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Culture Clash? Pop in a royal park
Fifty years ago, the Rolling Stones gave a concert in Hyde Park that turned into a memorial to founding member Brian Jones. It was an event that passed into le... read more
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Summer Lecture Series 2019: Information at War – the Ministry of Information, 1936-1946
The Ministry of Information was established by a government which recognised that the understanding and morale of the civilian population in the UK – and else... read more
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Pathé: What A Scorcher!
The National Archives education team’s film of the month highlights a Pathé film relating to current events, anniversaries or key topics that you may be cove... read more
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The Cold War and UFOs
There is more to the Ministry of Defence UFO files than reports on strange sightings in the sky. They provide insight into the public’s perception of the Cold... read more
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The scandalous case of John Vassall
In 1962, while working as a clerk in the British Embassy in Moscow, homosexual civil servant John Vassall was caught in a ‘honey trap’ sprung by the Soviet... read more
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On the Record: Double agents and double standards
The Cambridge Five are perhaps the most infamous spy ring of the 20th century. They worked their way into the upper ranks of British Intelligence in order to sp... read more
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Pathé: The Motor Skater
The National Archives education team’s film of the month highlights a Pathé film relating to current events, anniversaries or key topics that you may be cove... read more
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On the Record: Lawrence and Bell
The exploits of T.E. Lawrence are legendary. Thanks to the famous film ‘Lawrence of Arabia’, millions around the world know about his time spying an... read more
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On the Record: Archetype of a Spy
What do spies actually look like? What do they do? What motivates them to enter such a secretive profession? In this episode we use documents in our collection... read more
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On the Record: Spies (a trailer)
History is everywhere in popular culture. But the truth is harder to find. A three-part podcast series by The National Archives, On the Record will take a clo... read more
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Pathé: Want a fallout shelter?
The National Archives education team’s film of the month highlights a Pathé film relating to current events, anniversaries or key topics that you may be cove... read more
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The personal story of Holocaust survivor John Dobai
John Dobai was born in Budapest, Hungary, in 1934. To mark Holocaust Memorial Day, John delivered a talk at The National Archives on 25 January 2019 about his p... read more
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Reflections on the Reformation
In this panel talk, experts reflect on the records of the Reformation, their relevance in the modern day and the impact of the 1517 Reformation anniversary. Pan... read more
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The Annual Digital Lecture: Semantic Capital: what it is and how to protect it
In this talk Luciano Floridi presents new research on ‘semantic capital’, which he defines as the capital of ideas, knowledge, meaning and culture,... read more
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West Africa and the First World War
The First World War had a great impact on West Africa, as Britain ordered the invasion of German colonies in Cameroon and Togoland, using its own colonies as ba... read more
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Big Ideas Series: Entity disambiguation in digital cultural heritage
To enable people to explore a digital collection, the platform that hosts that collection needs to have a comprehensive understanding of the information it is p... read more
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Big Ideas Series: Archives and Linked Data
Is linked data an appropriate technology for implementing an archive’s catalogue? Dr Jean-Luc Cochard from the Swiss Federal Archives presents the results of... read more
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UFO files at The National Archives
Originally set up at the request of Winston Churchill, the Ministry of Defence’s UFO Desk ran for over 60 years, collating mysterious sightings and records... read more
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Suffrage 100: Did militancy help or hinder the fight for the franchise?
By 1912, militancy associated with the Suffragette movement hit its peak, with regular arson attacks, window-smashing campaigns and targeting of MP’s houses.... read more
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Big Ideas Series: Datafication, Distribution and the Future of Archival Science in the Age of Homo Deus
Victoria Lemieux examines how we can ensure and establish authenticity in a world of increasing datafication of records. Where and how do we create, find and pr... read more
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Big Ideas Series: The role of archives in addressing refugee crises
This presentation provides an overview of a project called ‘Records and ICT at the Boundaries of the State: Refugee Needs, Rights and Uses’ which lo... read more
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Big Ideas Series: Probabilistic indexing and archives
In this seminar, Seth van Hooland provides an introduction to machine learning techniques and explores their potential for probabilistic indexing of large archi... read more
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‘A Little Daylight Game’: the story of two militant suffragettes
This podcast tells the story of Hilda Burkett and Florence Tunks, two militant suffragettes who staged an arson attack on the Bath Hotel, Felixstowe, in April 1... read more
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Webinar: Missing from the census?
