national websites for the Disabled
1.THE LEONARD CHESHIRE FOUNDATION - is one of the most worthwhile organisations ever set up, and also one of the most widely known. The story of Group Captain Cheshire VC, and how his experiences in WWII influenced his faith, and ideas for the foundation that bears his name, is also one of the most compelling stories of all time. They badly need donated computers -
2.ABILITYNET - is an all-embracing site giving masses of advice on all disabilities, including the British Deaf Association; AbilityNet is a good starting place for information especially to do with computers and disabled access to the Internet, etc, whatever the individual disability.
3.THE ROYAL NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR THE BLIND - deals as you would expect, with advice for and help with coping with sight difficulties. A terrific site, well worth a visit if you have a sight impaired relative or friend.
This is one way we can help,
to say thanks to those who came home,
and Give Thanks for the lives
of those who didn't.
Did you know that you don't have to have been
in the Forces to join the Royal British Legion?
And for Family Historians, here is another potentially very useful link -
indispensable some would say. Go straight to the
COMMONWEALTH WAR GRAVES COMMISSION
We hope it helps -
- it truly is an olympic site and archive of hundreds of thousands of names;
and that includes BOTH World Wars;
ALL 4 services including the Merchant Marine, and Civilians killed in the UK,
and ALL countries of the Empire and Commonwealth.
Even if your relative was lost at sea, he or she will be honoured on this database.
MESOTHELIOMA UK . . or . . MESOTHELIOMASYMPTOMS (USA)
For many that served and were lucky enough to survive, 'luck' is a relative term. Many were injured by their experiences and service, and some of those injuries took many years to manifest themselves. One condition that seems common to all servicemen of all arms is asbestosis, the irreparable damage to lungs caused by exposure to industrial grade asbestos products, used for insulation of boiler pipes and a host of other military uses, once found everywhere in barracks and dockyards, aboard ship or ashore, even on some aircraft. Men and women who served even as late as the 1950s and 60s are still presenting with this condition as an unwanted momento of their time serving their country, so there is still a great deal of suffering. These links are first to the Mesothelioma UK website, helping UK veterans, and secondly to another excellent site predominantly for the USA. Thousands that served in the US forces are in the same sorry condition, with this crippling lung disease caused simply by their service. So for our American veteran visitors to this site, you too have an excellent web page you can go to in the first instance for more information and advice, legal as well as medical. Click the link above to go there, and I think many British viewers who are just starting with these symptoms will also find a great deal of useful information on the American site too.
Sutton War Memorial Roll of Honour
- a list of all the names on all the plaques, from both World Wars. Also included now are the men of St Marks and The Groves, Stoneferry and Wilmington. Most names, if not all, should also be able to be checked out at the CWCG site above.
St Peters at Wawne
also has a page and a Roll of Honour for their three war dead - click on the link on that page.
MILITARY ARCHIVES AND THE TWO WORLD WARS
There's a group of links near the bottom of this page specifically to Military Archives dealing with records from both World Wars. Some sites just list the details of archives that are available if you write or visit, mostly in London, and others are sites where some information is available on line.RESEARCHERS OF FAMILY HISTORY
THE MUSEUM of ENGLISH RURAL LIFE - was founded by the University of Reading in 1951 to reflect and record the changing face of farming and the countryside, and this page is within the university's own website. It houses designated collections of national importance that span the full range of objects, archives, photographs, film and books. Today, it forms part of the University's Museums and Collections Service. One of it's most recent and important displays is that on the "Agricultural Glass Negatives Preservation Project", a year long project to preserve its unique collection of 130,000 glass plate negatives created by the Farmer and Stockbreeder and the Farmers Weekly magazines. The glass negatives contain all aspects of farming life and show just how much farming
has changed during the last century. If your family tree is of 'farming stock', and your census research is full of 'Ag Labs' - then this site will give a flavour of life in rural England. Just one aspect of a fascinating website, and one can only imagine that the museum itself must be well worth a visit.
LONG MARSTON HISTORY
Where? I hear you say. Long Marston is a village just yon side of York, known for the infamous 1644 Civil War Battle of Marston Moor, in the Harrogate district, 7 miles west of York and 6 miles east of Wetherby. The Long Marston Parish History Group have a page within this relatively new village site, which I'm sure will grow and grow. This amongst a growing number of excellent village websites featuring their amazing variety of histories - but all have this in common, as with ours; we all are but one tiny cog in the wider history of England and these islands. We all have our individual stories, and yet together, town or city, village or hamlet, we are a far greater story. There is a typically sad story regarding the battle, typical in that it reflected the divisions within families at that time as to who was on which side. The vicar at Long Marston in 1644 was a Royalist - his brother a Parliamentarian. And the battle was bloody - very bloody.
HISTORY OF HULL
is provided by HULLWEBS, who are the sponsors of our own Sutton website name, and for that we owe them our thanks. This really is a terrific site charting the history of Hull through the centuries. Many, many pages, and links, and specifically, a large section on the two world wars. There is a superb chart showing the locations, times, weights of bombs, hours under alert and casualties, during the Hull Blitz. Should be an award winner, and I'm proud to give it a prominent link here. They also invite YOU to add your story to Hull's story - you and your family are part of it, so why not. Give it a go. The more I learn about this city, the more convinced I am that it has a great story to
tell. Be proud of it. Celebrate it. And don't forget to commemorate and remember those whose lives and experience IS the story and couldn't live to see it told this way.
HEROES OF HULL
Additionally, there is also a more local site, commemorating the War Dead of this area generally, for Hull and the East Riding. It also opens in a new window.
The hosts of the Heroes of Hull page are Hullwebs listed above, who are also the main and only sponsor to this site, in that they kindly host our full URL web address at no charge to us, and have done for the past few years. For this, we thank them.
RAF Sutton on Hull
There is now this excellent Website devoted entirely to RAF Sutton, and the Balloon and Firefighting Squadrons stationed there over the years. It contains photos, station plan and a full history, indeed, the contents of the book by the late Leonard Bacon. With a foreword by Merrill Rhodes, it is as she says, an excellent read, full of humour and pathos as well as history. Having seen this new site for myself, I am in awe at the layout and clarity, and must congratulate the people at HullWebs above, who have hosted Len's pages in such a magnificent way. A fine memorial to both RAF Sutton and Len himself. To say it comes Highly Recommended is only the half of it. Enjoy!
