Thanks to Lanarkshire FHS

A huge thank you to Bob Stewart and Lanarkshire FHS (www.lanarkshirefhs.org.uk) last night for their hospitality when I gave a talk on British Civilian POWs in the Great War. It went down really well, with lost of people telling me they had never known that so many Brits had been interned in Germany, even though many had been aware of Germans having been interned in the Isle of Man etc. I'll be returning to the society on April 14th for a special Scottish/Irish day at the David Livingstone Centre in Blantyre, where I'll be talking about online Irish research - Irene O'Brien from the Mitchell will also be there, and a speaker from the society to cover a Scottish topic.

One thing I picked up on yesterday, which seemed inspirational, is that Lanarkshire FHS is now offering a new form of annual membership. You can now pay slightly less and instead of receiving a print journal three times a year, you can receive it electronically. It saves on production and postage costs for the society, and also allows overseas members to obtain copies instantly. I'm not aware of any other society in Scotland doing this (apart, perhaps from the Family History Society of Buchan with its 'Aa the Claik' newsletter), though happy to be corrected if others are doing so also (and happy to publicise it!). The new e-membership is only £10, as opposed to £12. A useful innovation for the new era of tablet computers etc. Thanks again folks, and see you all soon!

Next week I'll be doing a talk at Renfrewshire FHS (www.renfrewshirefhs.co.uk) on Irish family history resources available online, with the talk being given at Paisley Museum at 7.30pm - hopefully see you there!

Chris