An online journal for the North Devon Athenaeum
Like many organisations we had several plans for 2020 including joints events, talks, blog posts and various other projects both large and small. However, for the second time in our history we were to find ourselves in the midst of a global pandemic. As we start looking forward to the new year, we take a …
Today marks the 80th Anniversary of the opening of RAF Chivenor and while the RAF may have moved on, the base is still being used by the military today. We thought we would take a look back at some of the posts we have published over the last 7 years. The RAF Chivenor Collection We …
As part of International Archives Week we are taking a look at some of the posts we’ve written about the document and archive collections in our care and the work we do. Today we’re taking a look at some of the posts we’ve written about our collections. 1. The North Devon Journal Archive One of …
As today marks the 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day we take a look at some of the resources we hold within our collections. Throughout the course of the war, the Athenaeum did its bit. The railings were taken to be melted down and used in industry, there was a fire watch station on …
Continue reading "Discover VE Day and World War II…On Our Shelves!"
The Invasion Has Begun the North Devon Journal announced in its pages which were published two days after what has been called The Longest Day. While the article gave the official report of the action across the channel it gave nothing away of North Devon’s contribution to its success, examples of which can be found …
As part of our 125th Anniversary celebrations we launched a blog to bring some of the stories found in our collections to life. Five years on we take a look at five of the most popular stories... 5. Beyond the Library... At number five we have an introductory post to our Beyond the Library series …
It's always nice to get out of the office and take a little of what we do along to an event and last Friday and Saturday saw us do just that. We joined forces with the Museum of Barnstaple and North Devon again this year and took a display to the Armed Forces Day exhibition. …
One of the most popular collections in our care is the RAF Chivenor Collection. The military base next to the river Taw has been a part of North Devon life for over 70 years and many locals have fond memories of the base. Our collection covers the history of Chivenor as an aerodrome and airport …
Preparing for this year's Armed Forces exhibition I came across this story about the Air Sea Rescue Helicopter from RAF Chivenor whose crew had a lucky escape... Waving boys saw sudden blue flash Four schoolboys waved to a passing helicopter above Bideford Bridge on Tuesday night, and in the same second there was a vivid …
On this day in 1917, a Royal Charter was given establishing what is now known as the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC). The cemeteries and graves the Commission look after can found across the world. The Commission was the brainchild of Sir Fabian Ware who, being too old to fight in World War One, commanded …
Continue reading "100 Years of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission"
Tales From the Archives 