Census records are invaluable sources of information for all family historians. But what if you can’t find your ancestor on the census? This webinar will look... read more
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Webinar: Riots and rebellions, murders and militias
Exploring 19th century Home Office records. The National Archives holds 539series of Home Office records, which collectively touch on almost every aspect of lif... read more
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Webinar: Exploring the Cabinet papers
Why are Cabinet Papers important? This webinar will explain how to use the Cabinet Papers online, demonstrating the value of this superb resource that documents... read more
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Webinar: Grace O’Malley Pirate Queen of Ireland
Born to an Irish chieftain in a remote corner of County Mayo, Grace O’Malley forged a career in seafaring and piracy that spanned over 40 years. This webinar... read more
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Digital Archives of the Future
To mark forty years since The National Archives moved to Kew, our digital director John Sheridan discusses the challenges that archives will face in the futur... read more
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Big Ideas Series: Artistic Practice and the Archive
In this seminar, Professor Andrew Prescott explores the ways in which artistic practice can help us re-imagine the archive and the contents of the collections t... read more
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Reformation on the Record: Suzannah Lipscomb on Henry VIII and the break with Rome
Reformation on the Record was a two-day conference which brought together research using original records of Church and State from our collection to explore thi... read more
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Reformation on the Record: Richard Rex’s keynote address
Reformation on the Record was a two-day conference which brought together research using original records of Church and State from our collection to explore thi... read more
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Big Ideas Series: ‘In Their Own Write: Welfare, Discipline and Pauper Agency in the Nineteenth Century’
In this seminar, Dr Paul Carter introduces his new research project which he is undertaking in collaboration with Professor Steven King, University of Leiceste... read more
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Sylvia Pankhurst: suffragette, socialist and ‘scourge of the empire’
From militant suffragette at the beginning of the 20th century to campaigner against colonialism in Africa after the Second World War, Sylvia Pankhurst dedicate... read more
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Black Power and the state
The late 1960s and early 1970s witnessed the flourishing of Black Power, a movement of major global impact. In Britain, black radical campaigns were monitored b... read more
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Security Service file release November 2017
Professor Christopher Andrew, formerly official historian of MI5 and author of ‘The Defence of the Realm: The Authorized History of MI5′, introduces key fil... read more
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Big Ideas Series: Surfacing the Page
This Big Ideas seminar consists of three short presentations exploring the theme ‘surfacing the page’. In the first talk, Professor Maryanne Dever l... read more
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Big Ideas Series: Setting the Record Straight for the Rights of the Child
The recordkeeping and archival needs for childhood out-of-home care are part of one of society’s wicked problems, namely how to ensure that the systems set up... read more
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‘Corner of a Foreign Field’: a play about the burial of Indian Muslim troops at the time of the First World War
It is October 1914 and Maulana Sadr Ud-Din is battling with General Barrow, the Military Secretary to the India Office, over the appropriate burial grounds for... read more
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‘Step Child’: a play about the surveillance of First World War Indian dissenters
The British Government promises that all British subjects are equal before the law. But when America begins blocking the growing number of Indian Sikhs seeking... read more
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‘Cama’: a play about a female Indian revolutionary at the time of the First World War
In a trench in Marseille the loyalty of three Indian soldiers is tested when the legendary Madame Cama asks them to surrender for the good of the motherland. Wi... read more
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‘The Radicalisation of Vir Singh’: a play about the challenges of serving as an Indian soldier in the First World War
Arjun sits restless and scared as he prepares to enter the battlefield for the first time. Inspired by compatriot Vir’s legends of mighty Sikh warriors, A... read more
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‘Smile’: a play about Indian soldiers at the Brighton Pavilion Hospital during the First World War
Three Indian soldiers recover at the iconic Brighton Pavilion hospital. Every detail is provided for but something isn’t quite right. The soldiers question wh... read more
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Mapping Women’s Suffrage
The women’s suffrage campaign in Britain was a particularly long and difficult struggle. It was fought by women and men in cities, towns and villages right ac... read more
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Unfolding the court case that banned a 1920s lesbian novel
In 1928 Radclyffe Hall wrote ‘The Well of Loneliness’, a novel that featured female characters in same-sex relationships. Shortly after it was publ... read more
