Britain's Cold War Revealed at the National Archives

From the National Archives in England (www.nationalarchives.gov.uk):

Britain's Cold War Revealed

We're excited to announce the launch of our new Cold War season this April.

The season will open with an insightful exhibition - 'Protect and Survive: Britain’s Cold War Revealed' - and a whole host of events exploring the reality of life in Britain under the persistent threat of nuclear attack during the Cold War era.

We're thrilled to announce the first few events for the Cold War season and give you, as a valued mailing list subscriber, exclusive advance access to book tickets for them. Read on for more details...

An Evening with Dame Stella Rimington
Friday 5 April, evening event

Now a best-selling thriller writer, Dame Stella was appointed Director General of MI5 in 1992, the first woman to take the post and the first Director General to be publicly named. This unique evening event sees Dame Stella discussing her career, followed by an opportunity for questions.

Book tickets for this event


The Scandalous Case of John Vassall
Thursday 25 April, afternoon event

Uncover the fascinating tale of John Vassall, a civil servant embroiled in a honeytrap by the Soviet Secret Service at the height of the Cold War.

Book tickets for this event


From the Bomb to The Beatles
Thursday 9 May, evening event

Learn about the fascinating cultural and social developments in Britain in the 20 years following the Second World War, from the restricted culture of 1945 to the dawn of heady freedoms in the 1960s.

Book tickets for this event


Archives at Night: Cold War Revealed
Friday 17 May, evening event

Fancy yourself as a bit of a modern history buff? From pop culture to spies and scandal, test your trivia knowledge at this fun evening event at the UK’s very own home of history.

There will also be the chance to immerse yourself in the era through gallery tours of new exhibition Protect and Survive, 80s-inspired craft and more.

Book tickets for this event 


Creative writing workshop: Protect and Survive
Saturday 22 June, afternoon event

Join us for a post-apocalyptic creative writing workshop with award-winning poet Suzannah Evans, touching upon themes ranging from Cold War bunkers, censorship and redaction.

Book tickets for this event



And if you can't get to Kew...

If you can't make it to the events or exhibition, don't worry - we'll be adding lots of new Cold War content to our website over the coming months, so you'll be able to share in the experience!

Explore the Cold War websiteat https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/coldwar

(With thanks to TNA by email)

Chris

My next Scottish Research Online course starts March 11th 2019 - see www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=102. Details of my genealogical research service are available at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. For my Scottish and Irish themed books, visit https://britishgenes.blogspot.com/p/my-books.html. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

National Archives offers free webinar on historic espionage

The National Archives (www.nationalarchives.gov.uk) in England is offering a free webinar on Monday 2nd November, from 5.30pm-6.30pm, on historic espionage from the First World War until the Cold War. From the site:

Discover infamous tales of cunning and intrigue from 20th century intelligence records with some of our records experts, including well-known individuals such as Burgess and Maclean. Pose your questions afterwards and learn all you’ve ever wanted to know about the secrets and spies in our collection.

Webinars are free online seminars that enable you to interact with expert staff and fellow researchers from the comfort of your home – after a short presentation on the subject you can take part in a question and answer session. Full instructions are provided when you sign up.

For further details and to sign up, visit https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/webinar-from-the-first-world-war-to-the-cold-war-20th-century-espionage-tickets-18669880114.

Chris

For details on my genealogy guide books, including my recently released Discover Irish Land Records and Down and Out in Scotland: Researching Ancestral Crisis, please visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html. My Pinterest account is at https://www.pinterest.com/chrismpaton/.

Hunter Killers book - British submarines and the Cold War

A quick plug for a book that you may be interested in by author Iain Ballantyne. Hunter Killers looks at "the dramatic story of the Royal Navy's most secret service" as it fought during the Cold War. I have a connection to the book, in that my father's story on board one of the navy's vessels, HMS Warspite, during a particularly dangerous incident in 1968, forms a significant part of two of the chapters found within ("Jousting with 'Crazy Ivan" and "The Allotted Escape Route"). It's an incident I have been researching for a few years now, and which Iain has been able to progress further with additional contributions from others who were on board.

Although first published in hardback in 2013, the paperback edition has just been released a couple of months back. It can be purchased online via Amazon at £7.99, or a Kindle edition for £3.59. See www.amazon.co.uk/Hunter-Killers-Dramatic-Untold-Service/dp/1409139018

A huge thanks to Iain for including the story, and in particular for the acknowledgements for my father's contribution.

Chris

Stuck for a Christmas gift?! I have a series of genealogy books available in the UK, Australia and Canada, on Scottish, Irish and British based subject areas. Further details at http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html. Santa approves!

Early Cold War material released

The National Archives at Kew (www.nationalarchives.gov.uk) has released some early Cold War material from MI5 for the period from 1945-1953, including diary material from Guy Liddell, its Deputy Director General at the time.

The full story is at http://nationalarchives.gov.uk/news/777.htm

Chris

Scotland 1750-1850 - 5 weeks online Pharos course, £45.99, taught by Chris Paton from 2 NOV 2012 - see www.pharostutors.com
New book: It's Perthshire 1866 - there's been a murder... www.thehistorypress.co.uk/products/The-Mount-Stewart-Murder.aspx (from June 12th 2012)