Wednesday 18 January 2012

North East Coast Town Revealed: Hull’s Second World War Records

The National Cataloguing Grants programme is administered on behalf of several trusts by The National Archives with grant award decisions being made by a specially convened independent Cataloguing Grants Panel. Hull History Centre has successfully secured one of the 12 grants issued this year which will enable the Centre to employ an Archivist for 12 months to fully catalogue records created by various departments from within Hull City Council. The records of departments such as:

  • Town Architects Department 
  • Education Department 
  • Treasurer’s Department 
  • Town Clerk Department 
  • City Engineers Department 
  • Records of Wartime Emergency Services 

These records allow us to understand the hardships endured by the people of Hull during the War and reveal their gallantry and resourcefulness during the daily struggles they faced. The project will deepen our understanding of the problems encountered and solutions found by those tasked with not only preserving life, but coming to the aid of those affected by the raids.

The project will give us the opportunity to work closely with volunteers who will help to index the records, repackage files and volumes, and digitise photographs. The resulting on line catalogues will allow the public to search for individuals or streets in much greater depth than is currently available and visit the Centre to view any relevant documents.

This is an exciting project which will highlight the devastation wreaked on Hull during the Second World War and demonstrate the resilience of its citizens on the home front when faced with such traumas. It is surprising for a city so heavily bombed during the war that these records have even survived.

Carol Tanner Access & Collections Manager, Hull City Archives at Hull History Centre