SUTTON LEISURE & SPORTS
The former Reading Rooms, dating from 1877, just along Church Street, about 300m from the Old School. I must recommend you visit this site. Especially for youngsters interested in sports, and even more especially snooker. there's 5 full-sized snooker tables, and 2 for pool. The website is superb, the whole place is now effectively a Community Centre, taking on a new lease of life in the past couple of years, and now can offer conference, youth, sport and training facilities on site. An incredible team of volunteers, these are folks that make things happen.
SUTTON CIVIC SOCIETY also meet within the Reading Rooms, every 3rd Wednesday, bi-monthly.
SUTTON ON HULL STATION
- info on Sutton station, and a very informative site generally on disused railway stations, by Mark Dyson. Gives a good potted history with dates, maps, and links to nearby stations on the same Hull to Hornsea line, and with some nice b&w photos. Intended for Railway Enthusiasts, but also of much interest to family historians if you want to see something of the atmosphere of where your forebears lived and travelled.
SUTTON ON HULL CRICKET CLUB
- founded in 1872 and still going strong. A very comprehensive and informative website, where their motto is "East Hull's Friendliest Cricket Club", their ground is at Netherhall, entrance off Midmere Avenue. There are pages for Senior and Junior cricket, a full history of the club, notable players and records and statistics. All in all, an excellent site.
THE COURTYARD - for Plants, Flowers & Ornaments ... no external web link to this excellent little business yet, but there will be. Small local plant shops need all the help they can get, and this one is a real delight, situated in a little courtyard in College St, just around the corner from the church. A vast amount of floral stock, in such a tiny space. Call Jan Lockyer on 07932 944 437 for details of what's on stock now.
FLASHBACK - issue 187 -- March 2009 - from The Hull Daily Mail - a local paper of nostalgia, with many articles and photos looking back at to Hull of yesteryear. It frequently carries articles dealing with the trawling and transport industries, and many local news photographs of years ago.
THE CIVILIAN WAR DEAD INDEX of Yorkshire, Northumberland & Durham
was started by an ex-Hessle Road man, from his home in Canada, along with a friend who is from the north-east, hence the appearance of those other counties too. There are an amazing number of Hull names on that list, strikingly so. For people NOT from Hull, who ever doubted how bad Hull was hit during WWII, then take a look at this. Additionally, there is also a list where the "Casualties Ordered by Date of Fatal Incident". So you can search and see all those folks killed the same day, in the same raids, or even by street. Just do a page search for your street to see if anyone was killed there. As an example, type "Mulgrave" into the search box. This link is repeated on the Church Links page also. It seemed it appropriate to mention it here also.
There is a published extract of just Hull casualties, the 1200 or so of Hull's War Dead. It is available from the East Riding Family History Society, and the also HDM published the full list as a tribute in their commemorative edition on May 7th.
WAR RECORDS of DAMAGED HULL HOUSES - a fantastic new resource made available at THE HISTORY CENTRE. They're not online, but available in the search rooms at The History Centre itself. They contain records of all the houses totally destroyed, damage to houses and what repairs were carried out, even damage to council-owned property like First Aid Posts and Police Boxes. Their casualty lists not only the dead, but those hospitalised and those with minor injuries attended to at First Aid Posts. It will grow and grow.
HULL CITY COUNCIL PHOTO ARCHIVE - of the 30's, 40's, 50's etc.
THIS LINK IS UNUSABLE AT THE MOMENT. The HULL HISTORY CENTRE tell me that a new site is planned following the breakdown of the original server for these pages last year, and updated information regarding access to their new photo archive pages will be posted on their site as and when it becomes available. In the meantime, the link above is direct to the Hull History Centre, and the info below is of what we were able to see when it worked - and it was good. Extremely good - come back soon.
The link leads directly to the History Centre website, so as to be able to keep an eye on developments for a date for it's return.
THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN HISTORICAL SOCIETY
an updated link - 1940 added to the address. This site used to have a link to a page listing the details of Flight Lieutenant Paterson Clarence Hughes DFC, of 234 Squadron, who came from Cooma in New South Wales in Australia, and is buried in St James' churchyard, Sutton. If you explore the site, you'll also find links to several Hull and East Riding men who served and lost their lives in that battle. There's also more information about this pilot on our War Memorial page.
NORTH-EAST DIARY 1939 -1945 - by the late Roy Ripley & Brian Pears - another stupendous site that also documents much of the heartache that the North-East underwent during those dark years. RAF casualties and crash landings at numerous airfields, ships built on the Tyne, all sorts of incidents, some of which tie in with the civilian casualties in the list above, make this an incredible archive for those interested in the Home Front of WW2 and family historians alike. Many references to Hull and the East Riding area. Enough to keep you busy all evening.
HOME SWEET HOME FRONT - a comprehensive site documenting life on the Home Front during WW2. Contains a good page on the Women's Land Army, telling how a force of 80,000 women by 1944 were working the land, literally, farming, forestry, every aspect of agriculture. Also contains pages on the WVS, Women's Voluntary Service, and Home Guard, LDV.
FORGOTTEN HEROES - a remarkable website detailing the work of those who had to stay behind. Not everyone could go into the forces - age, or health, could be a factor, or even being in an already "reserved occupation", like mining. Some lads would loved to have joined up and had the chance to go overseas, with all its risks, but instead found themselves as Bevin Boys - sent down t'pit. Being over 40, and perhaps not classed as A1 fit didn't mean they couldn't "serve" - there was always firewatching. And many died doing it. Plus Ambulance Drivers, Firefighters and Firewatchers, Observer Corps, and any number of women's organisations. They all deserve our thanks too.
It's a fact that if some young folk were to go into most old folk's homes, residential homes, today, and spoke to the residents about their trades and jobs in that decade of war years, they would find nearly all were ex-servicemen and women, factory girls making parachutes or uniforms or shells or parts for tanks and lorries, miners, firewatchers (some had to do both !), and many more besides. Very few people, by 1943, got away with doing nothing to help the war effort. And those that did were ostracised by their communities and families. It was easier to do one's bit than skive off.
SUTTON TRADE NAMES IN 1892 - is a direct link to the GENUKI page that lists all the tradespeople and farmers living in Sutton in 1892 - in Bulmer's famous Directory. A fascinating list.
