‘my 19th-century relations policed the streets of liverpool’

Christine Atkins asks: Please can you help with these family photographs? The posed lady in the studio photos might be my great-grandmother Emily Weston (née Brayban), b. 1864. She could also be the s

Dear Simon, The history of Pitman shorthand told by Angeline Wilcox in the July edition of Best of British (Write on Time) evoked so many memories. I was amazed to learn that Isaac Pitman actually cre

I am writing in connection with Sarah Williams’ article “What’s in a Name” in the July issue of the magazine. My great great grandmother, Ann Rogers Wardleworth née Bell, was widowed in 1860 at the ag

On a quiet street in Walton, Liverpool, nestled among rows of terraced houses, a child was born who would one day witness one of the most infamous moments in maritime history. The date was 15 October

It all started with an email. Regular reader Lee Passmore was having difficulties finding out what had happened to one of his three times great-uncles, a man called Bryan (or Brian) Dean, and he wante

The British merchant service was renamed the Merchant Navy after World War 1 to mark the vital role its sailors played in wartime. That role continued in World War 2 as merchant ships carried troops a