Events

A Sign of the Times:
Local history told through East Anglian village signs.

                                                  
     Almost every community in East Anglia
     proudly displays a village sign, but what 
     of the origins of these signs?
    And how and what do they tell us about 
    the history of those villages  In this talk, 
    Sarah Doig explores this fascinating
    aspect of  our local history, drawing on
    examples from across the region.

    Sarah Doig

Military History Records in Family Research.

 It looks at a range of military documents and
 websites that will help family members
 research any military connections. I also talk
 about medals, death plaques and
 photographs of family  in uniform and
 how to look for clues to identify  regiments etc.

   Wendy Shepherd

Surplus Women:
The life and times of single women in the 1920s and 1930s.

"Britain's problem with two million 
superfluous women".

Headline Daily Mail 1921 Lord Northcliffe 

 Who were these ‘surplus women’ and why were
 they a problem? This talk explains the
 background to this extraordinary
 quote and gives a glimpse into the life of a
 single woman between the two World Wars.

     Karen Cade

Ipswich Maritime Trust

  Cathy Shelbourne 

Social and Quiz Evening

Quizmaster - Paul Voller

Using Census Documents: the 1921 Census and 1939 Register                  

 Why are these important documents? These documents
 certainly bridge a gap into the second world war and
 beyond. Both types of document offer up interesting
 researchable information. The 1921 census is a useful
 post World War One document, many showing war
 widows bringing up families alone. It is the last
 available online census at present, as the 1931 census 
 was destroyed in a fire in WW2 and the 1941 
 census was never taken as we were at war. 
 The 1939 register was an extremely important 
 document for the government as it identified 
 people of an age for conscription, plus population numbers for
 identity cards and rationing cards, plus the number of children
 who might need evacuating. The data was used when the
 NHS was set up post war. There is also a column which shows the roles
 of many people in WW2; a useful document.

      Wendy Shepherd

                          The Ipswich Town Years

          Broadcaster and stadium announcer
          Stephen Foster  on his rollercoaster
          ride as a Town fan.

  Stephen Foz Foster