For Evermore – Stories of the Fallen

As Remembrance Day approaches, we hear about a Commonwealth War Graves Commission project to remember those who lost their life in the First and Second World Wars. Since 1917, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) has maintained a record of all those who died serving in British Imperial forces in the two World Wars. Those…

The Leeds Spitfire

Recently we were contacted by Garry Holden who had a photograph, taken by his father, that he thought we might like to include on Leodis, our photographic archive. After talking to Garry for a while we thought the story of his family would make a fascinating blog post and very apt for Armed Forces Day….

VE Day 80th Anniversary

To commemorate the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day, Leeds Libraries have created a gallery of photographs on Leodis, our online photographic archive, showing how the people of Leeds celebrated both VE and VJ Day. But we feel sure there are more images out there so are inviting anyone who may have their own…

Victoria Square and War Time Spirit, Part 3: 1943

In the third part of this series, Librarian and Digital Assistant, Alexandra Brummitt, takes a look at how Victoria Square was used during the Second World War. Read part 1 and part 2. Over the past century the space outside Leeds Town Hall has been used for everything from memorials to protests to Christmas markets….

Victoria Square and War Time Spirit, Part 2: 1942

In this second part Librarian and Digital Assistant, Alexandra Brummitt, takes a look at how Victoria Square was used during the Second World War. Read Part 1 here. Over the past century the space outside Leeds Town Hall has been used for everything from memorials to protests to Christmas markets. During the Second World War…

Victoria Square and War Time Spirit, Part 1: 1939 – 1941

This week Librarian and Digital Assistant, Alexandra Brummitt, takes a look at how Victoria Square was used during the Second World War. Over the past century the space outside Leeds Town Hall has been used for everything from memorials to protests to Christmas markets. During the Second World War this space was bustling with activity…

The Wiener Holocaust Library

The Wiener Holocaust Library recently paid a visit to Leeds Central Library to run a workshop on tracing Jewish ancestors. We thought it would be useful to explain a bit about them and their resources for anyone with Jewish ancestry. The Wiener Holocaust Library are based in Russell Square in London. Open each weekday, the…

Family History Resources: Military Records

This week on the Secret Library we hear from Local and Family History’s Josh Flint, who will be exploring the incredibly useful family history resource, military service records. This article will explore what military service records are, how to access them and how they can be useful for your own family history research. Military personnel records…