March 17th - Women and the First World War at Preston Community Library

From Preston Community Library

We would like to invite you to special event at the library.  This is an illustrated talk from Chris Coates.  She was librarian of the Trades Union Congress and has written on various aspects of women's and trade union history. Chris will show photos and documents to detail the situation of working women in the period leading up to the First World War, the political and economic changes it brought to their lives, and what happened in the aftermath of the War.  More information is on the poster below.

This is a free event, but donations to help support the library will be very welcome.

Wonderful Flying Machines - free talk and exhibition at Kingsbury Library

Did you know that Kingsbury was one of the main centres of the aircraft industry 100 years ago? 

This is a subject that local historian and former Fryent Ward councillor, Jim Moher, has been researching since he stepped down from Brent Council in 2014. He will be sharing the story of the people who made some of the best known planes of the First World War, and after, in an illustrated talk. This free "coffee morning" event is taking place at Kingsbury Library on Friday 30 June, from 11am to 12noon, and anyone who would be interested is welcome to attend.

Jim has also worked with Brent Museum on a small exhibition, also called Wonderful Flying Machines, which can be seen at Kingsbury Library from now until November 2017. Even if you cannot make it to the talk, you will find plenty of interesting pictures and information about the Airco factory, which employed 4,400 people (many of them women) by 1918, and the company set up at Stag Lane after the war by its principal designer and test pilot, Geoffrey De Havilland.

Public Discussion: The Legacy of World War 1/Hero Stones in Willesden Green

From Brent Stop the War

A discussion with DEFEND SCHOOL HISTORY on Teaching WW1

and with the NO GLORY CAMPAIGN ARTISTS GROUP

on Hero Stones in Willesden Green

The Government is trying to rehabilitate WW1 as a noble war fought for a just cause and to use the centenary as a celebration of Britishness. Michael Gove tried to introduce a new history curriculum modelled seemingly on Billy Bunter’s at Greyfriars School and has criticised Blackadder, Oh What a Lovely War! and Horrible Histories for detracting from the glorious sacrifice of those who died. Defend School History is a campaign that was set up to counter Gove’s proposals for the History Curriculum and has succeeded in forcing considerable changes.

One of the Government’s schemes to celebrate the glories of the war is to lay paving stones commemorating every soldier who was awarded a Victoria Cross. This is something that the VCs themselves would have opposed strongly. The first of these ceremonies will be in Willesden Green in August. The No Glory Campaign aims to use art and performances to counter the myth of the Glorious war. Their artists group is looking for ways to shift the emphasis from individual “heroes” to the many whom were killed or maimed in the conflict.

There will be speakers from these two campaigns at our meeting. Camden Stop the War and teachers from Brent and Camden are cordially invited.

Monday June 9^th  Doors open 7.00 pm, meeting starts 7.30 pm sharp  Rumi’s Cave 26, Willesden Lane NW6 7ST