We are already nearly through our first month of 2021 and although we are in lockdown, our work is continuing.
We could not have foreseen this, but we were able to predict that it would become costly if we were to have to travel too frequently between Coastlands and our homes where we are doing this work. So before lockdown we had already collected a lot of boxes that are held by the society in readiness for doing this work at home.
These items in this collection represent such a phenomenal archive of the history in and around Dale. I can hear and see the lives of people; there is so much to trigger a response! I can imagine so vividly the look-outs for boats going into the Haven and the frequent finds on the beach after a ship has broken up.
The range of items that we have archived has been so varied and always so interesting. I have recently been working on the windmill box containing photographs, and records – each one brings something to us and shows how Pembrokeshire lived and worked in the past. Sometimes the first time that you read about something is once it has been archived. Each document has to be given an record number and then scanned. I have the scanner so sometimes I only see the archives when they are being scanned.
This week I discovered a hint of something about a secret army in Pembrokeshire during World War II, and this is something that I want to find out so much more about – so fascinating!
These records are starting to come together now, and combined with the fact that we can make them available through this website – as we have done now with the Llangwm catalogue (click here) – means that historians, researchers and any other interested parties will be able to find and access this material for years to come.