Darlington Library’s Centre for Local Studies is set to host a series of events to help celebrate Local History Month in May.
Local historian Stephen Nicholson will be repeating his talk about the War Diary of the 5th Battalion Durham Light Infantry on Tuesday, 17 May at 2pm.
Stephen has spent more than ten years researching the Darlington men who died in World War One. This talk is a repeat of the one given at the library last November as part of the Poppy for a Soldier project and is an ideal opportunity for those who missed out last time to learn more about the battalion that many Darlington men served with.
Then on Thursday, 19 May at 2pm, Dennis Perkins will be giving another instalment of his history of Darlington Grammar School.
The talk entitled ‘Darlington Grammar School and its struggle to maintain its independence’ will focus on the battle to keep the school out of local authority control and the increasing restraints on its freedom of action whilst still independent.
Tickets for both talks are £2.00 and must be booked in advance. Please call 01325 349630, emaillocal.studies@darlington.gov.uk or call into the library to reserve your place.
Durham County Record Office will also be providing a special display highlighting Darlington Conscientious Objectors.
The display will be open to view until Saturday, 28 May and there will also be a talk to link in with it. Details will follow, please check the Darlington Library website or call in to the Centre for Local Studies for more information.
Mandy Fay, Senior Library Officer at Darlington Libraries, said:
“If you’ve ever wanted to find out more about your local area, Local History Month is a great time to do so. Our displays and talks offer a fascinating insight into the area and its people and we hope people will come along to learn more.”
To find out more about events log onto the website at Centre for Local Studies, pop into the centre at Crown Street Library, call 01325 349630 or email local.studies@darlington.gov.uk.