A Family History Of...

Findmypast

Join host Jen Baldwin and special guests to uncover hidden stories from the archives that reveal the human side of British and Irish history. Each month, follow one story across several gripping episodes, and experience history through the eyes of those who lived it. Help us shape the future of A Family History Of... with your feedback: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PZXNW2Q Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. Three Brothers, One War | The Somme (Part 1)

    5 days ago

    Three Brothers, One War | The Somme (Part 1)

    Three brothers headed for the trenches. On the cusp of the First World War, their family changed forever.  In the Leicestershire market town of Hinckley, the Attenborough brothers are swept along the tide of global conflict. Each serving with different regiments; each caught up in attrition warfare in distinct ways. To tell their story, host and genealogist Jen Baldwin is joined by Harvey Henson, Somme specialist and Communications Coordinator at the Commonwealth War Commission. Together, they’ll delve into the moment when headlines of war reached Hinckley and begin to trace the transformative impact of conflict on this ordinary family.   Host and researcher: Jen Baldwin  Guest: Harvey Henson (Commonwealth War Graves Commission)  Editor: CM87Edits  Script editors: Niall Cullen, Daisy Goddard, and Madeleine Gilbert  Producers: Madeleine Gilbert, Ellie Ayton, and James Plumb  Designer: Michael McCosh  Social media: Sarah Cornes  Executive Producers: Helen Kaye and Steve James  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    32 min
  2. A Family History Of... The Somme | Trailer

    24 Jun

    A Family History Of... The Somme | Trailer

    One family. A battle that would shape generations. History remembers battles. Families remember absence. Over the course of a single year, three telegrams arrived at the Attenborough family home on Druid Street, Hinckley. Three brothers - Walter, Arthur and Richard Attenborough - were swept into the upheaval of the First World War, serving in different regiments as the conflict intensified from Loos to the Somme. Across four episodes, host and genealogist Jen Baldwin is joined by Somme expert and Commonwealth War Graves Commission Communications Coordinator, Harvey Henson, to explore the devastating impact of the war's early years on one working-class family, and how their story survives through the historical record.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    2 min
  3. What Naval Records Reveal | Gallipoli (Part 4)

    22 Jun

    What Naval Records Reveal | Gallipoli (Part 4)

    Gallipoli may dominate the history books. But the records tell the rest of the story.  Gallipoli is one of those moments in history that can seem enormous when we look back at it now. But when we delve into the naval records of the men who actually experienced it, something surprising happens – it barely interrupts the page at all.  In this bonus episode, host and expert genealogist Jen Baldwin steps back from this defining First World War campaign to explore what family history records can reveal when we look beyond the big moments we already know. Through the wider context of Gallipoli, this episode dives into the careers, continuity, expertise, and everyday labour that kept the Royal Navy afloat during wartime.  As more naval records become accessible online, Jen explores how they help family historians and researchers alike. Moving past the headline news and reconnecting with Navy ancestors in ways that simply weren’t possible before.  Host and researcher: Jen Baldwin Editor: CM87Edits Script editors: Niall Cullen, Daisy Goddard, and Madeleine Gilbert Producers: Madeleine Gilbert, Ellie Ayton, and James Plumb Designer: Michael McCosh Social media: Sarah Cornes Executive Producers: Helen Kaye and Steve James Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    17 min
  4. Aftershocks of the Campaign | Gallipoli (Part 3)

    15 Jun

    Aftershocks of the Campaign | Gallipoli (Part 3)

    Gallipoli is over. But its effects ripple on. After the chaos of the Dardanelles, HMS Prince George limps into Malta, a harbour strained by wounded men, damaged ships, and the unrelenting work of repair. For Nelson Langsford, the danger gives way to a different kind of pressure, as engineers and dockyard crews work around the clock to keep the fleet afloat. Joined by naval historian Charlotte Ward‑Kelly, host and genealogist Jen Baldwin explores how these quieter weeks appear, and often disappear, in the records. Back home, as Nelson moves from frontline service into instruction and training, his story shifts again. This final episode traces how one man and his family carry the aftershocks of Gallipoli forward, shaping work, identity, and remembrance long after the guns fell silent. Host and researcher: Jen Baldwin Guest: Charlotte Ward-Kelly Editor: CM87Edits Script editors: Niall Cullen, Daisy Goddard, and Madeleine Gilbert Producers: Madeleine Gilbert, Ellie Ayton, and James Plumb Designer: Michael McCosh Social media: Sarah Cornes Executive Producers: Helen Kaye and Steve James Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    32 min
  5. Into the Dardanelles | Gallipoli (Part 2)

    8 Jun

    Into the Dardanelles | Gallipoli (Part 2)

