Christmas Crackers – Members’ Evening

DECEMBER ZOOM MEETING REPORT An enjoyable social evening prior to Christmas with a quiz entitled ‘Christmas’ and one entitled ‘Family History’ both presented by our Quiz Master, Bryan Pledger. Most of the questions were multiple choice so as to give the best chance for all the audience to enjoy the fun. The presentations also included funny clip art and photographs of the Christmas lights at Kew Gardens to get everybody in the mood. We learnt how the Christmas Cracker and Card came to be invented and how a Mexican gave his name to a favourite plant at Christmas. In the Family History Quiz much hilarity was had with epitaphs. Tony Wight won the Christmas Quiz and Christine Wootton the Family History Quiz. After the quizzes a discussion ensued on why the numbers had declined for the Zoom meetings of the Branch. The ideas ranged from being scared of Zoom, problems with making Zoom work on tablets and mobile phones with laptops being easier…

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11 Dec 2020

Bracknell & Wokingham / Reading

Canal People – Joint meeting with Bracknell & Wokingham

Joint meeting 20th November 2020 Speaker: Martin Buckland A canal is defined as an artificial waterway which may join up rivers whilst rivers are natural waterways. Canals have locks and need to be able to climb hills such as The Cotswold Canal for example which climbs 106.68 metres. Canals were good at moving fragile goods such as pottery. A horse carrying about 2 cwt was slow and could break the product compared to a barge with a horse pulling 20 cwts in safety. Irrigation was the origin of the canals. Between about 520 and 510 BC the Persian Emperor, Darius I built a canal linking the Nile and the Red Sea and the Grand Canal in Venice built between 3rd Century BC and 13century AD is used for irrigation and transport. The Pont du Gard the ancient and highest Roman aqueduct bridge built in the first century AD to carry water over 50 km used only basic surveying equipment. Britain’s canals were started by the…

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20 Nov 2020

The Mansion House of 1742, demolished for William Adey's town hall

Newbury

The Mayors of Newbury

Newbury has had 422 mayoral elections since 1596, and the office holders have included businessmen, bankrupts and ballerinas.

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12 Nov 2020

Read more about the article Who do you think you are? A Latvian FH story

Great Amber Concert Hall in Liepājā, designed by one of Dr Pihlens' family

Newbury

Who do you think you are? A Latvian FH story

Hugh Pihlens' grandfather lived in rural Latvia until 1905 when he had to escape for his life. What happened to him, and to Latvia, afterwards?

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12 Nov 2020

Bracknell & Wokingham

It All Started With A Letter From Colditz – talk by Christine Wootton

Report on the joint meeting of Bracknell & Wokingham Branch with Abingdon Branch by Bryan Pledger A few years ago Radley History Club was given a letter sent from Colditz Castle, a prisoner of war camp during WW2, which was written by Charles Lockett to his wife Evelyn who lived in their rented home in Radley. Stanley Baker the club’s archivist asked Christine whether she would like to research who Charles Lockett was. Christine discovered that Charles was born at ‘The Woodlands’ on the Welsh Road at Childer Thornton, Wirral, in Cheshire in 1910. He joined the RAF in 1931 and married Evelyn Mason in 1933. After the marriage…

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30 Oct 2020

Reading

Photographs and memorabilia

Reading Branch meeting 29th October 2020, conducted on Zoom Speaker: Members - Peter Caton, Richard Brown, Richard Croker and Graham Vockins Peter Caton chose a 200 year old jug which had been handed down through the family from an Aunt Emily. He had researched documents which involved not one but three marriages by one ancestor. He again reestablished links to the entertainer Wattie Hildyard of whom Peter had previously spoken. Richard Brown told members of his Grandmother's WW1 Medal. Emily Brown was born in the Parish where Charles Kingsley was a Minister in 1869. Through various links with Thorneycroft engineering. the London General Omnibus company and the College Arms pub in Pamber End. Emily joined the V.A.D. as a Nurse in 1915 and clocked up 3457 hours of unpaid voluntary service. Richard Croker spoke of Lorne Campbell Reid, the Stepfather of his mother and his piece of memorabilia was a small wooden box engraved JC to Lorne Reid. Via the internet he managed…

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29 Oct 2020

Bracknell & Wokingham / Uncategorized

The Edwardians – talk by Tony King

Reported by Christopher Singleton The Edwardian Era, sometimes referred to as the Golden Era, spanned the years from the death of Queen Victoria in 1901 to the outbreak of the First World War in 1914. Tony King’s talk provided a framework to this period, from early Victorian times to 1918, with a wealth of images, film and sound. Queen Victoria, Prince Albert and Prince Edward, born in 1841 and later King Edward VII, were guests of Napoleon in Paris. Edward, who had a constrained existence in Windsor, was enthralled by Paris and wanted to stay. However, he did travel to Canada, USA Edinburgh, Oxford and Cambridge. Whilst attending Cambridge in 1861, an affair involved the intervention of Prince Albert. Albert contracted a fever from this visit from which he died and for which Victoria never forgave Edward. Edward, whose London home was Marlborough House, became known as the “Prince of Pleasure” with his country house parties, shooting and fishing. He was keen on…

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20 Oct 2020

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