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The Sexual Offences Act 1967. Part 2: Wolfenden’s silent women
On 27 July 2017, The National Archives held a day of talks to mark the 50th anniversary of the royal assent of the Sexual Offences Act 1967, which partially de... read more
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The Sexual Offences Act 1967. Part 1: The lives of men from 1953 to the 1967 Act
On 27 July 2017, The National Archives held a day of talks to mark the 50th anniversary of the royal assent of the Sexual Offences Act 1967, which partially de... read more
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Tudor trials: Confessions from the Star Chamber
Medieval records specialist Euan Roger gives us a taste of the kinds of disputes dealt with by the Star Chamber, one of the highest Tudor courts. The tens of th... read more
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Jane Austen: from beginning to end
To commemorate the bicentenary of Jane Austen’s death in 1817, Professor Fiona Stafford delivered a talk on Austen’s life and work at the The National... read more
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A tormented Tudor queen’s treasonous ‘love letter’
In this episode, Neil Johnston and Christopher Day discuss a letter written by Catherine Howard, the fifth wife of Henry VIII, to Thomas Culpeper, a groom of... read more
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Sexuality under scrutiny in 1930s Soho
In 1934, homosexual acts between men – in public and in private – were illegal in the UK. Police surveilled a number of social spaces across London... read more
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Oscar Wilde’s trial and imprisonment – a short play
This short play explores the trial and imprisonment of Oscar Wilde. In 1895 the celebrated author and playwright was found guilty of gross indecency and sentenc... read more
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Bombs, bulls and civilian bravery
In this podcast The National Archives’ Principal Military Specialist reveals some of his favourite stories about civilian gallantry from the First and... read more
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‘A Bit of a Scratch’, a radio drama about the battle against Venereal Disease during the First World War
‘A Bit of a Scratch’ explores the first recorded prosecution under the Venereal Diseases Act 1917. The legislation was introduced due to the large n... read more
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Medieval treason and magic
In this podcast, two of our records specialists tell us about treason and necromancy in The National Archives’ medieval records. The first part, narrat... read more
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‘Dadland’: the father who was also an undercover guerrilla agent
Keggie Carew discusses her book ‘Dadland’, a story about a madcap English childhood, the poignant breakdown of a family, and dementia. The novel cen... read more
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Black British politics and the Anti-Apartheid struggle
In 1948, from the introduction of apartheid in South Africa, racial discrimination galvanized the international community into protest. British people and black... read more
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From the Somme to Arras
Andrew Lock discusses the progress made by the British Expeditionary Forces between the battles of the Somme (1916) and Arras (1917). Although lessons were lear... read more
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Bureau-cats: A short history of Whitehall’s official felines
Public interest in the cats of Whitehall began long before Larry, Palmerston and Gladstone graced our front pages and Twitter feeds. In this podcast, records ... read more
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Tracy Borman on ‘The Private Lives of the Tudors’
Tracy Borman reveals how the Tudor monarchs were constantly surrounded by an army of attendants, courtiers and ministers, even in their most private moments. A... read more
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Talks from the National LGBT History Festival: E-J Scott on collecting for the Museum of Transology
On the 11 February 2017, The National Archives hosted a range of talks for ‘OUTing the Past: the National LGBT History Festival’ on topics includi... read more
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Talks from the National LGBT History Festival: Emma Vickers on trans veterans of the British Armed Forces
On the 11 February 2017, The National Archives hosted a range of talks for ‘OUTing the Past: the National LGBT History Festival’ on topics includi... read more
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Talks from the National LGBT History Festival: Hilary McCollum on ‘Sapphic Suffragettes’
On the 11 February 2017, The National Archives hosted a range of talks for ‘OUTing the Past: the National LGBT History Festival’ on topics includi... read more
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Cataloguing Projects 2016, part 8: Sorting the Prize Papers: Tales from the Depths
An overview of the cataloguing projects that took place at The National Archives in 2016. Randolph Cock and Andrew Little discuss the process of sorting The Hig... read more
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Cataloguing Projects 2016, part 7: Discoveries found in The National Archives’ catalogue
An overview of the cataloguing projects that took place at The National Archives in 2016. Independent researchers Nat Alcock and Christine Hodgetts discuss the... read more
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Cataloguing Projects 2016, part 6: Using Optical Character Recognition (OCR) to aid cataloguing
An overview of the cataloguing projects that took place at The National Archives in 2016. Mark Bell explains how Optical Character Recognition software can hel... read more
