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…
Tag: WWII
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…
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…
VE Day Resources
Friday 8 May sees the 75th-anniversary of the ending of the Second World War in Europe, known as VE Day. Previously we have told you a little bit about how Leeds celebrated this momentous day on our Leeds Celebrations for VE Day blog so today we wanted to tell you about some free online resources…
Town Hall Terror
Local History Librarian, Helen Skilbeck, recounts a tale from our recent walking tours of Victoria Gardens – the area outside Leeds Central Library that has seen its fair share of history and still bears the shrapnel scars from an explosion 76 years ago… On the night of 15 March 1941, Leeds was under attack from…
Leeds Celebrations for VE Day
On Tuesday, May 8, 1945, the front page headline of the Yorkshire Post announced “THE EUROPEAN WAR IS OVER AND THIS IS VE-DAY AND A HOLIDAY”. After six long years of bitter struggle, the British people had won freedom from fear and they celebrated in style. No more so than here in Leeds, where despite…
The Secret Library | Leeds Libraries Heritage Blog 