Behind the scenes tours, webinars and talks in the National Archives programme of events for 2018

Tours of the National Archives (TNA) in Kew, a 'riots and rebellions' webinar and talks on female spies and the Spanish Flu are just some of the National Archives events taking place from January to March 2018.

The National Archives’ 2018 public programming opens in January with the first of a series of special Behind the Scenes tours offering visitors the chance to see behind the scenes. This season, there will be tours which focus on specific themes and the documents that TNA hold relating to them.

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In January, travel the world and discover Maps in the archives; while February’s literary leitmotif uncovers Authors in the archives; followed by all things musical in March with Music in the archives. (Friday 12 January - Maps | Friday 9 February - Authors | Friday 16 March – Music | 11:00-12:30 | £10).

The Spanish flu

In a seasonally fitting talk and document display, Spanish Flu: The Global Pandemic, speaker Hannah Mawdsley will illustrate how as the First World War raged across Europe, the globe was struck by another, quieter, but deadly affliction. The Spanish Flu, as it was known in Britain, appeared in early 1918, and spread rapidly around the globe. Using documents from The National Archives, this event will explore the origins of Spanish flu and how it came to affect people in every corner of the world. (Thursday 8 February | 14:00-15:30 | Free)

In another talk, Female Agents of the Second World War, Dr Kate Vigurs will describe how women of the Special Operations Executive French Section underwent a rigorous training regime for work in enemy occupied France. They were taught all manner of extraordinary things, from silent killing and close combat to mock interrogations and weapons training, in preparation for a life working behind the lines. (Tuesday 20 March |14:00-15:00 | £5)

National Archives webinar

The TNA's first webinar of 2018 delves into Home Office Records. In Riots and Rebellions, Murders and Militias: Exploring the 19^th Century Home Office Records, TNA will explain how researchers can effectively search the 539 series of Home Office records that The National Archives holds, showcasing the unseen material found within them. Fascinating stories include drunken militiamen and rioting Cornish fishermen, to England’s last proper revolution and the records that inspired the film The Suspicions of Mr Witcher. (Thursday 18 January | 18:00-19:00 | Free)

For more what's on, visit the National Archives events programme page.

(Image Crown copyright, courtesy of The National Archives)