Just recently I and a friend were offered the brilliant opportunity to work at the Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre for two days a week in August. Initially hoping to gain just some kind of work experience during the holidays, we expected very little, so to be able to access the archives and undertake research at one of the country’s best resources for history has been a great privilege.

Mere's celebrations for Queen Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee

            What immediately has impressed us upon entry to the centre was the sheer enthusiasm of the staff, in particular Terry Bracher, who immediately set us out on a project. Due to the Diamond Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth in 10 months, we were tasked with gathering as much information as possible about festivities that occurred in Wiltshire on the day of Queen Victoria’s same celebration a mere 115 years prior. This provided us with a fascinating insight into the life of a historian, as we were trawling through countless school log books, to occasionally find a golden nugget of information. For instance, we discovered that Church of England Schools seemed to value this day far more, with far more detailed accounts, possibly showing that even then the monarchy was not as widely received by the mass public.               

After initially utilising some of the 8 mile long archives for our research, we then moved on to the microfilm, giving us an example of how much media has changed over the last century. Still accessing information on the activities of June 20^th 1897, we used the newspapers to extract more detailed accounts of events such as the processions and street gatherings, in and around Wiltshire. For example, the Swindon Advertiser gave a terrific description of what the celebrations in London as well as Swindon, while another paper interviewed an Indian serviceman who was ‘mesmerised’ by the wonderful sense of occasion nationwide. Accessing terrifically vivid photos as well, we have been able to truly learn about a fascinating time in Britain’s history.

Mere's celebrations for Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee

            We are also using this 7 day work experience to pursue some of our own historical interests. For instance, over the course of our final two days here we will be analysing some of the World War 1 diaries kept in the strong rooms, a period which has formed certainly my passion for history.       
                                                                          
            We are certainly going to take a huge amount from this time volunteering, in terms of knowledge but also experience, opening our eyes to the world of a researcher. This centre is an invaluable resource, and has certainly confirmed to me that history will always have a place in the modern world, helping make us who we are today.

By Ed Stevenette

First World War casualties studies at the History Centre

For many years the History Centre has run a scheme allowing local students access to its extensive archives in preparation for school trips to the First World War battlefield sites of France and Belgium. As a student at the Commonweal School, Swindon, I was offered a place on such a trip last year. As part of our preparation for the visit to many of the most historic sites of the Great War, we were each given the name of a local soldier who lost their lives in the line of duty, and sent away to research the lives of our men, before and during the war. We were then taken on a trip to the History Centre prior to our visit, in order to search for any information about our soldiers, and learn about the many facilities available at the Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre.

Following a detailed tour of the Centre, including the state of the art Strong rooms used to store many of the Centre’s materials, we set to work researching the lives of our respective soldiers. After much searching, and a lot of help from the team at the Centre, I managed to locate a census entry and school logs for the Family of my Tommy. This allowed me to piece together how this man lived in the late 19^th and early 20^th century, before the war struck. However following even more research through many of the Centre’s newspaper records and military archives I learned that this particular soldier had served as an Engineer in the military and also discovered the date and location of his death. Finally, thanks to the detailed and extensive records at the centre I was even able to pinpoint the exact cemetery where my soldier was buried, as well as the battle in which he was killed.

The Wilthire Regiment after the capture of Thiepval, September 1916
Ref: P1925

Armed with unprecedented insight into this soldier’s life, I could truly appreciate the tragedy that these men faced during the First World War, which made my visit to the European battlefield sites even more meaningful. Through our research, we had all become attached to our soldiers, and wished to pay our respects. Therefore, to conclude the trip I paid a visit to my soldier’s grave, a testimony to the great sacrifice made by these men, tucked away in a far corner of Belgium.

I was only able to find the cemetery, thanks to the partnership made between my school and the History Centre, and the helpful team at the Centre helped me find all the information recorded on my soldier in the endless amount of material available. This scheme granted us the ability to see into the lives of our predecessors, living over a century ago, who fought and ultimately gave their lives for Britain during the First World War.

 by Rhys Clyne

To find out more about Wiltshire's royal connections, why not visit us on the 1st October, 10am-4pm for our 'Royal' Open Day? Entry is free and you can view royal documents, investigate historic royal sites, take a 'behind the scene' tour, listen to courtly music and watch the knights of Clarendon Palace battle the champions of the imprisoned French King. There's also lots for the children to do too...

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A Day in the Life of an Archivist

Just One Among the Fallen