Launched in the autumn of 2014, this project, in association with the Essex Record Office (ERO), marks the 100th anniversary of the Great War, and will run until the end of 2018. During this period the Friends of Historic Essex aim to raise funds to provide archival resources for educational study, family history research, and community histories.
What has the project achieved so far?
- Purchase of the Saulez family papers, including letters written between brothers serving in the First World War
- Purchase of specialist conservation-grade packaging materials to store the letters of Sister Kate Luard, who served on the Western Front throughout the entire war
How can you help?
Do you have a family connection to the Great War in Essex, or hold photographs, letters, diaries, community records or official documents from wartime organisations? Your records can be digitally copied and included in the archive for public access, while you retain the originals. Alternatively, you may prefer to deposit your materials in the ERO for permanent preservation and safekeeping. For further advice please contact ero.enquiry@essex.gov.uk or phone 0333 0132500.
Give a donation
Donations will fund work to conserve, catalogue, and digitise archives, both new acquisitions and some that are already held at the ERO. Examples of Great War records already stored in the ERO are: letters from The Front, photograph albums, school log books, wartime newspapers, written and recorded memories, military and civil defence records, and Great Eastern Railway plans.
How can my donation help?
Your donation will help towards the permanent preservation of archives, increased public access, and provide a long-term benefit for future generations.
Archives may need to be catalogued and some repair work carried out to preserve the material before placing it in a protective folder or box. Where possible archives will also be digitised. Examples of costs are:
- £3 provides a digital copy of one photograph (front and back).
- £15 provides a handmade manila folder to store and protect up to 5 plans, or a digital copy of 10 sheets of letters.
- £50 provides a digital copy of a 100 page volume
How you can donate
- In person at the Essex Record Office by giving your donation to a member of staff
- Donations can by made by cheque made payable to ‘Friends of Historic Essex’, sent to The Treasurer, Friends of Historic Essex, c/o Essex Record Office, Wharf Road, Chelmsford, CM2 6YT
Stay in touch
If you are interested to know about the project’s progress then please drop us an email at FriendsofHistoricEssex@hotmail.co.uk and we will keep you informed.
Thank you for helping us commemorate the Great War and the sacrifices made by preserving documentary evidence for study by future generations.
Friends of Historic Essex 