Dr Brian Trainor Memorial Lecture Fund

The Ulster Historical Fundation (www.ancestryireland.com) has announced a new fundraiser initiative for the proposed Dr Brian Trainor Memorial Lecture, which will take place each year or every two years (details to be confirmed).

Dr Brian Trainor, a formerDirector of PRONI in Belfast, passed away in August 2018, aged 90. The UHF site provides a full obituary for Dr Trainor, whose contribution to the world of Irish genealogy is summarised within the opening paragraph:

Brian Trainor devoted much of his professional life and indeed his thirty-year retirement to making good the almost-irreparable damage done to Irish archives by the destruction of the Four Courts during the Civil War in 1922. Initially as archivist from the mid-1950s, then Director of the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland 1970-1987 and as Chairman of the Irish Manuscripts Commission and of the National Archives Advisory Committee, he was at the forefront of the campaign to improve the quality and awareness of historical sources whose availability and interpretation have played such a vital role in the improved understanding of the island's past.

The aim of the lecture fund is to establish the Dr Brian Trainor Memorial Lecture:

The Dr Brian Trainor Memorial Lecture will be delivered by an eminent historian of Irish history who may, or may not, be based in an academic institution on this island.

The topic of the lecture will relate to an aspect of Irish history, with a particular focus on archival sources in recognition of Dr Trainor’s huge contribution to developing, preserving and promoting archives.

Though the lecture will be delivered to an academic standard, it will be aimed at a general audience in recognition of Dr Trainor’s desire to see archives opened up to everyone.

For more information, and to make a donation, please visit https://www.ancestryireland.com/brian-trainor-memorial-lecture-fund/.

Chris

For my genealogy guide books, visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html, whilst details of my research service are at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. Further content is also published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page at www.facebook.com/BritishGENES.

The Poetry of Wartime Evacuation project needs votes for funding

Gillian Mawson is seeking support to raise funds from the Aviva Community Fund towards the Poetry of Wartime Evacuation: Community Archive for Channel Island Evacuation project.

Here's a description of the project aims:

The Aviva funding awarded to us in 2015 has now expired. We wish to hold regular group meetings again, to create a booklet containing Wartime Poetry written by Evacuees, which can be given to local libraries and schools. Our group has been collecting these emotional poems since 2015. They have been written by evacuees from all over Britain and the Channel Islands. Each poem would be accompanied by a wartime image from our collection. The importance of such poetry has not, so far, been widely shared in the Stockport community. It includes themes such as Leaving Home, The evacuation journey, the air raids which occurred in their new 'supposedly safe' homes, Thoughts of Home, The Kindness of communities towards Evacuees, Thoughts of those fighting in the British Forces, Victory in Europe and the end of the war, The Return Home and the sadness of leaving behind their loving 'foster parents'

To complete this project before the end of 2018, we would need to hold regular project meetings in order to read through all of the poems that we have collected. We would need to agree on the final selection of poems for the booklet. We would then need to to select an appropriate evacuation image to accompany each poem and choose an image for the front cover. We would then write some introductory text for the booklet , including some information on our community group and our thanks to the Aviva Community Fund. We would end the booklet with a 'further reading' section for those who wish to learn more about wartime evacuation.

Once the final copy is ready, we would obtain quotes from local printers and have between 50 and 100 booklets printed, to be distributed to schools and libraries in the Stockport MBC area. Later, and health permitting at the time, our evacuees could visit some of these libraries to read evacuation poems and share their own memories in person. Until we actually complete the booklet, we are unable to ascertain exactly what the printing costs would be.

We anticipate that our costs would include:-
Venue hire for monthly meetings
Refreshments at these meetings
Travel costs for the evacuees to attend these meetings, most of whom have mobility issues

Photocopy costs relating to the poems that we already possess. The poems would need to be printed out, in large print, so that those with impaired vision can read them easily at our meetings.

