History Articles
History - Feb 2021
In my true element: Mark Weston (1905-1978)
Throughout February we’ve been marking LGBT History Month. The theme for 2021 has been ‘Body, Mind, Spirit’ and ‘Five Faces’ were selected to represent the LGBT+ community. One of these was Plymouth-born Mark Weston - an intersex* individual who was raised as a female named Mary Edith Louise Weston.
History - Jan 2021
There's a human story behind every object
The police have been an important part of our frontline workforce over the last year – not just here in the UK, but in other parts of the world too. This police truncheon and whistle were donated to our collections in early 2020 by a Mr Brookshaw. We believe they once belonged to a man called Sidney Hannam, who passed away 80 years ago, on 13 January 1941.
History - Jan 2021
A letter to home from World War I
This week is ‘Universal Letter Writing Week’ – an annual event designed to encourage us to take up pen and paper and write to someone. In this digital age, methods of communication have certainly changed and we’re now more likely to message someone with our mobile phone or send them an email – making the act of writing or receiving a handwritten letter quite special.
History - Nov 2020
Firsts, Thanks and Misgivings
The story of Thanksgiving is surprising. Like much of the Mayflower story, it blurs fact and fiction, hope and despair, time and tradition.
History - Oct 2020
Jack Leslie: A discovery in the archives
Earlier this year when Jack Leslie’s story became more widely known, we weren’t sure if we had any items in our collections connected to this talented footballer - but timing is often a strange thing.
History - Oct 2020
Historic diversity in the Royal Navy
Historically, Royal Navy crews were a diverse group, not only originating from many different regions in Britain but also abroad.
History - Oct 2020
Bill Miller: Local Hero
Born in East Street, Stonehouse, on 15 July 1890, William Alexander Miller, known as Bill Miller, was the son of an immigrant father and an English mother. His father, the son of a freed slave, was born in Sierra Leone, West Africa. After finding work on a British ship, he eventually settled in Stonehouse.
