Civilian honours and awards
Published date: Fri, 02 Oct 2009 10:00:00 GMT
The London Gazette is a crucial source for announcements of military and civilian honours and awards. This talk explains how to use and get the best out of the Gazette, and how further information about awards can be found among the records held by The National Archives, many of which are now available online.
Author: William Spencer Duration: 17:24
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Internment
Published date: Mon, 21 Sep 2009 12:00:00 GMT
On the declaration of war on 3 September 1939, some 70,000 Germans and Austrians resident in the UK became classed as enemy aliens. This talk looks at offical papers relating to the tribunals, the policy of internment, individual internees, and the camps in which they were interned.
Author: Roger Kershaw Duration: 40:03
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GIs and POWs: Kew in the Second World War
Published date: Wed, 16 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT
Local historian Christopher May reveals the wartime history of The National Archives' Kew site. American servicemen stationed here created the maps used in the Normandy landings of 1944. Later, the same buildings were used to house Italian prisoners of war who helped to clear bomb damage in London.
Author: Chistopher May Duration: 36:58
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The battle that frightened Churchill: the war in the Atlantic
Published date: Thu, 10 Sep 2009 11:00:00 GMT
On 3 September 1939, the passenger liner Athenia was sunk by U30. So began the Battle of the Atlantic, the longest and most complex campaign of the Second World War. The battle pitted the submariners of the Kriegsmarine against the Allied merchant fleet who were providing Britain's vital life line. This talk follows the changes in fortune of both the Kriegsmarine and the merchant fleet, and explains why Winston Churchill knew that the Battle of the Atlantic was the battle that Britain could not afford to lose.
Author: Janet Dempsey Duration: 45:05
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Royal Naval medals: an introduction
Published date: Fri, 10 Jul 2009 12:00:00 GMT
This talk discusses the Royal Naval medal rolls held by The National Archives in record series ADM 171, and explains how to interpret the most commonly used codes and abbreviations found in them. It also demonstrates how the medal rolls can be used to locate other records relating to an individual's Royal Naval service.
Author: William Spencer Duration: 35:21
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The Great Escape: you've seen the film, now hear the truth
Published date: Fri, 15 May 2009 12:00:00 GMT
During the night of 24 March 1944, 76 airmen escaped from the Prisoner of War camp Stalag Luft III. Only three made it home and, of the remainder, 50 were murdered on Hitler's orders. This talk will explain what actually happened in the so-called Great Escape, one of the Second World War's most infamous incidents.
Author: Alan Bowgen Duration: 52:42
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Dissecting and cataloguing medical officers' journals in ADM 101
Published date: Fri, 27 Feb 2009 15:00:00 GMT
Bruno Pappalardo introduces the collection of medical officers' journals found in ADM 101. These journals give a detailed insight into a ship's daily activities, as well as the science and wildlife that was encountered by British Navy medical officers.
Author: Bruno Pappalardo Duration: 14:33
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Royal Air Force service records
Published date: Fri, 20 Feb 2009 12:00:00 GMT
Last year saw the 90th anniversary of the establishment of the Royal Air Force. The records of thousands of men (and women) who served in the RAF and its predecessors during the First World War are held by The National Archives. This talk will demonstrate how you can use these records to find out more about your ancestors' lives in this pioneering branch of the armed services.
Author: William Spencer Duration: 40:21
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Merchant Navy operational records
Published date: Fri, 12 Dec 2008 12:00:00 GMT
Janet Dempsey examines the wealth of records which deal with the tragedy, terror, heroism and honour of the Merchant Navy in both World Wars.
Author: Janet Dempsy Duration: 25:52
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Cabinet Papers, 1915-1977
Published date: Thu, 04 Dec 2008 15:00:00 GMT
Laura Withey (Project Manager) and Dr. Ed Hampshire (Records Specialist) talk about this exciting new project, the new web pages and the records being made available online for the first time.
Author: Ed Hampshire Duration: 17:48
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Merchant Navy service records
Published date: Thu, 16 Oct 2008 09:00:00 GMT
Was your ancestor one of the hundreds of thousands of men who served in the Merchant Navy, keeping Britain fed and watered? This talk looks at the Merchant Navy records held at The National Archives and how to use them.
