Articles by Findmypast

The contributions of Black seamen to the Merchant Navy have been overlooked for two reasons. The first is a disservice met by all merchant seamen, who are often overshadowed by the Royal Navy in our collective consciousness. The mere utterance of the word ‘navy’ conjures images of gunners and combat on the high seas. The second, more pointed reason for their neglect in maritime history, however, is that these mariners were Black.Black seamen have been present on board British

The Royal Flying Corps was established by royal warrant in the spring of 1912. At first, it wasn’t entirely clear of its identity and had both an army wing and a naval wing. In fact, the naval wing split off in July 1914 to become the Royal Naval Air Service and it was only when that was reconnected to the military wing in April 1918 that the Royal Air Force was formed. The RAF was responsible to a newly-inaugurated Air Ministry to mark

Once used to target the Black community and tarnish Afro-Caribbean culture, Notting Hill Carnival has become a national British icon, honouring multiculturalism and the uniting of diverse identities across London and the UK. However, the origin of Notting Hill Carnival will always be in the Caribbean and with London’s Black British community.It's difficult to comprehend the modern Notting Hill Carnival in the context of the 1950s. Race relations in the post-WindrushWindrush UK were appalling and further deteriorating.

Black athletes excel in a great many sports today and the date at which Black sportsmen and women were accepted and gained prominence is a measure of the willingness of a particular sport to embrace change.For the country as a whole, the Olympics could be said to be paramount, as the athletes represent Great Britain on the most prestigious international stage. But who was the first Black British sportsperson to reach that pinnacle?John Edward LondonThe first Black

After years of tension between Britain and the American Colonies, war broke out on 19 April 1775. At the time, there was a growing belief that King George III would support emancipation and several cases were fought in English courts for the emancipation of escaped American slaves residing in England. For slaves in America, reaching England meant freedom. Colonial slaveholders feared revolts inspired by these aspirations. In November 1775, Lord Dunmore issued a heated and controversial Proclamation during his term as Virginia’s royal

In early June 1901, a Welshman died in the town of Strood, which lies just across the River Medway from the cathedral city of Rochester in Kent. He had been boarding in Pearson Street, which no longer survives but was situated off Station Road. He was around 78 years of age and born in Newport, Monmouthshire. He was a moulder by trade and was laid to rest in the local authority Cuxton Road Cemetery on 8 June. His name was Zachariah John Florida.

Toxteth is to Liverpool as Brixton is to London – a centre of Black British history and culture. But Toxteth is by far the longer-standing Black community of the two, with a history dating back to the late 18th century. Toxteth's oldest Anglican church, St James, opened in June 1775 and is now a Grade II listed building, undergoing restoration while remaining open for services. As is likely to be the case with some of the parish churches in the port districts

When we take time to look at ourselves, both individually and as part of the bigger picture, it's important to address the position genealogy and Findmypast takes within Black and non-white history.I am a white person writing this article and if you're a white person reading it, it's not a coincidence. Genealogy is a whitewashed industry, as a result of both overt and covert racism that occurred over centuries. Being able to tell somebody the exact percentage of Italian,

Records for the Titanic are held in the BT 27 passenger list collection at The National Archives in Kew, England. They were digitised in colour and can be found in Findmypast’s Passenger Lists Leaving UK 1890-1960.The Titanic's passenger list is in two parts. One part is for passengers who boarded at Southampton, England on 10 April 1912. The other part is for passengers who boarded at Queenstown (now Cobh), Cork, Ireland a day later. Passengers who boarded at Cherbourg, France on 10 April before

One of the attractions of joining the British Army has always been the opportunity to see the world and serve overseas. In the days of Empire, maintaining a presence in the Dominions was an absolute necessity. For example, at the turn of the century, the British Army in India was around 180,000-strong. It consisted of professional soldiers who had done basic training in England and could now expect to spend most of their service overseas.In February 1898, the Army and