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Cataloguing Projects 2016, part 5: An introduction to the work of the Strays and Fragments team
An overview of the cataloguing projects that took place at The National Archives in 2016. Document services advisor Greg Cole explains how the Strays and Fragme... read more
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Cataloguing Projects 2016, part 4: A new tool for finding linked records across our collections
An overview of the cataloguing projects that took place at The National Archives in 2016. Sonia Ranade introduces ‘Traces through Time’, a project by The Na... read more
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Cataloguing Projects 2016, part 3: Re-cataloguing First World War officers’ files
An overview of the cataloguing projects that took place at The National Archives in 2016. Records specialist George Hay highlights the experiences and outcomes... read more
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Cataloguing Projects 2016, part 2: The Enclosure Map Project
An overview of the cataloguing projects that took place at The National Archives in 2016. Records specialist Emma Down and systems developer Matt Hillyard expla... read more
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Cataloguing Projects 2016, part 1: The W.E. Hayward Collection
An overview of the cataloguing projects that took place at The National Archives in 2016. Records specialist Steven Cable summarises the ongoing cataloguing wo... read more
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Prosthetics and the First World War
The first episode of a Q&A series in which we talk to researchers about the records and stories they’ve uncovered at The National Archives. In ‘... read more
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The life and death of King John
King John’s acts of misgovernment prompted his barons to demand reform, setting the kingdom on the road to civil war and leading to John’s grant of Magn... read more
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Defeating the Zeppelins
For almost two years during the First World War, German airships roamed over the British countryside, bombing towns and villages without fear of a significant r... read more
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Archivist as Interpreter Conference: Part 1
This is a recording of The National Archives’ ‘Archivist as Interpreter’ conference held at the British Library in March 2016. The conference... read more
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Archivist as Interpreter Conference: Part 2
This is a recording of The National Archives’ ‘Archivist as Interpreter’ conference held at the British Library in March 2016. The conference... read more
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The Battle of Agincourt
In 1415, King Henry V led an army to victory on the field of Agincourt. In this talk, which commemorated the 600th anniversary of the Battle of Agincourt, Prof... read more
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Webinar: Henry VIII – Dynasty and power in Tudor England
This webinar was delivered on 22 September 2016 by Dr Sean Cunningham. Sean is Head of the medieval and early modern team. His has published a number of article... read more
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Webinar: Using Discovery for family history
The Discovery webinar was delivered on 30 September 2016 by Audrey Collins. Audrey is a records specialist on family history records. She delivers conferences o... read more
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Somme Tales
Funded by the Friends of The National Archives, Somme Tales is a creative project that took place at the archives from 1-5 August 2016 in partnership with profe... read more
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Jonathan Dimbleby on ‘The Battle of the Atlantic: How the Allies Won the War’
In this talk, broadcaster and acclaimed author Jonathan Dimbleby shows how Britain’s success in the Battle of the Atlantic led to the allied victory in 19... read more
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Traces through Time: a new tool for finding linked records across our collections
This talk introduces ‘Traces through Time’, a project by The National Archives which combines historical data sets and the latest technology to help researc... read more
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Never Forget: The Holocaust and Nazi Persecution
In this talk – held as part of Holocaust Memorial Day – record specialists Ela Kaczmarska and Lauren Willmott shed light on the atrocities committe... read more
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Security Service file release September 2016
Professor Christopher Andrew, formerly official historian of MI5 and author of ‘The Defence of the Realm: The Authorized History of MI5′, introduces key fil... read more
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Blindness in Victorian Britain
This talk traces how blind and visually-impaired people in the Victorian era became increasingly vocal in seeking control and ownership over the social and poli... read more
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A tourist’s guide to Shakespeare’s London
Discover what it was like to wander the streets of Shakespeare’s London. Though large portions of the city from Shakespeare’s time have since been destr... read more
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Magna Carta: Law, Liberty and Legacy
In this podcast, Julian Harrison discusses Magna Carta’s fascinating history and legacy, focusing on some of the key loans made by The National Archives to th... read more
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Prisoners of war in the Far East