Author: Janet Dempsey Duration: 33:17
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Security Service document releases
Published date: Sun, 31 Aug 2008 00:05:00 GMT
Over 150 Security Service files dating from around the time of the Second World War have now been opened. Professor Christopher Andrew, Official Historian of the Secret Service, talks about German and Soviet agents and intelligence officers, right-wing extremists and Communists, amongst others.
Author: Professor Christopher Andrew Duration: 26:32
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The Special Operations Executive, the French Resistance and the D-Day landings
Published date: Thu, 14 Aug 2008 07:00:00 GMT
This talk looks at the results and effectiveness of the British Special Operations Executive, or SEO, and the French Resistance in supporting the Second World War D-Day landings.
Author: Neil Cobbett Duration: 1:01:26
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Tracing World War One ancestors
Published date: Thu, 17 Jul 2008 07:30:00 GMT
William Spencer takes you through the key records for tracing your World War One ancestors, including records of women who were nurses or in the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps.
Author: William Spencer Duration: 35:37
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Tracing pre-1914 army ancestors
Published date: Thu, 12 Jun 2008 12:00:00 GMT
Covering the period from 1760 to 1913, William Spencer discusses the service records of army officers and other ranks.
Author: William Spencer Duration: 34:04
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Royal Navy service records
Published date: Thu, 05 Jun 2008 12:00:00 GMT
Mark Pearsall covers the main sources for officers and ratings service records in this introductory talk about Royal Navy service records from the late 18th century to the early 20th century.
Author: Mark Pearsall Duration: 45:02
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UFO files from the UK Government
Published date: Thu, 22 May 2008 12:00:00 GMT
Listen to Dr David Clarke, an expert in UFO history, as he explains the significance of the released UFO files.
Author: Dr David Clarke Duration: 28:19
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Secrecy and government records
Published date: Thu, 15 May 2008 09:00:00 GMT
Professor Foot is a noted historian and academic. He is the official historian for the Second World War Special Operations Executive (SOE) and has an extensive knowledge of the background to the requirements for secrecy in government records. This is a rare opportunity to hear the views of a person who has lived with the secrecy of such records for many decades.
Author: Prof. M R D Foot Duration: 23:52
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Security Service document releases
Published date: Fri, 29 Feb 2008 08:00:00 GMT
From astrologers to oil barons: Professor Christopher Andrew, official historian for the Security Service, talks about espionage and tracking enemy agents.
Author: Professor Christopher Andrew Duration: 22:04
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The Navy Board project
Published date: Thu, 21 Feb 2008 10:00:00 GMT
Archivist Sue Lumas describes the painstaking cataloguing and conservation of naval records held at The National Archives.
Author: Sue Lumas Duration: 13:51
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Sources for army officers' commissions
Published date: Thu, 20 Dec 2007 08:00:00 GMT
Mark Dunton looks at the system for purchasing and selling commissions as it worked from 1800 - 1871. He covers first appointments, promotions, exchanges, retirement, the payment process and the activities of the 'army agents'. He uses document examples to illustrate the talk.
Author: Mark Dunton Duration: 31:30
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Army deaths, marriages and births 1761-1913
Published date: Tue, 18 Sep 2007 08:00:00 GMT
Many family trees fall at the hurdle of locating the death of a British soldier, his marriage or the birth of his children. The records available are woefully incomplete, scattered and often not fully indexed. In this presentation, Chris Watts examines the material available for tracing these events, for a pre-First World War British soldier, and guides the researcher in its use; material available on microfiche, microfilm or the Internet is highlighted.
Author: Dr Christopher Watts Duration: 40:17
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Sources for First World War army ancestry
Published date: Thu, 21 Jun 2007 08:00:00 GMT
Mark Dunton focuses on the prime sources at The National Archives for documenting First World War army service, covering both the officers and other ranks of the British Army.
Author: Mark Dunton Duration: 34:13
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Sahib, the British soldier in India, 1750 - 1914
Published date: Mon, 17 Jul 2006 09:00:00 GMT
Well-known military historian Professor Richard Holmes examines Indian soldiering in peace and war. He addresses the experience of ordinary soldiers, why they joined up, how they got to India and what they made of it when they arrived.
Author: Professor Richard Holmes Duration: 56:25
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