This page will contain reports of previous branch meetings and
events as information becomes available. Where possible,
speakers' notes and other materials from the talks have been included.
Details of future meetings can be found
here.
An archive of meetings from 2002-2003 can be found
here.
Tuesday
9th September 2003
Lesser-known sources for family history was the topic for the
first meeting of the 2003-4 season. Our speaker was Mr.
Eric Probert from Chelmsford.
The new curtains are now in place!
Tuesday
14th October 2003
This month ex-policeman Fred Feather from Essex gave us
a highly amusing and interesting talk about the darker side of family history entitled "Victorian
Murder"! Taking on the persona of an inspector in the
Essex Constabulary in the 1840s, he regaled an enthralled audience
with tales of murder investigations and trials of the period.
Tuesday
11th November 2003
November saw the return of John Vigar (Leave No Stone Unturned -
Society AGM 2001). The title of his talk this time was "Bedrooms, banquets and balls";
an amusing look at the development of the English Country house.
Tuesday
9th December 2003
Our Christmas meeting was once again in aid of charity.
This month's talk was by Matt Pavitt on the work of the Lifeboat Service.
Members were entertained with first-hand experiences of the
day-to-day life of a lifeboat man, both in the Channel and on the
River Thames.
Free mince pie and soft drink were provided to all members and
guests after the talk.
All proceeds from the raffle and admission were donated to the RNLI.
Tuesday
13th January 2004
Retired Superintendent Roy Ingleton, late of the Kent County
Constabulary and author of a number of books on the
history of policing, regaled us with an informative and amusing history of
policing in Kent, from Anglo-Saxon Tithings and Hundreds to the
amalgamation of the local forces into the Constabulary during WW2.
Tuesday
10th February 2004
This month's speaker was Mr. Martin Lloyd, who gave us an
interesting talk entitled "Without let or hindrance - the history of
passports", illustrated with many examples from the earliest
"letters of introduction" given to travellers to guarantee them a
safe passage.
Tuesday
9th March 2004
Mrs. Joan Finney gave us a
light-hearted and highly amusing account of her time as an evacuee in World War 2.
Several members recalled similar incidents from their own childhood
as evacuees.
Tuesday
13th April 2004
Surprise - the standing committee was re-elected on block at the branch AGM.
The business of the evening was followed by a highly informative talk on
researching the forgotten heroes of World War 1 by Mr. Geoff Bridger.
Tuesday
11th May 2004
The Great Exhibition of 1851 was the subject of this month's talk
by Ms Anne Carter. Members were treated to a fascinating
description of the building of the Crystal Palace and the
Exhibition, illustrated by contemporary pictures.
Tuesday
8th June 2004
William Pitt and the Martello Towers was the subject of this
month's talk from Mr. G. Hutchinson. A familiar sight along
the coast, the Martello towers formed part of the defences against a
feared invasion from across the Channel.
Tuesday
13th July 2004
This month we had Mr. Joe Molloy from the Deal Maritime Museum
who described the resources available for family historians
at the museum.
Tuesday
10th August 2004
No meeting this month
Special Events
12 February
We had a very successful trip to Family Record Centre this month,
but we still need to attract more members & guests to join us on
future trips in order for us to be able to continue to offer them.
19 May
The trip to Public Record Office this month was successful in terms
of the information found by those who made the trip, but still did
not attract enough members to break even.
22 September
September's trip to the Family Record Centre came close to breaking
even, but we really need more people to support these visits.
The next visit to the FRC will be in February 2005.
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Kent Family
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