FAMILY HISTORY & GENEALOGY, YORKSHIRE, particularly for those researching Yorkshire families, there is a phenomenal amount of information on this Yorkshire page of the GENUKI WEBSITE; (it means GENealogyUK&Ireland). The page specific to Sutton is: SUTTON at GENUKI. There's so much it's just mind-blowing, and this web thing has only just got started! You can use this site also as a springboard back to any UK county you want; just follow the links. Another site to keep you up all night ! Your "Other Half" will not thank me for putting you on to all this.
EAST YORKSHIRE FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY - This new link should work okay now - I did have the old one up that was out of date. They have an extensive archive of Census data, Monumental Inscriptions, and a full programme of events, displays, talks, etc, for 2005. Venues in Beverley at Longcroft School : Bridlington - Bridlington Library ; Hull - The Kingston Theatre Hotel (New Venue) ; Scarborough - Northstead Methodist Church Hall. A thriving society that can give you lots of assistance, and you'll make many new friends too.
A HISTORY OF WAWNE & THE ABBEY OF MEUX - this is primarily the website of a mail-order business in the village, dealing in children's toys and furniture. They have a very full and informative article on the history of the village - well worth a look, and incredibly detailed.
CHURCHES - UK & IRELAND - a lovely site, covering just about all counties as far as I could tell, and on which there's a lovely picture of St Peter's in Wawne. They aim to cover as many churches as they can, but when we remember there are already over 9,000 churches covered on this site, each with a photograph, and an estimated 40,000 or so churches in the whole of the UK, it is a massive task. One area in which Sutton residents may help is to identify the many 'unknown churches' from old photographs and paintings. An intriguing collection, and I know some of you will have the answers - do visit this very worthwhile site.
A YORKSHIRE SURNAMES LIST - a short list of names already being researched, and the email addresses of the researchers. You can email them to add your name - it is worth remembering here that, within the GENUKI webpages above, most counties have someone who co-ordinates a "Surnames List" - some county lists are huge, others not so big. Most invite you to submit the name of the person you are looking for, the town/village, and approximate date, and your email/postal address - eg. Brown - Hessle - 1840's-1900 - user@server.co.uk. It's worth a try if you've searched and searched and drawn stumps.
ANCESTRY IRELAND - the Ulster Historical Foundation, a huge genealogical resource, is a long-established, highly reputable research and publishing agency. It offers extensive knowledge on the sources available for tracing Irish and Scots-Irish ancestors.
PICTURES OF ENGLAND - a superb site of hundreds if not thousands of photos covering all counties and most towns in England. Even if you're familiar with a particular town or area, you'll still see views that will surprise you. And for those of you who would like to visit England but can't, and wonder what your family heritage town or village looked like - enjoy! For Hull, there are many photos by Alan Brigham, who runs HullWebs, the generous sponsor of the Sutton & Hull website domain name address.
VIRTUAL HULL - Tour the City of Hull: In Virtual Reality Photography! Hundreds of 360 degree panoramas, interactive maps and unique views. This 'street by street' Virtual Reality tour of the City of Hull, East Yorkshire, United Kingdom. Includes virtual tours, interactive maps, visits to retail shops, museums, parks and much more. Quite a resource now, includes some outlying areas such as Welton and Hessle, the Humber Bridge, satellite views and even the old North Sea Ferry and Falklands veteran, the M.V. Norland. Stunning site, and getting better.
GEOGRAPH ORG UK - This has grown remarkably in the past couple of years, a site similar to the one above, but run by the Ordnance Survey - a brilliant resource of photos of just about every map grid square in the country! Dozens of photos of all towns - lots of both Hull and East Yorkshire - there's even some of Sutton! There are hundreds and hundreds of modern quality photos of Hull alone, with stupendous collections by names such as Peter Church, Andy Beecroft and David Wright. And that's not to decry the many other contributors that I haven't named. This is the one we've been waiting for - it's still free AND there's no advertising.
THE WAY BACK MACHINE - many old websites can still be accessed via this superb archive of old sites going back several years. Give it a go, just drop the full URL of the site you're looking for and see if they have saved any of the pages. It's amazing how much there is, often with most of the graphics and photos too!
GRAVESTONE PHOTOGRAPH RESOURCE - a fantastic idea, a free resource that is voluntary funded. Run from their home site in Suffolk, the first few dozen graveyards to be indexed are in Norfolk & Suffolk. But the intention is to go Nationwide - dependent upon volunteers with digital cameras and the time and motivation to photograph the headstones in their county's graveyards. Can you help ? It's worth a look. And if you do order a picture, remember the time and petrol you've saved by not having to go yourself, send them a few bob.
OULTWOOD - is a Local Government Web Site Index. And not just for the whole of the UK either. Most of Europe, North America and Australasia seem to be covered - EVERY council and local authority, right down to the council tax rates and council minutes ! The point is, within each council area's own website are lots of other links useful to Family Historians - links to local history projects, family history societies, addresses and phone numbers of Records Offices, and a host more. A very useful first-step resource that should be better known, and saves the likes of us hours of searching in Search Engines. Click your county, then your local authority, and in seconds you're looking at resources and further links that you might not be able to get to without having to take a week's holiday.
The Deep, Hull - click for full size.
( photo credit : Joan E Stevens of Leicester )
for more Sutton links ;
suggest some, Scouts, Guides, perhaps,
local societies, clubs, etc.
In the meantime, here's a mixed bag of a few more local links in and around Hull, that may be of interest to a few of you.
Here's a superb site on the
NORTH YORKSHIRE MOORS - run by a hill walker who takes his digital camera everywhere. Dozens and dozens of superb photos - no bull. Recommended. Ex-pats will be booking a flight home after seeing these. Quantas, where's my commission !?
VIRTUAL TOURIST - is a portal for private people to upload their own photos of places around Britain for all to see. One member, who works in Hull and calling himself "Britannia2" - shows good quality photographs of Hull and towns in and around the wider Yorkshire area, as well as the East Riding. He has a specially good section on Scarborough.
THE PORTHOLE - a super 'portal' - forgive the pun - to a whole host of Hull websites, with many useful links to businesses, and local groups and clubs of every kind. Worth a visit if you are just getting started on the web, and want to see what's already on offer in the Hull and East Riding area. This Sutton page has been registered, but when it will appear in "The Porthole", we don't know.