Prisoners of war in the Far East experienced some of the most horrifying and traumatic conditions of the Second World War. But what of the experiences of family... read more
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England’s Immigrants between 1330 and 1550
This talk explores a new research database which provides an insight into immigration in England in the late medieval period. The database holds around 65,000 n... read more
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Simply a Jacobite woman? The life experience of Lady Nairne
Lady Nairne was a noted Jacobite who played an important part in rousing support for the risings of both 1715 and 1745. This talk draws upon letters and papers... read more
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Worn out by war: Disabled soldiers and their pensions
How can military records help us to reconstruct and understand the lives of disabled people and their families in the 18th and 19th centuries? This talk will ex... read more
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First Lady: The Life and Wars of Clementine Churchill
Sonia Purnell presents the inspiring but often ignored story of one of the most important women in modern history – the original ‘First Lady’. Discover th... read more
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Writer of the month: Mike Pitts on ‘Digging for Richard III: How Archaeology Found the King’
To accompany the publication of his book ‘Digging for Richard III: How Archaeology Found the King’, Mike Pitts discusses the achievements, disputes... read more
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Big Data and the gendering of Parliamentary language
Luke Blaxill discusses the ways in which Big Data techniques can introduce quantification into long-standing historical debates. His example is the case of fema... read more
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England ’66: The best of times?
It was a year when England won the World Cup and led the world in all aspects of popular culture, including pop music, fashion, and film. But it was also a... read more
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100 years of the WI: The acceptable face of feminism
Professor Maggie Andrews discusses some of the key campaigns and concerns of the Women’s Institute, from its origins in the First World War to the 1950s when,... read more
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Changing the Landscape: In conversation with Sarah Kogan
Artist and curator Sarah Kogan in conversation with our Records Knowledge Manager Kate Wheeler, discussing her multimedia Battle of the Somme arts project Chang... read more
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Archaeology and espionage: The secret political life of Professor Vere Gordon Childe
Dr Katie Meheux, UCL Institute of Archaeology, discusses Professor Vere Gordon Childe (1892-1957). Childe was one of the most influential figures of 20th centur... read more
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Pacifists besieged in a London church, First World War
This footage shows a meeting of pacifists in a London church, which is interrupted by patriots. We see a large crowd outside the church, some trying to get in... read more
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Writer of the Month: Richard Barnett on Crucial Interventions
In this talk medical historian Richard Barnett explores surgery during the 19th century, from the application of antisepsis to experiments with hypnosis. Wh... read more
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Amiable Warriors: A History of the Campaign for Homosexual Equality
The Campaign for Homosexual Equality (CHE) is the oldest surviving LGBT organisation in the UK. With more than 150 local branches and over 6,000 members, it has... read more
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Big Ideas: The Future of the Past
This presentation discusses the role that the material and intellectual heritage of a community can play in shaping and reshaping its identity, along a historic... read more
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Stalin’s Englishman: The Lives of Guy Burgess
Guy Burgess was a brilliant young Englishman who rose through the ranks of MI5 and MI6 during the Cold War. But as a member of ‘The Cambridge Spies’, he bet... read more
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Shell-Shocked Britain: Understanding the lasting trauma of the First World War
Millions of soldiers were scarred by their experiences in the First World War trenches, but how new was what we now know as ‘shell shock’? What treatments w... read more
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UKAD Forum 2016: The UKAD 2016 Friday workshops
Jane Ronson (User Support and Engagement, Jisc) Jane’s role is centred around user support, outreach activities and training (for both the Archives Hub an... read more
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UKAD Forum 2016: Panel discussion
PANEL DISCUSSION Dr Jenny Bunn (Department of Information Studies, University College London) Dr David Reeve (Head of Information Strategy, Jisc) Glenn Cumisk... read more
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UKAD Forum 2016: Imaginative ways with medical: the future of the Hospital Records (HOSPREC) database
Jonathan Cates (The National Archives) has worked since 2009 in a variety of roles largely centred around the development of online catalogues and resources. UK... read more
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UKAD Forum 2016: Trials and tribulations of surfacing archive data via a library resource discovery tool
Teresa Doherty is currently at the Royal College of Nursing, co-managing the archive and library collections team. Trials and tribulations of surfacing archiv... read more
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UKAD Forum 2016: From objects to data understanding and proactively embracing the possibilities of the digital stewardship of our information
