Podcasts by
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Tracing merchant seamen, 1857-1918
A frustrating aspect of researching merchant navy ancestors is the ‘black hole’ between 1857 and 1918 when there are no records for individual seamen. This podcast looks at what records there are for this period, how to access them and ...
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Women and Children First
This talk looks at the origins and social context of why women and children were evacuated from the Titanic first, and did this conformity to the social norm actually lead to a greater loss of life. The talk also looks ...
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Forgotten tragedy: The loss of HMT Lancastria
On 17 June 1940, HMT Lancastria was sunk by a German bomber while evacuating troops from St Nazaire; over 9,000 troops were packed on board. This talk attempts to explain why so many who were lost will never be accounted ...
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The battle that frightened Churchill: the war in the Atlantic
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 ...
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Merchant Navy operational records
Janet Dempsey examines the wealth of records which deal with the tragedy, terror, heroism and honour of the Merchant Navy in both World Wars.
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Customs and Excise service records
Everyone hates taxes! Find out what Dr Johnson thought of them in this illustrated talk in which Janet Dempsey reveals how to hunt down the revenue collectors in your family.
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Merchant Navy service records
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.
