With a history that winds all the way back to Anglo-Saxon and medieval farming practices, the story of allotments in the United Kingdom is as rich as the soil itself. From the General Enclosure Act of 1845, which aimed to give the landless poor an area to cultivate, to the ‘Dig for Victory’ campaign in the 1940s, all the way to the allotment renaissance of the 1990s, we will explore the history of allotments, using newspapers sourced from our Archive. …
Second World War
This week at The Archive we are marking the 80th anniversary of D-Day, the largest seaborne invasion in history, which took place in Normandy on 6 June 1944. Meanwhile, we’re celebrating adding 276,831 brand new pages to our collection, with one brand new title, the Hunts County News, joining us over the past seven days. Furthermore, from Carluke to Crawley, from Kirkintilloch to Knaresborough, from Lincolnshire to Lurgan, we’ve added new pages to our existing titles from across the United …
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This week at The Archive we are proud to announce that we have passed another milestone, that of 76 million pages, which are now all available to search as part of our collection. Meanwhile, we’ve added four brand new titles from Aberdeenshire, Lincolnshire, Sussex and Yorkshire this week, as a total of 261,211 brand new pages have joined us over the last seven days. As part of our push to hit 76 million pages, we’ve updated 10 of our existing …
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This week at The Archive we are welcoming five brand new titles, including the fascinating Prisoners of War News, which sheds a light on those servicemen held captive behind enemy lines during the Second World War. Meanwhile, we have added an impressive 292,085 brand new pages to our collection this week, as we move ever closer to our next landmark of 75 million pages. Furthermore, from Bridlington to Broughty Ferry, from Halifax to Hartlepool, from St Andrews to Sheffield, we’ve …
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In the 1940s the jitterbug, a type of swing dancing that was pioneered by African American communities in New York during the early twentieth century, took the United Kingdom by storm. The energetic dance, which featured elements of the jive, the charleston, and other swing dances, divided Britain, with it being embraced by those who flocked to dancehalls up and down the country, whilst others viewed it as a morally dangerous American import. In this special blog, using newspapers from …
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American-born jazz age superstar Adelaide Hall (1901-1993) was a Black music legend, who from 1938 onwards made Britain her home. She went on to have a long and successful career in the UK. In this very special blog, as part of Black History Month on The Archive, we will celebrate this jazz age queen who came to Britain and entertained thousands of people via her stage and radio performances, using newspapers taken from our Archive. A Star Is Born To …
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The aristocratic Mitford sisters – Nancy, Pamela, Diana, Unity, Jessica and Deborah – hit the headlines throughout their lifetimes, with tales of scandal and intrigue filling the pages of the press from the 1920s and beyond. Born to David Freeman-Mitford, 2nd Baron Redesdale, and his wife Sydney, alongside brother Thomas, the Mitford sisters often shocked society, whether it be through their political views, or their private lives. In this special blog, we shall unravel the remarkable stories of the six …
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It’s the most romantic time of the year, and to celebrate Valentine’s Day, we’ve selected twelve of the most romantic marriage proposals from our Archive. From wartime proposals, to engagements formed at the opera, our newspapers showcase romance from across the ages. So without any further ado, let’s launch into our list of the twelve most romantic marriage proposals from our newspapers, beginning in 1898 and going all the way up to the 1960s. Register now and explore the Archive …
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A walk along Piccadilly in the black-out is one of the many queer experiences of this war. The once brilliant centre of London’s night life is now as dark as any forest, and indeed, like a forest, the darkness is full of rustlings and whisperings, of half-seen shapes, and of a sinister feeling of eager, but invisible, life. Daily Herald | 26 April 1940 So began a Daily Herald article on blackout crime in London during the Second World War. …
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As a result of the Second World War, over 60,000 British women married American soldiers (colloquially known as GIs), many of them returning with their new husbands to live in the United States once the war ended. In this special blog, we are going to take a look at how the so-called GI brides were reported on by the press of the United Kingdom. We will examine how they faced warnings over their choice of husbands, and how they were …