Over 1,350 images now on NWKFHS flickr page free to view. Cray Community Festival, Sunday 6th July 2014. The white feather diaries. Folkestone commemorative arch to be unveiled on 4th August 2014

Over 1,350 images now on NWKFHS flickr page free to view.

There are now 1,350 images on the North West Kent Family History Society flickr site. They consists of documents such as Wills, Indentures, Post Cards from the early 1900's, Photographs and other items.

These are documents from the private collections/papers of Members of the Society who have agreed to allow the Society to place them on flickr. They are documents that would not normally be available to the public. As our Members have interests and families throughout the United Kingdom they cover the whole of the UK.

There are various categories broken down into regions, so why not have a look to see if there is something connected to your family history. They can be found at NWKFHS on flickr

Cray Community Festival, Sunday 6th July 2014: 

The NWKFHS will be at the Cray Community Festival being held at St Mary Cray Recreation Ground, Park Road, BR5 4AS  from 11am - 5pm. There are many activities being held on the day so why not come along and enjoy the day and visit the NWKFHS stand at the same time. 

Further details can be found at Cray Festival

The white feather diaries:

The White Feather Diaries is an online project using extracts from the writings of five Quakers during World War I,  it will serialise the diaries of conscientious objectors. Starts on August 4th 2014. More details can be found at White Feather Diaries

Folkestone commemorative arch to be unveiled on 4^th August 2014:

HRH Prince Harry will be at the unveiling of a dramatic arch on the Leas in Folkestone to commemorate the town’s important links to WWI. The stainless arch, designed by Philip Gearing of Foster Gearing, is being erected on the Leas in memory all who passed through the port en route to or from the Western front from 1915 onwards.

Details can be found at Step Short

Free NWKFHS emailinfoservice. BBC World War One At Home to tour UK. Exhibition - Your Country Calls. Folkestone Town Hall, Folkestone, Kent

Free emailinfoservice to keep you up to date with Society and Family History News.

The emailinfoservice offered by the Society is now open to all. It is a way of receiving up to date Society and other family history news. The service grew out of requests by Members at an AGM and is becoming more popular. There are now nearly 400 members who subscribe. 

If you would like to subscribe send an email to NWKFHS emailinfoservice stating you wish to subscribe.

You can also keep up to date with the Monthly Society Newsletter which can be found at NWKFHS Newsletters where in addition you can download and read Branch Newsletters. 

You can read and download all Society Journal from 1978 - 2008 for Free. They can be found at NWKFHS Journals (All links open in a new window)


Events in Kent.

BBC World War One At Home to tour UK: June 28 1914: Woolwich Great Get Together and Armed Forces Day.

Free event. The day consists of family-friendly events that includes hands-on activities, performances and interactive sessions designed to appeal to all ages. Visitors will be able to meet experts from Imperial War Museums to research their families’ connections to the war. IWM’s major digital centenary project, Lives of the First World War is an integral part of the tour.

More information can be found at BBC World War One and at the First World War Centenary Site (both sites open in a new window)

Exhibition - Your Country Calls: Enlistment to Embarkation. Folkestone Town Hall, 1-2 Guildhall Street, Folkestone, England, CT20 1DY:  24 June 2014 - 01 May 2015

The exhibition included items from the National Army Museum along with local artifacts and stories to explore how Folkestone became a gateway between Britain and the rest of Europe.

'Your Country Calls: Enlistment To Embarkation is in partnership with the National Army Museum, Step Short and Folkestone Town Council. There are accompanying talks, object handling sessions and live performances which explore how the First World War changed the world.

More details can be found at FolkestoneExhibition (opens in a new window)

NWKFHS Drop-in, Mottingham, Kent Library. 28 June 2014 at 10:00–16:00. Free downloadable WWI Guide. Change of Speaker for the Dartford Branch Meeting on 6th September 2014. Marriage Certificate Petition. Manorial Documents Conference – Saturday 12 July 2014, Chelmsford, Essex.

NWKFHS Free Drop-in, Mottingham, Kent Library. 28 June 2014 at 10:00–16:00.

North West Kent Family History Society is hosting a Free drop-in session at Mottingham, Kent Library. It is open to all so if you have hit a brick wall or perhaps researching your WW1 ancestors? Why not pop in to Mottingham library and see if we can help you.

You do not need to book just come along 28 June 2014 between 10:00–16:00

Mottingham Library (Facebook) 31 Mottingham Road, SE9 4QZ London, United Kingdom

Researching your WWI family? NWKFHS has a Free downoadable guide to WWI resources on the Internet.

This Free 13 page Guide (pdf) can be down loaded from NWKFHS WWI Centenary Page

Change of Speaker for the Dartford Branch Meeting on 6th September 2014.

Mr. Peter Daniel was due to give a talk on A history of Crayford's famous textile printers. Due to unavoidable circumstances this has had to be changed. Mr Colin Brown has kindly agreed to take his place on 6 September to speak about Ordnance Survey Ancient and Modern: A history of Ordnance Survey.

Details about the Branch can be found at Dartford Branch Meetings

There is a petition to have the name of the mother included in English and Welsh Marriage Certificates.
This has long been the case in Marriage Certificates in Scotland and Northern Ireland where both parents are named. How much easier our research would be had this been the case in the past in England and Wales. So far over 60,000 people have signed.

Signing the petition will help future family historians and recognise that the mother should be named and recognised.

If you would like to support this the petition can be found at Marriage Certificate Petition 

Manorial Documents Conference – Saturday 12 July 2014, Chelmsford, Essex.

Essex Records Office is holding a Conference:  Essex Through The Ages: Tracing The Past Using Manorial Documents. Saturday 12 July, 10.30am-3.30pm. Full details can be found at Essex Records Office You need to Book and there is a fee (£15 which includes Lunch).