Author: admin

Full Steam Ahead

While we undertook our first proper Zoom Speaker’s Meeting in February with a little trepidation, unsure of how people would respond, I think after the second we can say they are successful.

We have to thank Graham Mitchell for bravely and very successfully taking on his very first Zoom meeting, where he was in control of the screen.

Graham told us all about the dealings of the early attempts at bringing Train-lines to the District, some successful and some not. Along with his narrative on the wheeler’s and dealer’s , he showed us the step-changes that the Railways brought to the Villages, Towns and people in general. Graham presented the narrative along with many detailed maps and rare old photographs, as part of his very smooth presentation.

We were glad to see so many of our regular’s and pleased to welcome many new faces. There were 24 people attending in all, two of these actually joined the Society during the presentation.

We are now building up the a programme for the Zoom Speaker’s Meetings for the rest of the year, so keep an eye on the calendar for details.

We have been asked if it would be possible to view the meetings at other times? While we are looking into this, it will probably not be possible when we have outside Speaker’s.

Many thanks to all involved.

Joyce Newton – Chair

National Archives

Due to current national restrictions the National Archives are offering free downloads of digitised records to logged-in Registered Users for the duration.

It’s free to register and downloads are for Personal or Educational use only.

Many items relate to people, subjects or places so it’s worth a search to see what you can turn up and then download.

https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/results/r?_q=keighley%2C%20Yorkshire&_hb=tna&_col=200

Zooming into the future

On Wednesday the 10th February 2021, the Society held it’s first Speaker’s Meeting via Zoom.

This first meeting was to an open meeting to help people find their way around our Flickr Site.

We started with a little update on the donations to the Archives , that we have received recently and then Tim started his presentation about 7:30.

The meeting was well attended, with both Members and Visitors. Steve controlled the meeting, so people could ask questions when they felt the need.

After the presentation the meeting was opened up for general discussion and information that was useful to others.

It was nice to see that once people got talking the conversations flowed as well as they normally do in the Library.

Tim has produced HOW TO guide to guide those of you who couldn’t join us around Flickr.

While the meeting was certainly different I think that we succeeded in making it fun.

Thanks to Steve and Tim for making the meeting possible.

Joyce- Chair

8th May 1945 – V E DAY

This day was meant to be a day of Nationwide Celebrations, as it was in 1945 (see post below).

Sadly we cannot do as we had all planned, so we must do it differently because of the current war we are fighting.

Just remember WW2 did not finish with V.E.Day. The fighting continued until V.J.Day, 2nd September 1945. We will have get another chance to celebrate the end f the war.

We are all fed-up of Lock-down and just imagine that if we had been released yesterday how many impromptu parties would have taken place and the advantage our enemy, Covid-19, would have taken of this.

Keighley, as in WW2, has not suffered as badly as some area’s or communities but some families are grieving, our thoughts must be with them and our troops in the NHS and other key workers.

WE CAN HONOUR THE WAR GENERATIONS BY “CARRYING ON”

We can do our own thing and join in any singalongs, watch what went on in 1945 on T.V., put up bunting,or celebrate within our house-hold. But because things are muted we have been given the opportunity to be more thoughtful and can think of those who didn’t make it to V.E.Day.

By 2nd September 2020 we will be further down the road to beating our own enemy and should ALL be able to hold proper celebrations then.

75th Anniversary of D-Day

As we commemorate D-Day on the 6th June 2019 put your self in their places by reading a letter, from our Archives, from someone who was their. Read the first-hand account of the journey and the landing of two men,

As we commemorate D-Day on the 6th June 2019 put yourself in their places by reading a letter, from our Archives, from someone who was there.

Read the first-hand account of the journey and the landing of two men, one of whom settled in Keighley.

Read more……http://keighleyhistory.org.uk/d-day-landing/

Speakers Meeting 10 April 2019


NB: This meeting WILL NOT BE AT KEIGHLEY LIBRARY

If you have found our website via Memory Lane in the Keighley News please DO NOT turn up at the Library on the 10th April. We will not be there. This month we aare having an outing and because of the site it is restricted numbers and therefore only available for Members.

Normal service will be resumed for the 8th May meeting. We will be back at the Library with “On Her Majesty’s Service”. A tale of National Service told, as experienced by the man himself, Colin Holt assisted by his grandson.

Keighley did Ian Dewhirst proud.

Today we had the unwelcome task of bidding goodbye to Ian Dewhirst.

Tim and I went along as represenatives of the Society, but other members had beaten us to it. By 10:30 the Church was full to bursting, even though upstairs had been opened. This gave Keighley a chance to pay their respects to one of their favourite sons.

Thanks to the Family for giving an opportunity for complete strangers to join them at such a private time and the Church for coping with the invasion.

The Keighley News has of course covered the Funeral in detail, so for those of you who live away here is the link.

https://www.keighleynews.co.uk/news/17436587.a-final-farewell-to-mr-keighley-ian-dewhirst-photo-gallery/

R.I.P. Ian Dewhirst MBE

Today we have had the sad announcement of the death of celebrated historian, author and local character Ian Dewhirst.

 

Ian was a supporter and Honorary Member of the Society, he has always encouraged us and has lead many of our meetings.

Ian leading a meeting at Utley Cemetery 2005 Photograph by Barbara Klempka

His vast knowledge and irreverent delivery, in Yorkshire dialect made him a joy to listen too. His strong support of the town’s library and his belief that local history MUST be kept available in the town will be missed. As will the antics that it sometimes lead him into. These have included  getting into a skip to retrieve tomes from “his” Reference Library that the powers that be had decided were no longer needed in Keighley (he thought different and told them so in no uncertain terms), to being the DJ, and a good one, at a Library Music event last year.

Thanks for the memories, Ian – you will be sadly missed.

News Flash- Speakers Meeting 9th Jan 2019

As many of you wil know the Local Studies Library is currently out of action, due to structural problems.

THE MEETING WILL STILL BE HELD AT THE LIBRARY, only downstairs., probably the area by the side door.

As the meeting is by one of our owm, Tim, this time it will be an “around the table” meeting, hopefully still with slides, but will still be based around gather information to go with the G L Kitchen pictures.

We will post about further meetings once their is more information regarding the situation.