Glenn Cumiskey (Digital Preservation Manager, British Museum) has worked for almost twenty years in national archiving, digitisation, oral history, folklore a... read more
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UKAD Forum 2016: Archiving events: data integration with the CIDOC-CRM
Dr Athanasios Velios is Reader in Digital Documentation at the Ligatus Research Centre and the CCW Graduate School, University of the Arts London. He graduated... read more
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UKAD Forum 2016: Introducing the British Library’s collection metadata strategy in the context of its unique collections
Bill Stockting (The British Library) is an acknowledged expert on archival processing, description, and its digital automation, currently responsible for th... read more
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UKAD Forum 2016: The State of the catalogue – Andrew Janes
Andrew Janes has worked at The National Archives since 2008 and is currently Senior Archivist (Future Catalogues) responsible for the State of the Catalogue pro... read more
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UKAD Forum 2016: Getting the Data Right: Implementing an Enterprise Information Strategy at Jisc
Dr David Reeve has been Head of Information Strategy at Jisc since April 2015, the digital technology company that supports the HE and FE sector. Getting the Da... read more
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UKAD Forum 2016: Welcome
Jeff James (Chief Executive and Keeper, The National Archives) As Chief Executive, Jeff has overall responsibility for The National Archives’ future directi... read more
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Heidi Thomas: Researching Call the Midwife
Screenwriter Heidi Thomas shares the process of transforming Jennifer Worth’s memoirs into the BBC period drama ‘Call the Midwife’, a TV se... read more
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Materiality matters: new approaches to medieval wax seal studies
Wax seals have been widely studied in terms of how they look, what they depict and what they might mean. But their physical characteristics and their importance... read more
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Webinar: Using the 1939 Register, recording the UK population before the war
The preparations had been made well in advance. Now Britain was at war, and as the uniformed army prepared to face the enemy, a civilian army was mobilised at h... read more
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Magna Carta – what’s so ‘great’ about the charter?
We apologise for the variable sound quality of this podcast. 2015 is the 800th anniversary of the granting of Magna Carta – King John’s Great Charter. This... read more
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Using the 1939 Register: Recording the UK population before the war
The preparations had been made well in advance. Now Britain was at war, and as the uniformed army prepared to face the enemy, a civilian army was mobilised at h... read more
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For king and another country: Indian soldiers on the Western Front
Over a million Indian soldiers fought in the First World War, many travelling from remote villages in India to the muddy trenches of France and Flanders. In her... read more
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Writer of the month: A history of war in 100 battles – Richard Overy
‘Battle is not a game to plug into a computer but a piece of living history: messy, bloody and real.’ Richard Overy, Professor of History at the University... read more
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Big Ideas: Freedom of Memory: A new human right?
This presentation introduces the concept of Freedom of Memory, which Elizabeth is currently developing. The talk proposes a possible definition for this poten... read more
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Security Service file release October 2015: Discussion
Stephen Twigge head of modern collections at The National Archives in conversation with Professor Christoper Andrew former official historian of MI5 and author... read more
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Security Service file release October 2015: Introduction
Professor Christopher Andrew, formerly official historian of MI5 and author of ‘The Defence of the Realm: The Authorized History of MI5′, introduces key fil... read more
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Barbara Hepworth, her life and work
Barbara Hepworth’s life and work examined through records held by selected archives, including The National Archives and the Tate archives, marking the 40th... read more
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First World War rugby and the first World Cup
When Britain’s Empire went to war in August 1914, rugby players were among the first men to volunteer. Leading from the front, they paid a high price. After f... read more
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‘Over the top: a foul a blurry foul’ – the first football charge of the First World War
Our collection of First World War records is one of the largest in the world. It includes, among many other documents, service records, letters, diaries, maps a... read more
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1939 National Registration Night
In 1939, on the eve of the Second World War, the British government introduced an Act that would allow them to gather vital information about the country’s po... read more
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Kew lives – reconstructing the past
Emily Ward-Willis explains how to research the local history of an area, using the Mortlake Terrace shops in Kew as a case study. The talk will show how you can... read more
