Exciting times ahead

I have been busy this week helping with plans for the opening of Bradford Local Studies and Archives the date and details are hush hush at the moment but the launch events are looking goods and it will be a bright contemporary space with lots of new features. I will be giving a talk on one of Bradford’s notable events in history and helping out on various other events in launch week. Watch this space for more news.

I have also been very busy not only has it been half term and my daughter’s birthday but I have been working on the ‘Great War Britain: Bradford’ book. I’m pleased to say I am now over half way though writing. No one chapter is complete yet but I am liking the way it is shaping up and flowing. I’m sure there will be lots of editing involved as I have too much I want to include and only 45,000 word limit. Don’t worry there’ll be 80 pictures too and the text will be broken up with short case studies and profile pieces it won’t be a long essay!!

I have also been meeting with other local arts groups to see if there are opportunities to work together during the centenary as well as some schools who played a vital role towards the war effort at the time.

Next week I really must get more works on paper but will update you on plans for the library when I get the all clear.

Musical Beds

Well the talk last week at Bradford Family History Society “Musical beds – Military use of Bradford’s Hospitals in WW1” complete with elevator music went down well. It was based on a lot of research which like a jigsaw puzzle took a lot of piecing together, as a result it contained a lot of information that people hadn’t previously known. 

I contacted two of the schools that feature in the talk to see if they were interested in finding out more. I could just go and repeat the talk for them but I would like to do something more interactive with the children, time and budget allowing!

I have been busy writing for the book, first turning the musical beds talk into part of a chapter and also writing up some of the research I undertook at the National Archives. It is starting to come together well, the chapters are taking shape!

I have also been busy networking, catching up with the PeaceMuseum, Local Councillors, other History Press Great War Authors and other local WW1 projects including ShipleyWW1 and Keighley's Men of Worth. 

I am hoping to create a series of talks that can be given over the course of the centenary, ‘Musical Beds’ and ‘Raspberries and Cream Cakes’ being just two of them. As you can tell from the titles I try and engage the audience in the material and find amusing tales in what might otherwise be a sombre topic.

Be Prepared - Scouting Roll of Honour

Be Prepared is the Scouts motto and they certainly seemed to be with large numbers enlisting in the first few months of the First World War. 

 

The Bradford Telegraph and Argus published in December 1914 a list of 144 men from Scout groups across the country that had already joined to serve with the colours. This lists gives the regiment to which they joined as well as their position within the Scouting organisation. A number joined the Bradford Pals and the Royal Field Artillery and other local regiments but there is also one example of someone joining the Canadian Volunteer Force. Another states he is joining  the Bradford City Volunteer Force which acted as a home guard in Bradford. I was sorry to see that two men had unfortunately died before the list was published only a few months after they enlisted.

Full details  - http://www.bradfordww1.co.uk/content/bradford-boy-scouts-serving-colours-roll-honour

At the Archives... or not as is actually the case

Library closures, half term, children’s birthdays and Roman Day at school have been keeping me away from the archives the last few weeks.

Bradford Library was shut for 4 days when they identified a “fire risk”. The building has now reopened but there is only access to the first two floors.

The archives service has been temporarily relocated to the first floor but is closed this week for collections work and opening hours are restricted after that. Access to the local studies library which was on the third floor is severely restricted. Bradford Council’s statement on the current situation confirms that there is no access to microfilms (newspapers and parish registers), maps, card catalogues (including newspaper and WW1/WW2 soldier index cards) and if you want to obtain a book you have to give two full working days notice. 

Newspaper reports that the cost of making the current library building safe is £4 million meaning that all options now need to be looked at and may result in the library being relocated. It is expected that the library will remain open and will continue to provide service in the medium term (18 months – 2 years). But what happens to access to the local studies materials in the mean time and are they and the archives collections themselves safe from fire risk.  

I have written to my local councillors and asked them to press for a speedy and satisfactory resolution to the issue and encourage you to do the same. 

On a different front I am going into a local school to do a talk to year 3 (7-8 year olds) about why the Romans came to Ilkley. I will be using a variety of maps to show why Ilkley was strategically important and what life was like there at that time for the soldiers and the natives. If any other local schools would like me to visit them for similar talks please get in touch.