GARDEN VILLAGE, HULL - links to a full history, with many old images and modern photos of the legendary Reckitt's Garden Village in East Hull. Shelagh and Walter's site tells the whole story from the original concept of a village for his workers by Sir James Reckitt, through to the post-war years of the Bradford Trust and modern times. A superb site, with more history than you could ever have thought existed.
THE GARDEN VILLAGE SOCIETY
on a beautifully designed website by the pupils at Malet Lambert School for the village's centenary in 2008. Well worth a look, more history and photos on the village and the Reckitt family, all fascinating information, along with up-to-date info on current events, etc. Additionally, the former Police Boys Club is now 'The Clubhouse Community Centre', a Grade II listed building, and hosts several clubs who meet or have activities within, including a choir and historical society. The former boxing ring has given way to several table tennis tables, but many of the former activities are still there, eg martial arts, etc. The clubhouse really has been transformed and is well worth considering as a small venue for meetings, family receptions, etc. For more details re the Clubhouse and activities within, call Rachel Abram on 01482 708104.
BR@NSHOLME ONLINE - is also a new page of local information and interest for Europe's largest housing estate. With several pages of info, this rich array of community groups and events informs residents of what is happening on their estate. Note that the old link of - www.bransholmeonline.co.uk/ - no longer works.
BROOKLANDS PHOTOGRAPHIC CLUB - (formerly Reckitt's) - have their meetings on Wednesday evenings at 7-30pm in the Methodist Church Hall in Sutton. Founded in April 2005, current membership totals about 22. New Members most welcome. A few preliminary photos of local Hull & East Riding scenes now in their Galleries 1&3.
DOVE HOUSE HOSPICE - a truly wonderful place. They're always on the lookout for good volunteers - drivers, admin staff, flower arrangers. Yes, even flower arrangers. Whenever I've been in, the place is always full of flowers. Someone has to arrange them all. Visit their site and see what's what.
HULL ROYAL INFIRMARY - aka HRI - AND - CASTLE HILL HOSPITAL - a couple of First Class links to our famous hospitals - the HRI link also links in to Sutton's own adopted hospital, the Princess Royal just along Salthouse Road. So many local people have either been deeply involved in raising monies for various appeals over the years, or had their very lives saved and made worth living, that any page worth its salt has to praise its local medics and nurses. Not to be missed.
HULL'S HOSPITALS - a potted history. This growing site is a 'work in progress' and includes a brief history of Hedon Road Maternity Hospital, as well as de la Pole Hospital and the Victoria Children's Hospital. The site owners are asking if anyone can help them with more dates, historical information and photos on all of Hull's hospitals, but particularly with Princess Royal, formerly known to generations of Sutton residents as the Sutton Annexe.
THE INSTITUTE of ADVANCED MOTORISTS to gain A SKILL FOR LIFE - So you think you know all about driving? It's no accident that I've posted this link here, straight after the one to the Royal Infirmary. Being an Advanced Motorist is about staying alive - arriving safely - increasing your awareness and doing everything in your power to keep your family safe, and staying away from A&E and the Infirmary. But of course, you know this. But what about your offspring, and grandchildren. What's their driving like? Do they worry you? Maybe one or two of you may be curious enough to explore this link and take the first steps to perhaps save a life - starting with your own
younger family members, perhaps even your own life. Passing the qualification also lowers their insurance, gets cheaper breakdown cover and other benefits. If this is something you've already been thinking about, there's never been a better time -
HULL TRAWLER.NET
QUAYSIDES - a photo gallery of a lot more ships, most with local Humber connections or interest. Links to ABP, daily sailings and sighting reports of vessels seen on the Humber, etc.
RAF HOLMPTON - the top-secret underground Cold War Bunker, open to the public from 17 Feb 2007, with guided tours. A fascinating look at a hitherto unsuspected fact of life on the East Yorkshire coast just south of Withernsea. It houses the only surviving Radar Projection Table in the UK. This is one of the Command Centres that would have run the British nuclear reaction had the 'four-minute warning' been sounded. A very Informative website.
EVERYTHING FIRE FIGHTERS - from 911 Fire Fighters to World Trade Center Firemen. Countless links here celebrating the skills and bravery of Firefighters the world over. This link appears here due to their interest in RAF Sutton as a pioneer of military aviation firefighting. We're proud to show them here.
THE HUMBER BRIDGE - fascinating facts and figures, some photos; a well designed and interesting site by Mr Richardson; history of the Humber Crossing, ferries, and the building of the bridge, it's all here.
HUMBER CARS - is a case in point of a local authority either not knowing some of their own history, or else choosing to ignore it. You'd think Hull City Council would want to make more of this, but there we are. It's not generally known in Hull, but the founder of HUMBER CARS actually lived in the town for a time, back in Queen Victoria's time. Thomas Humber was born in Sheffield, but when his family moved to Hull for business reasons, Thomas attended a school in Salthouse Lane near the present Drypool Bridge for about 5 years. Thomas later started his cycle manufacturing business and moved to Nottingham, where he sold the business and site to Raleigh. Then he moved to Coventry, and that's where the manufacture of Humber Cars really began. So this link takes you to what should be held up as one of Hull's gems, the largest working collection of these superb cars anywhere in the world. So where is it - ? Yes, it's in Hull, just down Stoneferry. At least 19 fully working Humbers, from several examples of the Pullman, down through the Snipe series to the Imperial. Remember the days of bench seats in real leather, column change and semaphore arms, doors that opened forward and a rear cabin that you could walk into and turn round. Visit this site, then drop by Reg and Alan Marshall's collection, and spend a memorable couple of hours. If you are getting married, these are the ONLY cars to be seen climbing out of ! And just for once, we have something the south does NOT have, for Londoners have to make do with mere Rollers and Bentleys - but I assure you, these Humbers are in a class of their own. That's why, up to the 1950's, they were the favoured marque of car of the Royal Family. This collection can show three examples owned by royals, including the Queen Mother and late King, and his erstwhile brother when he was Prince of Wales.
OLD CLASSIC CARS - Driven by Classics - quoted from their Home Page : "Vintage, Classic & Antique Cars - Are YOU an enthusiast or owner of a Classic Car ? If so, I hope you enjoy perusing this web site aimed at motorcar fans everywhere! The aim of oldclassiccar.co.uk is to explain in some detail the pros and cons of running a vintage or classic car on a regular basis. What do I look for when buying? How do I spot the hidden rot? Who does drive old cars now and why? Why should I consider a classic car? When is it best for me to buy or sell a classic motor?"
