Treasure 32: the wartime diaries of Maria Gyte

This treasure is nominated by two former members of staff, who have prepared the text used in this post.  Firstly, let's hear from Glynn, officer for the Derbyshire Lives Through the First World War project: I am nominating these diaries, not just because they have relevance to my role with the First World War, but …

Commissioned Officers… or Conscientious Objectors?

A First World War era photograph from our collections has thrown up an intriguing question... is this a group photograph of conscientious objectors in Breaston? The photograph comes from collection D4978 'Breaston and Long Eaton Historical Notes'.  Our catalogue entry for this photograph reads simply: '"COs" Group', c.1910, and when the photograph was put onto the Picture …

Absent voters list for Ilkeston in 1918 now online

Hello everyone.  I have just this minute updated the catalogue with copies of the absent voters list for the parliamentary constituency of Ilkeston in 1918.  The names you can find inside are those of people who were still enrolled in the armed forces at the end of the war. You can find all three absent voters …

Sue’s Soldier: Tom’s Tree

Another anecdote that we didn't have room for in our vitrine display is George's story “Tom’s Tree”. George served in the King's Royal Rifle Corps, and may have been a sniper some of the time, though as my mother said, he never talked much about that aspect. Understandably, picking men off in cold blood was not a …

Derbyshire Remembers Exhibition at Sudbury Hall

Children from two primary schools (Derby City and Derbyshire) and volunteers have curated an exhibition about the First World War, which is being launched at Sudbury Hall on Friday 6 March 2015 at 1pm. Derbyshire Remembers is a project run by award-winning theatre company Fifth Word in partnership with the National Trust, Derbyshire Record Office and …

Voices from the Front at South Normanton Library

Tales of enemy attacks, life in the trenches and thoughts of home, all feature as part of the Archives Aloud: Voices from the Front event being held at South Normanton Library on Wednesday 12th November 2014 between 2pm-3.30pm. This read aloud session features original letters, diaries and poems written by those serving on the front line during the …

Derbyshire Remembers for Explore Your Archive week

Come along to this free lunch time talk and find out what is happening around the county to commemorate the centenary of the First World War. Hear about the Derbyshire Lives in the First World War project and take a look in our Story Box full of serving soldiers’ letters, diaries and photographs and other First …

Follow Derbyshire Soldiers on Twitter

Derbyshire Libraries is tweeting as a First World War Soldier, using extracts from diaries and letters held at Derbyshire Record Office. These archives have been given a new lease of life as the words of soldiers at the front line reach a new audience via social media and we can hear first-hand about events that …

Conservation UPDATE – Absent Voters Lists

We are pleased to announce the 1918 Absent Voters Lists have now been cleaned and digitised! Here's how we did it... The Chesterfield Division Absent Voters List was in particularly bad condition. First we had to take the whole thing apart, so that we could clean and digitise it safely, and prepare it for repairs. The pages …

Conservation of WWI electoral rolls

With the anniversary of the start of World War I upon us, like many heritage institutions around the country, the Conservation Team at Derbyshire Record Office have been working to preserve and conserve documents from the first world war era. Particular priority has been given to those documents which will be used the most by …