John Dyer was one of the last men to cut withies (willow) by hand. He has worked for a number of willow-growers in the Burrowbridge area from the 1970s onwards. He talks about cutting in detail using the hook, which is sharpened with a wet stone, as well as about sorting and stripping the withies.
Somerset Voices: John Dyer
March 1, 2009 at 4:00 am (Biography, History, Podcast)
Tags: Burrowbridge, Dyer, Somerset
New Zealand’s BDM’s now online
February 28, 2009 at 4:00 am (Genealogy)
Tags: Births, Deaths, Marriages, New Zealand
New Zealand’s Ministry of Internal Affairs has launched of a new Web site that offers online access to New Zealand’s historical birth, death and marriage records. The historic data available for you to search is limited so that information relating to people who might still be alive, can be protected.
A POW’s Story
February 27, 2009 at 4:00 am (Biography, History)
Tags: Dorset, Jack Cresswell, Second World War, Singapore
It’s 67 years since the Japanese captured Singapore – and one of their captives was former Daily Echo print room worker Jack Cresswell. His journal recalls life in Japanese PoW camp after the fall of Singapore.
Somerset Voices: Adrian Durston & Mark Nicholls
February 26, 2009 at 4:00 am (Biography, History, Podcast)
Tags: Compton Dundon, Durston, Nicholls, Somerset, Wright
Adrian and Mark were employed by Richard Wright, thatcher and farmer of Compton Dundon. Richard Wright came from a family of thatchers, his father Harold and uncle ran the business before him. The Wright family were living in Compton Dundon village by 1851, and are recorded on the 1851 census.
Danger on the shore
February 25, 2009 at 4:00 am (History)
Tags: Dorset
The Dorset coast has been claiming ships and the lives of their crews since man first took to the water. The Dorset Echo has taken a look back at some of these maritime disasters.
Battle of Weymouth
February 24, 2009 at 4:00 am (History, Location, Video)
Tags: Crabchurch Conspiracy, Dorset, Weymouth
On Saturday 7th February 2009 a spectacular re-enactment took place in commemoration of the Battle of Weymouth and the Crabchurch Conspiracy of 1645.
Somerset Voices: Leonard Stanley Dunkerton
February 23, 2009 at 3:00 am (Biography, History, Podcast)
Tags: Baltonsborough, Dunkerton, Glastonbury, Somerset
This recording was made in 1973. Leonard Stanley Dunkerton was born in 1888 and farmed in Baltonsborough near Glastonbury. Apart from a short time away from the village to learn how to make cheese, Leonard spent all his life in Baltonsborough; milking the cows by hand in all weathers, making Cheddar cheese, and producing cider.
Royal Air Force service records
February 22, 2009 at 4:00 am (History, Podcast)
Last year saw the 90th anniversary of the establishment of the Royal Air Force. The records of thousands of men (and women) who served in the RAF and its predecessors during the First World War are held by The National Archives. This talk will demonstrate how you can use these records to find out more about your ancestors’ lives in this pioneering branch of the armed services.
The Benefits of Genealogy
February 21, 2009 at 4:00 am (Genealogy)
Tags: Deanna Anderson
Have you ever thought about tracing your family tree? Maybe you are already one of the many millions who already claim this as a hobby. Great, then you probably are already considering some of the benefits to preserving your family heritage such as a connection with the past or an advanced medical history. But have you ever though about all of the secondary benefits that come from family tree research? Deanna Anderson has.
Somerset Voices: Mary Duckett
February 20, 2009 at 4:00 am (Biography, History, Podcast)
Tags: Cannington, Duckett, Highbridge, Mark, Somerset, Wedmore
A cheese school operated from Mary Duckett’s parents home in Mark during the 1920s. A tutor from Cannington Agricultural College visited for a week to show students how to make Cheddar and Caerphilly. Mary Duckett’s father was a Caerphilly cheese dealer at Highbridge Market. Orders would be sent from Wales and elsewhere, via train, to Highbidge Station, Mr Duckett would then buy cheeses at market, pack them in wooden crates and send them off by train.