OVERDRIVE AUTO SERVICES - folks come from all over to get their car serviced at Overdrive. I've known Paul, the proprietor, for some 30 years, and it doesn't surprise me considering the first-class service he gives. Car electronics are so complicated these days, some with up to a dozen on-board computers to regulate everything from the engine and brakes to the air-conditioning and locking systems. And all have to function together in harmony with each other. That's where Paul's knowledge as a specialist, with qualifications in engine diagnostics management, is so valuable. His garage is just up Dalton Street, in the yard on the left before the Council Depot, and there's a full map and directions on the page when you click this link.
SPURN POINT: A cyclic coastal landform - another fascinating site; it explains how Spurn was formed, is changing, and may not be there much longer ! See why your grandchildren may not be able to enjoy the Spurn you knew. There's links to RSPB, nature watching, etc. Lovely.
The "RMS QUEEN MARY" - never mind the new Queen Mary 2 - that's just an overblown ferry, no style and all publicity. Does anyone have any interest in the OLD Cunarder, former Blue Riband holder and three-funnelled Queen of the Atlantic in her own right ?
HULL DAILY MAIL - the website of this ever-popular regional evening paper. Loads of links to everything of local interest. Even a daily record of all 'Family Announcements', births, marriages and deaths, etc. There's no archive though, so you have to catch the announcements on the actual day of publication in the HDM.
LITTLE WEIGHTON GARDENING CLUB - The Hull Daily Mail site above also host the ubiquitous Beehive, on which for example, are dozens and dozens of local Hull & East Yorkshire clubs and societies. We include this one as a good example of what can be found in Beehives.
STAGECOACH (Hull) CAMERA CLUB - an excellent Camera & Photographic club, with this first-rate site. It's site is maintained by Keith Bilton, who posts up monthly competition entries and winners. There are often local views of Hull and the East Riding to be seen here not found elsewhere. A high standard of photography here, and well worth a visit.
Hull FC - no introduction needed for the Official Hull FC site, one of two homes in Hull for Rugby League. The home of Old Faithful -
Hull City AFC - the official site for Hull's premier soccer club, the new stadium, memories of Boothferry Park, et al. Lots of football information.
HULL FAIR - pages dedicated to all you wanted to know about Europe's largest travelling fair.
HULL KINGSTON ROVERS official site - aka The Robins - the second of two homes in Hull to Rugby League, depending on which side of the river you're on. For those in East Hull, this IS the premier site. All the same, for political correctness gone mad on THIS site, best kept apart. And long may the rivalry, friendliness and good-humoured banter continue.
THE CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU - now have an excellent Website and should be consulted on all manner of legal questions in the first instance. Before you lay out expensive charges for a solicitor, check this site out. You may well get your questions answered here - or at least pointed in the right direction.
DISCOVER FINZI - is a link to the English composer, Gerald Finzi, born in 1901. A much under-rated Englishman, who sadly died at a tragically early age, just 50 years ago in 1956. If you like Vaughan Williams, Butterworth, etc, you'll like this man's music. The midi-music sequence to be found on this website is Finzi's "Eclogue", all that remains of a piano concerto. This lovely piece would have been the slow movement. Or try his "Cello Concerto" for 40 minutes of sheer delight - or his "Dies Natalis" (Day of Birth), a baby's-eye view of the new world he's born into, in settings of poems by Thomas Traherne. Unbelievably lovely! English to the core! He was taken from us far too early. Another worthy Finzi site, THE GERALD FINZI TRUST, is run by Hyperion Records, and for a long while, this was the only site with a decent amount of information, record lists, etc. We have them to thank for holding the fort.
THE INTERNET BANDSMAN'S EVERYTHING WITHIN - or the IBEW - is a wonderful bandsman's resource, bands worldwide, competitions, history of hundreds of brass bands, let alone a photographic archive to die for. The Internet Bandsman's Everything Within is as comprehensive a set of brass band links and related information as it could possibly be. I'm astounded what's in there - if I can find an old 1930's photo of a band my grandad was in, in a small Leicestershire mining village, you can find 'owt ! Brilliant! It's been around since 1996, when it started out as a website for the Harrogate band. Now it's all things to all bandsmen!
MORRIS DANCING - is enjoying something of a renaissance in England right now, and rightly so. These are the real roots of our folk and dance culture. See this site for information on how to learn - or simply where to watch. Some like to go for the beer - others enjoy the dancing! This page lists links to many clubs around Britain and the world.
Fuchsias - a most excellent site from the Swedish Fuchsia Society - run by Kenneth Nillson, this site is beyond belief! Five Gold Stars! All you ever wanted to know, and more, and the most fantastic photo library of varieties you could want. Be warned, if you have a leaning to fuchsias, this site is addictive - we go back again and again. And such links - ! But more than that, there's also links to many other flower and gardening sites - Irises, Begonias, Rose societies, etc. Brilliant!
World Directory of Towns and Cities - lists over 2 million places - gives Lat and Long, height above sea level, with further links to weather forecasts, and a mass of other information.
OLD MAPS, dating back to 1846-1950s - brings up a Counties Gazetteer; select your county, then select your village or town for more incredible history. A much bigger range of maps than formerly, most decades until after WW2. All can be brought up full screen if you explore it deeply enough. The button for this is almost hidden, but it's there. A fantastic resource for the family historian. Some maps are 1:2500 in scale, showing even tramlines and avenues of trees! Works of art.
Hull Blitz - maps plotting the fall of bombs - this links to a new window and a set of 16 scans of a large streetmap of Hull, dated 1945, onto which has been entered details of all falls of bombs for the period 1940-44. Each section loads separately in a new window, and was roughly A4 in size.
Modern aerial views of Hull - a selection of about a dozen views from around 2,000 feet. Most of the city can be seen on the various shots. Also many views of both East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire, and the general Humberside area - and I use that name in the geographical context as it used to be before the name was defiled in the 1974 so-called reforms. Just as we would still talk about Thameside, or Severnside - and nothing to do with politics.