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Writer of the month: Peter Doggett – Electric shock: From the gramophone to the iPhone
Peter Doggett argues that from the birth of recording in the 19th century to the digital age, popular music has transformed the world in which we live. It has i... read more
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Big Ideas: On pilgrimage in England
The 1930s saw a resurgence of interest in local knowledge and traditions, and intense debate about how it might be possible to ‘go modern’ while hon... read more
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Big Ideas: Innovation in the Air Force
Ross Mahoney’s talk is based on sources ranging from operational records held by The National Archives to some of the personal recollections found at othe... read more
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War Girls – poetry and prose by women in the First World War
Ruth Sillers talks about, and performs extracts, from her audio book compilation, War Girls. The study is a commemoration of the remarkable and largely unsung e... read more
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Security Service file release August 2015
Professor Christopher Andrew, formerly official historian of MI5 and author of ‘The Defence of the Realm: The Authorized History of MI5′, introduces key fil... read more
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Catalogue Day 2014: Royal Marines 350
Janet Dempsey gives an update on capturing data in Royal Marines’ records during the 350th anniversary year. Each year The National Archives hosts Catalog... read more
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Waterloo men: the records of Wellington’s Waterloo army
By taking two men who fought at Waterloo and exploring how different records bring their careers to life, Carole Divall demonstrates the hidden stories that can... read more
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Dunkirk: from disaster to deliverance
Drawing on fresh new interviews with Dunkirk veterans – soldiers and sailors – plus unseen private correspondence and diaries, author Sinclair McKay... read more
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Writer of the month: Jenny Uglow
Author, critic, and historian, Jenny Uglow, talks about her book, In These Times: Living in Britain through Napoleon’s Wars, 1793-1815. This podcast was recor... read more
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Big Ideas: The women’s war in the Middle East – women’s First World War service in Egypt, Gallipoli, Mesopotamia and Palestine
Nadia Atia is Lecturer in World Literature at Queen Mary, University of London. Her research examines the literature and cultural history of the First World War... read more
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‘The Germans are here!’ London’s first Zeppelin raid
Ten months into the First World War and the feared onslaught on London by Germany’s fleet of airships – Zeppelins – had failed to materialise. The... read more
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Webinar: Tracing your ancestors – women in the military services during the First World War
Emily Stidston hosts this webinar which introduces women’s service and other records from 1914 to 1918 and beyond. These records include Army, Royal Navy,... read more
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Writer of the month: Adam Nicolson – Wordsworth’s and Coleridge’s year together in Somerset, 1797-1798
Adam Nicolson discusses his research into his forthcoming book about Wordsworth’s and Coleridge’s year in Somerset. He used documents in The Natio... read more
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Fanny and Stella: the young men who shocked Victorian England
The gripping story of the trial that shook Victorian England – a tale of cross-dressing, cross-examinations and the invention of camp, shortlisted for the... read more
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Arts and Inspiration Day at The National Archives 2014: Music and lyrics
Jo Pugh reveals the music, lyrics and poetry lurking in diverse records, from Thomas Byrd’s pupil, John Bull to songs from Second World War prisoner of wa... read more
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Arts and Inspiration Day at The National Archives 2014: Maps and plans
Rose Mitchell reveals the maps and plans held at The National Archives. Arts and Inspiration Day is a free event for students thinking of future PhD study which... read more
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Arts and Inspiration Day at The National Archives 2014: Propaganda
Simon Demissie looks at Propaganda through the records held at The National Archives, including the wartime posters in INF 3 and the 1970s ‘Protect and Su... read more
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Arts and Inspiration Day at The National Archives 2014: Design history and material culture
Julie Halls discusses design history and material culture as a potential area for research. Arts and Inspiration Day is a free event for students thinking of fu... read more
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Portillo’s State Secrets
Researcher Tommy Norton introduces some of the 30 documents featured in the BBC 2 ten-part television series, Portillo’s State Secrets. He also talks about th... read more
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Writer of the month: Helen Castor on Joan of Arc
Helen Castor in conversation, discussing her new book, Joan of Arc: A history. Find out more about Helen Castor on her website. This podcast was recorded live a... read more
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One in six: the South Asian contribution to the First World War
One hundred years ago, undivided India provided Britain with a massive volunteer army in its hour of need. From 1914-1918 close to 1.5 million Indians served, f... read more
