26 Nov

Posted at 17:31h in Blog

[caption id="attachment_1378" align="alignright" width="360"] Lance Corporal Walter Richard Parker, VC (1881-1936), Royal Marine Light Infantry. Used under Creative Commons Licence[/caption] In April 1915 the surviving troops of the 1st and 3rd Australian Brigades entrenched at the Gaba Tepe on the Galliopli peninsula were desperate for relief.   Three...

07 Nov

Posted at 12:14h in Blog

[caption id="attachment_1331" align="alignright" width="364"] Cpl. Charles Richard Sharpe. Image Courtesy of Bourne Civic Society, used with permission[/caption] At 5am on the morning of the 9th May 1915 British artillery shells shook the ground of Aubers Ridge. For six days and nights every man for miles had born...

30 Oct

Posted at 15:55h in Blog

[caption id="attachment_1284" align="alignright" width="373"] 'William Stukeley' by John Smith, after Sir Godfrey Kneller, Bt. NPG D4074[/caption] William Stukeley was born in Holbeach, Lincolnshire on 7th November 1687. An intelligent child, William excelled at school, and at the age of 13 he joined his father’s Law practice as...

04 Sep

Posted at 16:01h in Blog

[caption id="attachment_1222" align="alignright" width="369"] The coronation of Henry III - Public Domain[/caption] On the 2nd February 1221, the 13 year old King Henry III sent an order to the Mayor of Lynn for 2000 fathoms of rope to be sent by boat to the town of...

14 Aug

Posted at 10:58h in Blog

[caption id="attachment_1203" align="alignright" width="393"] Albert Ball: Public Domain Image[/caption] Albert Ball was born in Nottingham on the 14th August 1896.  His father was a successful local businessman who would go on to become first Mayor, and then Lord Mayor of Nottingham and later still be knighted. During...

02 Aug

Posted at 09:29h in Blog

The Fane family tree has its fair share of illustrious branches, weighed heavy with peers and politicians, soldiers and poets. Among these sits a woman who bore influence at the very pinnacle of the British political elite, and who would leave in her journals a detailed...

09 Jul

Posted at 15:22h in Blog

In the last Heritage Alive Blog, we told the story of Sarah Marvin, a young woman convicted of theft and sentenced to transportation. Today we highlight the fantastic, freely available, resources which allowed us to discover the details of her life. So whether you are researching your...

27 Jun

Posted at 10:04h in Blog

“Van Diemen’s Land is indebted for its present prosperous condition chiefly to the crimes committed in England”[1]   Between 1803 and 1853 over 70,000 convicts were transported from Britain to the island then known as Van Diemen’s Land (Tasmania). As an outpost of the British Empire, the Crown...

21 Jun

Posted at 09:38h in Blog

The destruction of the Mackintosh building of the Glasgow School of Art, following a second fire in four years, has shocked and saddened all in the heritage community. The future of the 110 year old A-listed building[1] is still very much in doubt. At the time...

05 Jun

Posted at 15:31h in Blog

On the 5th June 1944, every US soldier and airman preparing for Operation Overlord was read these words, part of the message to all troops from Commander in Chief of Allied Armed Forces – General Eisenhower: “Your task will not be an easy one, your enemy...