Women and the Victorian army

Women who married Victorian soldiers joined the regiment and, if they were lucky, might follow their husbands around the world.

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Breaking down brick walls

Chris Broom, a professional genealogy tutor, gives some helpful hints on breaking down those brick walls

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Christmas Crackers – Members’ Evening

DECEMBER ZOOM MEETING REPORT An enjoyable social evening prior to Christmas with a quiz entitled ‘Christmas’ and one entitled ‘Family History’ both presented by our Quiz Master, Bryan Pledger. Most of the questions were multiple choice so as to give the best chance for all the audience to enjoy the fun.  The presentations also included funny clip art and photographs of the Christmas lights at Kew Gardens to get everybody in the mood.  We learnt how the Christmas Cracker and Card came to be invented and how a Mexican gave his name to a favourite plant at Christmas.  In the Family History Quiz much hilarity was had with epitaphs.  Tony Wight won the Christmas Quiz and Christine Wootton the Family History Quiz. After the quizzes a discussion ensued on why the numbers had declined for the Zoom meetings of the Branch.  The ideas ranged from being scared of Zoom, problems with making Zoom work on tablets and mobile phones with laptops being easier…

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Canal People – Joint meeting with Bracknell & Wokingham

Joint meeting 20th November 2020   Speaker: Martin Buckland   A canal is defined as an artificial waterway which may join up rivers whilst rivers are natural waterways. Canals have locks and need to be able to climb hills such as The Cotswold Canal for example which climbs 106.68 metres. Canals were good at moving fragile goods such as pottery. A horse carrying about 2 cwt was slow and could break the product compared to a barge with a horse pulling 20 cwts in safety. Irrigation was the origin of the canals. Between about 520 and 510 BC the Persian Emperor, Darius I built a canal linking the Nile and the Red Sea and the Grand Canal in Venice built between 3rd Century BC and 13century AD is used for irrigation and transport. The Pont du Gard the ancient and highest Roman aqueduct bridge  built in the first century AD to carry water over 50 km used only basic surveying equipment. Britain’s canals were started by the…

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