Glyn Davies

Where did the medieval knight come from? Most people have seen suits of armor in museums, and even parish churches have carved effigies of knights on tombs, so the picture of a knight is well known. In England the first knights were Normans who came with William the Conqueror.  They fought on horseback, unlike the Saxons who … Read more

Guy Penrose Gibson was born in Simla, British India on 12th August, 1918. He died at Steenberg, Holland on 19th September, 1944 aged 26. He is famous for taking part in Operation Chastise, better known as the ‘Dambusters Raid’. Tom Briggs first heard about Gibson, when he was 10, from Wilfred Pickles on his wireless … Read more

Josephine Butler (nee Grey) was born in Northumberland in 1828. Her father, John Grey, a land manager and farm reformer, was an anti-slavery campaigner. Josephine was brought up in an atmosphere committed to campaigning against slavery. In 1852 she married George Butler, who was a head teacher in a school for boys. He believed in … Read more

The policy initiative behind the Northern Powerhouse, put in motion more than ten years ago, is that the North of England is larger than some countries and should be in control of making its own decisions. Economic facts about Sheffield. Sheffield has a population of 563,000 people The employment rate is 71% of people of … Read more

Malcolm’s hobby is collecting postcards of all types. His wife says that it is an obsession rather than a hobby. His talk was about postcards from their introduction until the beginning of World War I. Postcards were introduced in 1869 as a cheaper alternative to the penny post. They cost only 1/2d to send. They … Read more

Mike told us that, in the past, a few separate rivers were joined by canals to form a huge connected waterways system. This was a strictly commercial enterprise aimed at transporting freight to fuel the Industrial Revolution. The canals now fit seamlessly in to the landscape and are mainly used for our leisure enjoyment. Mike … Read more