Berkshire Family History Society

When: Wednesday 28 October 2026, 19:00 - 21:00 Where: Webinar The Royal Navy of the Second World War was a vast, complex, and extraordinarily diverse  organisation. It ranged from mighty battleships and fast destroyers to minesweepers, shore establishments, the submarine force and the Fleet Air Arm as well as the Royal Marines. For family historians, uncovering a sailor’s wartime story can be deeply rewarding, but the surviving records are scattered across multiple archives and often wrapped in naval terminology that can be daunting and impenetrable.   This workshop guides you through the key sources for researching Royal Navy personnel during WW2, explaining what records exist, where they are held, and how to interpret them. We’ll explore service records, muster rolls, ship’s logs, medal documentation, and the rich material preserved in Admiralty files. You’ll learn how to follow an ancestor through their training, postings, and operations, how to decode naval ranks and branches, ...

When: Saturday 3 October 2026, 14:30 - 16:30 Where: Webinar This discussion group is aimed at those wanting to get the most out of their DNA results. Facilitated by DNA expert, Debbie Kennett, sessions are held quarterly. However, there is no obligation to attend on a regular basis, first time attendees are always welcomed. This is a great opportunity to ask questions and to gain ideas for how you can use your results to solve questions. We encourage participants to share their success stories. And we particularly welcome short presentations and case reports from group members. All levels of expertise are welcome but you should have some basic experience of working with your DNA matches to get the most out of the group. Tickets are £5 (society members £4). Pre-booking is required however, as full joining instructions will be sent by email to all attendees in advance. Bookings close one day before the event. To be able to join in this discussion group, you will need a computer devic...

When: Saturday 14 November 2026, 11:00 - 13:00 Where: Family Research Centre, Reading Have you been researching your family tree and would like to write it up as a story but don’t know how to start? In the popular workshop, Dr Barry Jerome will help you get started and show you how you can structure it, so that you can write up your family history while still continuing your research.  Pre-booking is required as numbers are limited. Bookings close 24 hours before the workshop.  Tea/coffee and biscuits included.  To book, scroll down.   Full event details and booking

When: Saturday 12 September 2026, 11:00 - 15:30 Where: Family Research Centre, Reading Come and visit part of the old dairy building, once where students learnt how to make cheese, now the home of Berkshire Family History Society. See a display of everyday lives, the theme of this year’s Heritage Open Days, plus, discover the everyday, and not so everyday, lives of your ancestors with the help and guidance of our expert Research Assistants. The Family Research Centre will be open with its multiple PCs and free access to: Ancestry worldwide Findmypast worldwide The Genealogist British Newspaper Archive The 1939 Register We also have an extensive reference library and handy bookshop. In addition, we are a Family Search Affiliated Library giving you access to hundreds of millions of images of original records relating to Berkshire and beyond, not available at home.  If you are just interested in exploring new places in Reading and want to see inside one of the former Dair...

When: Sunday 20 September 2026, 12:00 - 16:00 Where: Family Research Centre, Reading Come and visit part of the old dairy building, once where students learnt how to make cheese, now the home of Berkshire Family History Society. See a display of everyday lives, the theme of this year’s Heritage Open Days, plus, discover the everyday, and not so everyday, lives of your ancestors with the help and guidance of our expert Research Assistants. The Family Research Centre will be open with its multiple PCs and free access to: Ancestry worldwide Findmypast worldwide The Genealogist British Newspaper Archive The 1939 Register We also have an extensive reference library and handy bookshop. In addition, we are a Family Search Affiliated Library giving you access to hundreds of millions of images of original records relating to Berkshire and beyond, not available at home.  If you are just interested in exploring new places in Reading and want to see inside one of the former Dairy ...

When: Friday 2 October 2026, 13:00 - 15:00 Where: Reading Abbey This tour of Medieval Reading will take you back in time over a 1,000-year period, from 476AD to the 1450s. Reading would have looked and felt so different. Highlights will include the Greatest Knight, the Viking invasion, Reading Abbey, Reading’s 3C’s, food & so much more. The meeting place will be notified a few days before the visit. Please arrive 10 mins early for signing in and safety briefing etc. Numbers are limited, so pre-booking is required. Bookings close three days beforehand.  Images (above and right): Reading Abbey by Chris Wood, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped) To book, scroll down. Full event details and booking