A pleasing amount of members gathered to hear about traditions for Christmas, from brass bands playing in the village streets, to the diary of a grandfather living in a Norfolk village, via some lovely photos of of ancestors looking stern, all followed up by mince pies and and coffee! Happy Christmas, especially to Brian and his wife, who were unluckily involved in a car crash recently. Best wishes for a full recovery.
News/Reviews
Fifteen members arrived to have a good gossip, research, exchange news and drink coffee. We had to put out an extra table! Great to see so many attending a research morning!
About 20 members met to hear stories about the histories of our houses, or a particular house, following on from Jackie Depelle's talk. We had contributions from new and established members and it was a very informative morning. There was also a quiz, testing our knowledge of places within 50 yards of the Town Hall - interesting!
This year, we were invited to have a Christmas tree in Selby Abbey to celebrate and promote our activities as a group. Baubles have been placed on the tree with surnames of the families we are researching. At the top is our overseas member, not Father Christmas, but Tonkinson, the surname of the family which emigrated from Yorkshire in the 1820s. Alongside the tree is our Chair, Jenny, holding a list of surnames we are researching.
A good number (just over a dozen) met to discuss research, exchange website addresses and ask about technical issues. We also discovered a copy of Nick Barratt's book about tracing the history of your house. Useful!
A talk from Jackie Depelle, this time telling us about discovering house history : ideas, resources and websites. Another fascinating canter through all the resources available to researchers. A welcome visitor on a snowy day!
A dozen members met for a lively session, exchanging news, stories, resources and links for our website.
A member-led meeting, which was full of information and linking themes. We had contributions from several members telling us about RAF service at different airfields, a moving story about Japanese POWs and a link between one area of research and another member's research into the Royal Navy during WW2.
A select few met to continue research, ask each other questions and drink coffee and tea, despite the roadworks.
Our visit to RAF Snaith Museum, at Pollington, was a great success, with almost twenty visitors listening carefully to a talk by Tony about the history of the airfield. Zoe made us feel very welcome as we enjoyed tea, coffee and cake from the NAAFI. There were several rooms to explore, all filled with interesting artefacts donated from various sources. There was also a display dedicated to the Land Army, who moved in after the airfield closed. It is well worth a visit!
A busy morning, asking questions and carrying out our own research.
Our AGM took place with a good attendance and several people paying their annual subscription, (by the end of October please). John Riley stepped down from the position of Chair and Jenny stepped forward to fill the role. We wish her all the best for a successful term of office!