Just a suggestion, before you start - have a look at this list of
Western Front Association - was formed with the aim of furthering interest in the period 1914-1918, to perpetuate the memory, courage and comradeship of all those who served their countries in France and Flanders and their own countries during The Great War. It does not seek to justify or glorify war. It is not a re-enactment society, nor is it commercially motivated. It is entirely non-political. The object of The Association is to educate the public in the history of The Great War with particular reference to the Western Front. Applications for membership are welcomed from anyone with a like mind.
World War I - Trenches on the Web - a complete directory of maps of the main areas of operation in Europe, 1914-1918.
World War II - Maps on the Web - more detailed maps, of World War II, many theatres of war, Europe, Far East, etc - eg. Places in Britain within range of German fighters.
Army Roll of Honour at The National Archives - can be used to find a war grave or burial site. Use in conjunction with the Commonwealth War Graves site below.
Commonwealth War Graves Commission - the first place to look if you have name, service, which war, and knowing a rank will help enormously with the most common names. Includes the Merchant Navy.
The Royal British Legion - the quintessential ex-serviceman's organisation, famous for organising the annual Festival of Remembrance in the Royal Albert Hall, as well as the annual Poppy Day collections nationwide.
MOD Records and Contacts - for all service records, an overall site linking to records offices for all three armed services, and also information on how to apply for copies of medals and decorations awarded, etc.
World War 1 Medal Rolls. Over half of the army's records for men who served in WW1 were destroyed by enemy action when bombs fell on Whitehall in WW2. Years later, someone cleverly realised that if a man or woman served abroad in the First War, then they were almost certainly awarded a campaign medal. And those records survived the bombing. This is a database of those Medal Rolls, all 5.5 million men and women, including those who died, all on one site. It came on line in Jan 04, and should now be complete. To send for an image of one particular record, the cost is GBP3.50, payable by credit card online. A wonderful resource, found at the National Archives, ie, Kew Records Centre in London.
The Long, Long Trail - a massive site giving many Regimental, Corps and Battalion locations, specifically for the 1914-1918 War. Invaluable if you know the unit your forefather was in, but don't know where he went. Gives some very useful starting clues. For instance, if you know your man was in the East Yorkshires, and there was family talk of Salonika and fighting the Turks, then you have a lead on his being in either the 2nd or 6th Battalions - both of which served in the disastrous Dardanelles campaign.
The Veterans' Agency - an MOD site with lots more links and information.
The National Army Museum - in Royal Hospital Road, London.
RAF Museum, HENDON - for more links to archives and RAF history.
RAF Records Office - for links for addresses for service records of all personnel.
WAAFS - to the Women's Auxiliary Air Force Association, the women's section of the Royal Air Force.
WRACS - to the Women's Royal Army Corps Association, includes and incorporates the ATS, or Auxiliary Transport Services, who were the women pilots that delivered warplanes direct from the factories to the squadrons.
AUXILLIARY TERRITORIAL SERVICE - a different ATS, those thousands of unsung women of all ages who did their bit towards the ultimate victory by doing what had previously been men's jobs in the forces, jobs that relieved more men of the armed forces to take the war to the enemy. Women that were drivers, clerks, cooks and orderlies, gunners and armourers, searchlight operators, wireless operators and telephonists, and not forgetting that legion of storewomen feared by rookie soldiers everywhere. We couldn't have won it without them. This is a tremendous site, and comes recommended by your Webmaster.
LAND ARMY & TIMBER CORPS - another massive group of unsung women, even more thousands, that worked the land and set free farmers and farm labourers free to join the armed forces. Another major organisation of womenfolk that made such a huge contribution, we couldn't have won it without them either. Between the ATS and the Land Army, this nation owes a huge debt of gratitude, and it's been far too long in the coming. Another recommended site for Grandmas everywhere. Grandkids should be saying, 'what did YOU do in the war, Grandma?". Some of their stories will astonish you.
National Maritime Museum - in Greenwich holds records for casualty lists of merchant shipping losses. This goes to the Collections page, because the Home Page didn't seem to be working when I tried it, showing an error (29/01/05).
WRNS - the Women's Royal Naval Service Benevolent Trust - the women's section of the Royal Navy. Now disbanded as a separate service, as with the WRACS and WAAFS above, the WRNS likewise performed sterling service supporting the administrative side of the navy, in bases all over the world. As well as basic office duties, they were also invaluable in manning war rooms, signals and transport sections, supporting the work of fighting ships in every imaginable way.
NAVAL HISTORY NET. a truly incredible and valuable resource, and growing. Devised and provided by Gordon Smith as a tribute to his father, killed at sea in WW2, and also his grandfather, who served in both world wars. It lists EVERY naval casualty of the RN and Dominion Navies - including Royal Marines - who were killed or died, by enemy action or by accident, whilst in service at sea, or on a shore station, including between the wars. For instance, it is incredible how many men, and women, we lost just to road accidents in foreign ports. Also lists all our warships, where they served, what happened to them, in fact, just about all you want to know about our Royal Navy history. It's sobering to see lists of dead, day by day as we go through the months of war, and see listed the whole ship's company of sometimes hundreds of men, often designated as MPK - missing presumed killed - but the exact fate of that ship is still unknown, just that she was sunk or bombed and was lost without trace with all hands - very, very moving.
ROYAL NAVAL MUSEUM - at HM Naval Base, Portsmouth, includes links to history and records for Royal Marines. And see next entry below.
ROYAL MARINES MUSEUM - at Eastney Barracks, Southsea. Includes links to RM Commandos, and how to train to be a Royal Marine Commando. One of Britain's oldest regiments, though technically now a Corps, it was known as the Admiral's Regiment, and first formed in 1664. The nation's 'Sea Soldiers', with detachments on most large warships as well as the commando HQs ashore, Royal Marines have long been regarded as Britain's sheet anchor. They undertake everything from small landing and boarding parties to full-scale invasions, a Commando being roughly the equivalent of an army battalion, around 800 men. Amphibious warfare is their speciality. They'll soon be proudly marking their 350th anniversary, and has a world-famous band service renowned for it's display of the naval ceremonies of Beating Retreat and Sunset.
