKFHS is starting preparations to mark the 100th anniversary of the start of WWI.

Throughout 2014 the Society Journal will be running articles and stories under the banner of World War 1 Commemoration. If you have any stories of any of your family during WWI in the NWKFHS, a soldier, Civilian, or how it affected your family you consider sending them into the Editor of our Journal for consideration. We would love to see as many stories as possible published. The Editor can be contacted through the NWKFHS website

As a Society we are taking part in Commonwealth War Graves Photographic Project. Volunteers from Dartford, Bromley and Sevenoaks Branches are photographing, in some cases, re-photographing all Memorial Stones for service men and women and civilian war deaths including private burial stones within our area.

The photographs will be provided to the CWGPP and used by them on their web site, just as importantly it will give the CWGPP the current condition of the stones.

The Royal Arsenal, Woolwich – information to become available

a Member who worked for the Woolwich Arsenal for many years discovered that when the Arsenal closed many tons of paperwork was being destroyed. He was able to save some that he thought were worthwhile keeping. The information relating to part of this material is as follows.

A list of 1st World War (1914-18) disabled who were employed at the Arsenal during the period 1936 to 1945. This database includes name, date of birth, clock & centre number, date of birth, date employed and nature of disability. There are over 800 names.

2. A list of air raid casualties during the 2nd World War (1941-1945). This database gives name, address, hospital they were taken to and injury. There are over 500 names.

3. The Arsenal had its own doctor’s surgery and medical staff were able to do operations on site. The data base is for 1906 and has over 500 names. The information includes name, age, case number, department they worked in and ‘concern’. Typical were ruptures, hernias, splinters, appendicitis etc. The doctor would also come out to the home if the employee lived within 3 miles of the arsenal.

4. Some 40 photographs of children’s parties held in the arsenal during the 1950s. No one is identified.

The information is in the process of ‘tidying’ and he would like to make the above information readily available to all but before he does so would welcome enquiries to give him an idea of its precision. He would like enquiries to go in the first instance by e-mail to Publications and Projects who will pass them on.

Some Society Publications that have become recently available:

Bexley Metropolitan Asylum District Board Minutes 1890-1930. and Bexley Asylum Minute Book, 1901-39.

Asylum District Board Minutes 1890-1930: An index to 38 volumes regarding asylums, hospitals, schools, organisations, some personnel and many other topics across what was Greater London at that time. Bexley Asylum Minute Books 1901-1939: this is an index of some 12,000 names of patients, staff and contractors.

Details of these and other publications can be found at  Publications  The progress of other NWKFHS projects can be found at Society Projects