THE PARTITION OF INDIA - A FAMILY EXPERIENCE

 By Christine Holt

The speaker's grandfather was a British soldier in India, who met and married her Anglo Indian grandmother. The talk covers their dramatic flight from Kabul to Bombay in 1947, at the time of the Partition of India and Pakistan.

THE PARTITION OF INDIA - A FAMILY EXPERIENCE

 By Christine Holt

The speaker's grandfather was a British soldier in India, who met and married her Anglo Indian grandmother. The talk covers their dramatic flight from Kabul to Bombay in 1947, at the time of the Partition of India and Pakistan.

Short AGM, with refreshments (home-made cakes).

An additional activity will be announced later

Due to George Cogswell ongoing health issues we have had to change our October talk

Liz de Mercado has kindly stepped in at short notice with her talk 

Maps and Where they can Lead you

A talk detailing how historical maps can help fill in more details about your family history

What children eat at school has long been a matter of political debate, social concern, and everyday experience. Since the introduction of the School Meals Service in 1906, meals served in schools have been used to tackle malnutrition, reduce inequality, and promote social inclusion. They have also been the site of controversy, from free milk in the 1940s to Jamie Oliver’s campaign against Turkey Twizzlers, and today’s calls for universal free school meals.

This lecture explores how policy, practice, and lived experience have shaped school dining across the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. With reference to new oral histories, archival evidence, and ethnographic studies in contemporary schools, the lecture highlights the emotional and sensory dimensions of mealtimes as well as their wider social and cultural meanings. At stake is more than what children eat. School meals open a window onto questions of inequality, poverty, community, and the politics of care.

This event is also open to non-members, with fee of £5. Registration opens on 1^st October when the red ‘Register [Individual]’ button will show on the top left of this page, just click on that button, you will also receive an email confirmation. Non-members will be required to create a free FHSC account and complete the payment details. Registration will close on 19th October.

The zoom links/meeting protocol will be forwarded to all registrants the day before the talk.

If you run into any difficulties with this, then please contact us on the dedicated seminar email address – The Seminar series is co-ordinated by Margaret Spate, Jean Laidlaw and Margaret Roberts and ALL correspondence, queries etc should be sent to the dedicated email address.

PLEASE NOTE WE DO NOT RECORD SEMINAR TALKS

The October FHSC Cheshire Research Buddies topic of the month is Northwich and surrounding area  - Do you have ancestors in the area, or are you researching a local family and want some help, perhaps on the other hand you live in the locality and could offer help with photographing gravestones or buildings. This is the chance for members to help each other, I'm sure there are many members out there with knowledge of the area that they could share. 

You will need to register to attend, to do so please click on the 'Register [Individual]' above on the left and process,  you will receive an email confirmation and the zoom links/meeting protocol will be forwarded the morning of the meeting.

If you run into any difficulties with this then please contact Margaret Roberts on 

NOTE that registration closes at 10am on the morning of the meeting and the zoom links will be forwarded once registration is closed

The 57th AGM of FHSC will take place electronically using Zoom on Saturday 7th November at 3.00pm. The business meeting will be preceded by a talk by Nichola Johnson entitled “Titanic Myths: What the Records Really Reveal”. The talk will begin at 2.00pm with login from 1.45pm.

To register to receive the zoom links please click on the ‘Register [Individual]’ button on the top left of this page, you will also receive an email confirmation. Registration will close at midday on the 7th November

The zoom links/meeting protocol will be forwarded to all registrants the day before the AGM.

If you run into any difficulties with this, then please contact either Margaret Roberts on  or Sheila Jones on  

Details of the talk

Titanic Myths: What the Records Really Reveal

Few events have generated as many family legends as the sinking of the Titanic. But how many of these stories stand up to scrutiny? In her talk Nicola uncovers why myths emerge, why they persist, and how careful investigation can separate fact from fiction. Drawing on new findings and real case studies. Nicola highlights the challenges and opportunities in working with passenger and crew lists, newspapers, and the Titanic Relief Fund charity records. She also reveals how modern tools – from DNA to the 1921 Census – are transforming what we thought we knew about the disaster and the people behind the stories.