ROYAL NAVAL PATROL SERVICE ASSOCIATION - shown here because so many men from Hull and the Humber ports volunteered, often as whole crews together in much the same fashion as the Pals Battalions in the army of the Great War, that I thought it proper to have a direct link. There's a picture of the RNPS Memorial at Lowestoft, as well as their museum and HQ in what was HMS Europa in Sparrow's Nest Gardens in Lowestoft. The memorial overlooks both the gardens and the sea. This is for all those who served in "Harry Tate's Navy" - brave men, and hitherto their contribution, no less vital than say the pilots of the Battle of Britain, has so often been unrecognised. Minesweeping, anti-submarine patrols, air-sea rescue, and a lot of 'dangerous and dirty' jobs no one else would willingly undertake, all fell to the men of this unique if unglamorous outfit. Taking on a submarine in only a fishing trawler armed with a 12-pdr gun, doing both Atlantic and Arctic Convoy escort duty, landing Special Forces and reconnaissance units on enemy shores, were all no mean feats. There casualty rate was horrendous, on a par to the Merchant Navy and Bomber Command. And for those that survived, when the war was over, it was simply back to the fishing and earning a living in one of the most dangerous occupations on this earth - or sea. We're proud to honour them here.
FLEET AIR ARM MUSEUM - at RNAS Yeovilton, Somerset, will change your perception of aircraft Museums. The Museum has the largest collection of Naval aircraft anywhere in Europe, together with the first British built Concorde which you can go aboard and visit the cockpit. Find out more by exploring this Web Site and then see us for yourself.
MARITIME HISTORY RESOURCES - is a wonderful Maritime History Resource site based in the USA, for Passenger Lists of emigration ships from the UK and Ireland, and other general genealogical resources, plus lists of maritime museums specific to the US. There's a ship search for the US Coast Guard, and many other interesting links. This is also a charity web site where Americans were first able to donate unwanted boats and even yachts; this expanded to include cars, motorbikes and trailers. These are all collected promptly for free. Perhaps we'll see such charitable collections here in the UK before long.
EDEN CAMP - finally, if you didn't live through these wars, but want to know much more about them, the privations and hardships your family had to bear, experience a little of the atmosphere of the times, then you should visit this excellent museum. I use the word "experience" advisedly - you will not feel the real fear and cold and pain, but you may come to understand a little, just a little.
Remember this if you go - as you pay your money to go in, you know you will be coming out. Also, you have the benefit of 70 years of history that tells us that, not only did Britain and the free world win, but that we were right to do what we did. Your forebears neither knew for certain we were going to win, until roughly 1943-44, and for much of the war, most didn't really know what was going on elsewhere. To put it simply, folks in Coventry and London, suffering as they did, had no idea that Hull was having it just as bad - because no-one told them, except by heresay, and that was just rumour when all said and done. Men falling on the field of battle at El Alamein were not to know that this was to be a turning point, that history would deem their actions, even in death, helped to turn a perilous corner. Few held the full story. We know all this now. And when the full story came to be told, few realised how much of a close call we'd all had - we very nearly didn't win. As the victor or Waterloo famously said, "it was a damned close thing." And that's an understatement.
For those of you that did experience all this, and served, and though frightened to death, still went back off leave for another dose of what you knew was coming, still went out at night firewatching, still went to work daily not knowing if your work was still there, still ushered your family and children down the shelters almost nightly, I salute you - ! And so should everyone else. Most of us will never know, let alone repay, the debt that we owe you.
All these above sites will contain many, many links to lead you further on into your research. Also remember that there are hundreds if not thousands of websites posted by individuals, service veterans, their families, that document particular regiments, squadrons, or ships. Use GOOGLE and enter basic details : for instance, enter SQUADRON 160 RAF CEYLON - and see what pops up. You'll find some instances of where ex-aircrew have posted up actual reports of Air Accident Investigations for losses of individual aircraft. There's information now on the web for all to see that was not given or available to the relatives of lost servicemen at the time of their deaths.
Similarly, search for ships by name, especially the more famous ones - type "HMS HOOD" and use the inverted commas to force a search for the whole name. Many names are thoroughly ambiguous, such as the county class cruisers like the SUFFOLK and DORSETSHIRE - you need to box a bit clever with these, and add the name of the theatre of war, or action, or enemy ship they were engaged with. Type SUFFOLK BISMARCK and see what pops up. There are 57,000 references, the vast majority pointing to the ships themselves, though some will coincidentally be referring to the county of Suffolk and some gentry that was related to Count von Bismarck himself. Also with ships, after loading the links, another worthwhile search is for an IMAGE SEARCH. I did it and the first four pictures are of the Royal Navy cruiser SUFFOLK herself, and the fifth was pic of her Swordfish aircraft taken from the film, SINK THE BISMARCK, starring Kenneth More. The ways of searching are endless.
Type 4TH BTN NORTHANTS - and 42 links pop up that contain references to that particular unit in that county regiment, some of which will link to the regimental museum itself. If you have the name of a particular action or battle, type it in - eg SOMME NORTHAMPTONSHIRE, and also use NORTHANTS, as when a battalion is referred to, the colloquial terminology is often used to shorten the county name - for instance, a man would have said he was in - "the 4th Northants, the 1st Leicesters, or the 8th Warwicks."
Ever heard of Jan Baalsrud ? Those few of you who have read the 1955 book "We Die Alone" will know who I mean. He was a Norwegian Resistance Fighter during WW II. He had one of the most amazing experiences and escapes ever told, and his sheer strength and endurance is an epic tale in itself, let alone naked courage. What would you make of a man who amputated his own toes? Well, 9 - all bar one of them. If you want to know more, go to the Google.com search engine, and type in "Jan Baalsrud", just like that, in inverted commas. Up will pop plenty of links. What a story - get the book; it was re-published in the early 1990's. I spent several years not quite believing it, and only found it was true on the Internet, when I saw a photo of Jan with King Haakon. There's more to this story than I'm telling - I'm not giving the end away - see for yourself. The best read you'll ever have. A real hero, in anyone's book! Young ladies should note that REAL men used to be built like this years ago.
this is the East Yorkshire branch - give them a ring and make a start. Oh, and yes, they do motorcycling courses and qualifications too. Priceless.
All you could ever wish to know; at last a fine and worthy website to Hull's lost trawler industry. There have been others in the past, but sadly were not able to keep going. We wish this one the very best of luck and hope this site address is here for good. There is a page to the ARCTIC CORSAIR, it's just that this link takes you to the Home Page, and from there a myriad of information on many decades of history and countless numbers of ships. If you want to go quickly just to the ARCTIC CORSAIR, click HERE. Enjoy! You'll be there quite a while.
Lots of motoring nostalgia here, including the old British road signs, old maps, etc. Takes you back years and years !
