Bromley meeting 22nd September 2018 now 15th September

Due to an unfortunate sequence of events that were out of our hands, we have had to change the date of our September meeting from Saturday 22nd to Saturday 15th. The venue is the Methodist Church as usual. Meryl Catty will still able to visit us, but we have had to change the title of the talk, as Maureen Binks will be on holiday on the 15th. Meryl’s talk will be 'Our Newspaper Heritage': a light-hearted introduction to the history of the press enlivened with extracts from newspapers, humorous, tragic and macabre as well as the more mundane.

The WWI diaries of the war poet Siegfried Sassoon are published free online for the first time. The Workhouse. Children's Homes and Institutions

The WWI diaries of the war poet Siegfried Sassoon are published free on line for the first time. 

The 23 journals and two notebooks of poetry has been digitised by the Cambridge University Library and can now be read free of charge. This is the first time they have been made available to all.

There are 4,100-pages that describe life in the trenches, including the moment he was shot by a sniper at the Battle of Arras, and his description of the first day of the Battle of the Somme. They also contain pencil or ink sketches, notes on military briefings, and diagrams of the trenches.

The Diaries cover the war years when he was stationed on the Western Front and in Palestine after WWI up to 1927, and from 1931-32.

They can be found at Sasson Diaries Click on any Journal picture on the right of the page which opens the Journal and you can navigate through the pages.

Was one of you Ancestor's in the Workhouse?

You might be interested in The Workhouse  there is an amazing amount of information including photographs/plans and some indexes. The Workhouses include many in Kent such as Dartford, Bromley, Cudham and so forth.

Children's Homes and Institutions:

If your Ancestor or family were in a Children's Home or Institution The Children's Home site is worth looking at. It has many details of the different homes through out the Country including Kent. You can use the search facility to find them, such as the Home for Little Boys at Farningham, and the one at Hextable, Swanley.

NWKFHS, Cudham, Bromley, Kent, Documents. Society Meetings in August.

NWKFHS, Cudham Documents:

Following a successful Appeal launched by the Society for funds to purchase a number of documents and deeds relating to Cudham, Bromley, Kent the Society was able to purchase some 24 of the documents.

They cover various family names and give details of ownership from circa 1708 until the 1800's. The Society believes that they are an important collection of the history of the area that if possible should be preserved and available to all for research.

The Society Library & Resource Centre has arranged and is organising an open day at Summerhouse Drive on Wednesday 13th August, 2014 to provide Donors and Members the opportunity to see the documents. Details of the documents and the Open Day can be found at NWKFHS Cudham Documents

The documents will remain in Kent and be available for people to see and use them for research. The Society intends to Transcribe and Index the Documents.

Society Meetings in August:

 Bromley Branch: Saturday, 16^th August 2014 Chris Jupp The start of World War I.

The main hall, Bromley Methodist Church, College Road, Bromley BR1.  There is free parking at the church, access is from College Rd. and from North St. Doors open at 9.45am. Visitors are welcome.

Dartford Branch: Saturday, 2nd August 2014 Graham Bandy Your Country Needs You! From Kitchener's volunteers to conscription in the Great War.

Dartford Technology College, Heath Lane, Dartford DA1 2LY. Doors open at 9.45am. Visitors are welcome.

Details can be found at NWKFHS Meetings Please check the Society Website before travelling to any meeting in case of any last minute changes.

NWKFHS Meetings for February 2013. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission

NWKFHS Meetings for February 2013.

The 3 Branches, Bromley, Dartford and Sevenoaks hold monthly meetings (in the case of Sevenoaks there are only 9 monthly meetings). There is a talk at each meetings, plus a Society Bookstall and people to help and advise about your research. It is a good  opportunity to meet and talk to fellow family historians. Visitors are welcome so why not come to one of the meetings and see what the Society can offer and hear a talk by an expert in their field.

 

The next meetings to take place in February are:

 

Bromley Branch: Meetings are held on the third Saturday morning of the month, in the main hall, Bromley Methodist Church, College Road, Bromley BR1 3NS.  The hall opens at 9.45am, the meeting starts at 10.30am.

16 February 2013 The history of RAF Biggin Hill by Bob Ogley

 

Dartford Branch: Dartford Technology College.  Located on the north side of Heath Lane.  There is plenty of parking available. The meetings room is the New Auditorium.  Doors open from 9.45am with the meeting proper starting at 10.30am.

 

2nd February 2013 Chislehurst Caves - A History by Rod LeGear

 

You can view or download the branch newsletter Dartboard (current edition) from the website at NWKFHS Branches

 

Sevenoaks Branch: Sevenoaks Community Centre, Otford Road (at junction with Crampton Rd.), Sevenoaks, at 7.15pm.

14 February 2013 Jane Austen - Her connections with Kent by Clare Graham

 You can also view or download the branch newsletter Dartboard (current edition) from NWKFHS Branches

 

Before travelling to any meeting please check the website and this blog for any changes.

 

Other Meetings:

 

Thursday 7 February 2013, 6:00pm (doors 5:30pm) - 7:30pm at London Metropolitan Archives - Huntley Room: Documenting science: preserving the legacy of the Human Genome Project Jenny Shaw, archivist for the UK strand of the Human Genome Archive Project at the Wellcome Library will give a talk about the project.

Advance booking is essential. Please guarantee your place by e-mailing LMA : This seminar is free to all AfL members, non-members £5 (payable on the door). For further details see the Archives Twitter Page

 

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission. The  Federation of Family History Societies reports an appeal for help by the CWGC. The website has a free searchable database and as part of the preparations for the centenary of World War 1, the CWGC is installing visitor information panels at some of the significant WW1 sites and they are asking for your help  about those buried at Etreux British Cemetery, Guards Grave, Vailly British Cemetery and Houplines Communal Cemetery Extension, France. If you are aware of a personal story relating to any of these four sites, please email the CWGC.