Postage costs as we will need to contact evacuees to obtain their permission to use their poetry and images in our booklet.
Stationery costs
Printing costs
Postage costs to send the booklets to libraries and schools with a covering letter
Travel costs for evacuees to visit one or two local libraries to share personal evacuation stories and poetry

The award of the Aviva funding in 2015 really helped cement the members of our community group together. They have formed firm friendships with other members and their families. At least half of our members have failing health. An opportunity to come together more regularly and to work together on this project would continue this bonding process and would also give our elderly evacuees something to aim for over the next year or so.

To offer your votes in support of the project, please visit https://www.avivacommunityfund.co.uk/voting/project/view/17-423 and register to offer your votes.

Good luck Gillian!

Chris

My next 5 week long Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the OPRs course commences Nov 6th 2017 - details at https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=302. For my genealogy guide books, visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html, whilst details of my research service are at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. Further content is also published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page at www.facebook.com/BritishGENES.

Britain's first serial killer - fundraiser to save letters

A somewhat unusual post has just been made on one of my Facebook pages, concerning efforts to raise money in Durham to save eight letters written in jail by serial killer Mary Ann Cotton in 1873. Here's the story, from one of those seeking to raise the funds, Christine Wadsley Cunningham:

Mary Ann Cotton was considered Britains first serial killer. She wrote 8 letters from jail in 1873 which were recently auctioned to a dealer. A campaign to save these letters and ensure they go into the County Durham archives for all to see and use was begun on Facebook and has culminated in this page being set up to try and raise the £4,000 needed to buy them on behalf of the people of County Durham in order to donate them to the archives. Laws were changed due to this woman which make it much easier for us as family history buffs to access what we need to in order to do our research. The least we can do is donate a few pounds to help preserve this history. So dig deep, and look lively as we don't have much time to raise this money before some private collector decides that they want the letters - then they could disappear forever! Thank you - Regards Christine and Victoria

Please be assured that if we are unlucky enough to lose these letters to a private collector, we will advise on this page and will also ensure that any money collected will go towards preserving family or local history in the UK. We will make a statement on here as to where the money has been donated.

The donation page, with more detail, is available at www.gofundme.com/76trpc.

The Daily Mail has a story on Mary Ann Cotton at http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2096423/Mary-Ann-Cotton--Britains-FIRST-serial-killer-poisoned-21-people-including-mother.html

(With thanks to Christine)

Chris

My latest genealogy books are Tracing Your Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), Discover Scottish Civil Registration Records, and Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet. My next Pharos course is Scottish Research Online, which commences Feb 27th 2014, 5 weeks, price £45.99.

Republic of Ireland RAF branch fundraiser

From Lorraine McWilliams:

"The Republic of Ireland Branch of the RAF Association (Republic of Ireland Branch) will be holding its major fundraiser of the year next Saturday, 22nd June at 2.00pm at Leopardstown Park Hospital, Dublin 18 (Green line of the LUAS – stop = Central Park). The RAFA (RoI) looks after WW2 veterans resident in Ireland – be they Irish or British. In our membership, we enjoy several WW2 pilots and ground crew. As you probably know, many Irish servicemen/servicewomen suffered isolation and discrimination when they returned to Ireland after the war. It’s all the more important that we look after them now."

The branch has its own Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Royal-Air-Forces-Association-RAFA-RoI/277995295555709 which notes that "entrance is Euro 10 per person and includes BBQ, cold buffet and two drinks. It's our major fundraiser for the year, so please support!"

My father-in-law, Paddy Giles from County Tipperary, was a member of the RAF just after the war, so I'm only too happy to give this a plug - hope you all have a great day!

(With thanks to Lorraine)

Chris

My new book, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet, is now available from Pen and Sword. My Scottish land and church records ebooks are available at http://www.gen-ebooks.com/unlock-the-past.html, whilst my next Pharos Scottish course, Scottish Research Online, starts Sep 4th - see http://pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=102. Time to smash a few brick walls...!