If so, there is an excellent QM Website and Discussion Group available;
new members welcome. It's had 103,000 visitors so far ; See what is being done to restore the Queen Mary to her former glory, of how she might be brought back to more closely resemble her original splendour for business, educational and cultural use in Long Beach. Considering the ill-conceived conversion, this is a major challenge.
I'll say! This site will keep you occupied for a few minutes.
PBase - PHOTOS OF OLD HULL - another photo archive of old Hull and environs. They're coming thick and fast now - other photos in this database are more modern, around East Yorkshire and York, but sadly, this link is not a direct one. But experienced Webbers will get in by following this routine; Click the link above to go to the site, where there are several photo galleries, then click on a 'Password Protected' logo, Family2. It's well down the page, and enter, or copy & paste this password - sw1980r - to access it. Give it a few seconds, and up will pop something like 240 thumbnails. There have been copyright issues, hence the convoluted way to access them, but this section of the site is what can only be described as a superlative postcard collection. Trust me, it's worth the trouble to access it. Who recalls the old clock in the round window above the shop on the corner of Paragon Square? If you knew Hull well, allow yourself a good half hour.
EYMS vehicle site - after the demise of Fotopic, this is the best link to EYMS I can give. Apart from the interest in the old buses themselves, the streetscenes in many of these photos are superb. Shops and businesses long since passed into history, the fashions and attire of folks in the photos, the destinations on the buses, even the route numbers - all nostalgia for the right generation.
KHCT vehicles - from the same Flikrhinvemind site and source as the EYMS pages above - similarly, lots of street scenes, shop fronts, roads and city centre scenes now altered beyond belief, plus memories of the old Coach Station of late memory, as it was called in it's heyday when that EYMS coach depicted above used to leave daily for Newcastle and Tyneside -
NEW HULL BLITZ MAP - is a new INTERACTIVE HULL BOMBMAP for 2011
Yes, indeed, a better one, and interactive at that, and heartily recommended. Especially now, as we remember and commemorate the horrific events they chart of 70 years ago.
MORE MILITARY LINKS
"QUESTIONS FOR OLD SOLDIERS".
It opens in a separate window, and you can print the questions leaving space for the answers you may get. If you can get answers to most of these, you'll be off to a magnificent start, as well as knowing your grandparent like never before.
All these following links also open in a new browser window, leaving this Sutton page still open behind. Use ALT + Tab to alternate between them if you wish, or the Tab facility in Firefox.
(this above was taken from their intro on their Home Page - a most worthwhile site indeed).
LIVE AND LET LIVE - Before we leave links specific to the First War, I must recommend here a paperback book - a fascinating read and one that perhaps gives the best insight into the mindset of the ordinary British Tommies in that long-drawn-out conflict. "Trench Warfare 1914-1918: The Live and Let Live System" by Tony Ashworth and published in 1980. (ISBN 0330480685). It explains the root causes of the 1914 Christmas Truce, and how attitudes to the idea of giving the enemy 'constant attrition' varied from division to division, even battalion to battalion within the same regiments. It tells how there really were 'quiet sectors' of the front, and how unofficial dialogue between British and German soldiers within earshot of each other helped to keep a sector quiet for a while, and how the top brass on both sides strove to stamp the practice out with severe punishments for those caught collaborating with the enemy.
More than a few Tommies did not shoot to kill, they often deliberately intended to miss, aiming just close enough to make the enemy keep their heads down. And Germans did it to us, reciprocating the gesture. At times it was almost ritualistic, they'd fire a shell, we'd fire one back, but not actually aimed directly at the other, but just for show to keep their respective officers' happy. It's almost unbelievable now, but on the odd occasion when a shell designed to miss did kill, they often shouted apologies to each other in order to stop it escalating into a full firefight. They saw no point in wanton killing if no territorial advantage could be immediately gained. Why rile the enemy and take his trenches when you knew there were no reinforcements to follow it up. It was just asking for trouble.
And then of course, in other sectors, all hell would let loose, and for long periods of time. This is not a comment on our soldiers' bravery; far from it. But most men could only keep up constant attrition for so long, and after a time, even the most battle-hardened sickened of it. It became an unofficial way for soldiers to keep a tiny measure of control over their own lives in a way they couldn't when involved in the bigger and more famous battles. At the very least, it enabled tired men to get a few nights sleep and have their breakfast in relative peace - for the enemy just a few yards away was doing exactly the same.
We can only speculate whether a decisive conclusion to the war one way or the other could have been brought about much quicker had all the men on both sides been equally as keen to kill ALL THE TIME - or perhaps whether the final casualty list could have been even worse for no appreciable gain in time or effect. I certainly sympathise with the men on both sides who needed a break from the constant killing - and yet also can well understand Douglas Haig's attitude that such practices would not win the war and constant attrition was the only answer. You know, I can't make my mind up.
The amount of information already out there is nothing short of incredible, and this is early days in the history of the web. It's only really been growing apace for this past 10 years. Don't be put off by quantity, you'll soon learn to fly through the flotsam and jetsam of the internet and spot the information you're looking for.
Well, that's almost enough to be going on with.
There's enough here to keep most of you up for an hour or two.
But here's one site that will intrigue young and old alike - ever fancied writing your own memories down of days of yore, from before the War or after into the 60s and 70s even ? Now you can, and leave your memories for posterity. Before you decide, or whilst you're thinking about it, have a look at this :
YOUR MEMORIES - select your county, then town or village if listed. If not, add your own. It's all very well done, and deserves more recognition. See what there is already for Hull. Add something for Sutton and be the first -
Clicking the "More Detailed Weather" line at the bottom of the box below
will open a full report, with a map, in a new window.
LIVE SHIPPING!
Anyone around these parts have any interest in ships ...
See what's in Hull. Where it came from.
See what's in Valetta's Grand Harbour, or Hong Kong. Even Goole.
Click the map, use the wheel to zoom in or out, drag to move around the world.
Click a ship, and see a photo of it. There's amazing detail within.
[ed: try as I might, I can't get this to zoom in on loading and centre on the Humber,
so just drag this map so you centre over the North Sea and go from there.]
see the
THE FULL MARINE TRAFFIC SITE in a new page
Should it happen that there was NOTHING here to interest you, nothing at all, not even for your kids, not even a link to something to even vaguely to interest you - then there's no hope.
* * * * * *