    The battle for Gallipoli begins.    As war comes knocking, Nelson Langsford moves from routine service into active conflict aboard HMS Prince George. Tasked with carrying troops and patrolling hostile waters, the ship turns toward the Dardanelles, a narrow strait Britain hopes to force open and end the war quickly. But it won’t be that simple.  Joined by naval historian Charlotte Ward‑Kelly, host and genealogist Jen Baldwin delves deeper, uncovering what it was like to experience this gamble far below deck. As mines detonate, shells strike, and ageing battleships strain under impossible pressure, survival in the engine room comes down to seconds, skill, and instinct.  In this episode, one ordinary man witnesses naval confidence collapse, the strategy shifting, and the Gallipoli campaign taking its most fateful turn.  Host and researcher: Jen Baldwin  Guest: Charlotte Ward-Kelly  Editor: CM87Edits  Script editors: Niall Cullen, Daisy Goddard, and Madeleine Gilbert  Producers: Madeleine Gilbert, Ellie Ayton, and James Plumb  Designer: Michael McCosh  Social media: Sarah Cornes Executive Producers: Helen Kaye and Steve James  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    29 min
  6. The Calm Before the Storm | Gallipoli (Part 1)

    1 Jun

    The Calm Before the Storm | Gallipoli (Part 1)

    A childhood shaped by industry. A Navy on the brink of change.  Nelson Langsford grows up at National Trust’s Cotehele Mill, as part of a family rooted for generations in skilled work. Beyond the mill, Britain is entering a new industrial age, and the Royal Navy is transforming with it.  Joined by naval historian Charlotte Ward‑Kelly, host and genealogist Jen Baldwin explores how Nelson’s early life prepared him for a very different world. As steam power replaces sail and engineering skill becomes vital to Britain’s global reach, Nelson steps into the engine rooms of a modernising Navy while the First World War looms on the horizon.  How does an ordinary upbringing prepare one man for the dangers of conflict, and a campaign that will leave a lasting mark on his family history?  Host and researcher: Jen Baldwin  Guest: Charlotte Ward-Kelly  Editor: CM87Edits  Script editors: Niall Cullen, Daisy Goddard, and Madeleine Gilbert  Producers: Madeleine Gilbert, Ellie Ayton, and James Plumb  Designer: Michael McCosh  Social media: Sarah Cornes Executive Producers: Helen Kaye and Steve James  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    33 min
  7. A Family History Of... Gallipoli | Trailer

    27 May

    A Family History Of... Gallipoli | Trailer

    Gallipoli thunders on the waves. The engine room endures below deck.  Gallipoli was one of the First World War’s most devastating campaigns; it’s a story usually told through strategy, maps, and failure. But for thousands of families, Gallipoli was experienced through service in the Royal Navy, far below deck and far from the history books.  In this series of A Family History Of..., follow the story of Nelson Langsford, who grew up at National Trust’s Cotehele Mill before joining a rapidly modernising Royal Navy. As the First World War begins, Nelson’s technical skills take him into the engine rooms of battleships bound for the Dardanelles, and into the heart of the Gallipoli campaign.  Across four episodes, host and genealogist Jen Baldwin and guest naval historian Charlotte Ward‑Kelly trace Nelson’s journey through the war. A First World War story told through the eyes of one man, and the family history he left behind.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    2 min
  8. The Battle for Public Opinion | The General Strike (Part 5)

    25 May ·  Bonus

    The Battle for Public Opinion | The General Strike (Part 5)

    The General Strike wasn’t just fought on the picket line. It was also fought in the headlines.  In this bonus episode, host and expert genealogist Jen Baldwin explores how newspapers shaped public understanding of the 1926 General Strike as it unfolded. Drawing on contemporary press coverage and the words of union leader Will Lawther, she examines how competing narratives influenced opinion, legitimacy, and memory, and why the story of the Strike can look very different depending on who was telling it. This reflective final chapter shows why newspapers don’t just record history. They help decide how it’s remembered.  Host: Jen Baldwin  Researchers: Jen Baldwin and Barry Kline  Oral History Credits: Northumberland Archives  Editor: CM87Edits  Script Editors: Niall Cullen, Madeleine Gilbert, and James Plumb  Producers: Madeleine Gilbert, Ellie Ayton, and James Plumb  Designer: Michael McCosh  Executive Producers: Helen Kaye and Steve James Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    15 min
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Trailers

About

Join host Jen Baldwin and special guests to uncover hidden stories from the archives that reveal the human side of British and Irish history. Each month, follow one story across several gripping episodes, and experience history through the eyes of those who lived it. Help us shape the future of A Family History Of... with your feedback: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PZXNW2Q Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Information

  • Creator
    Findmypast
  • Years Active
    2k
  • Episodes
    23
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    A Family History Of...

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