New Website Explores Migration History



The last 200 years of Caribbean, Irish, Jewish and South Asian migration to

England are explored on a new interactive website, 'Moving Here',

http://www.movinghere.org.uk , which was launched on

30 July at London's City Hall.



'Moving Here' makes over 150,000 digitised sources from 30 museums,

libraries and archives in England available online for the first time.  You

can download free scans of original documents and images such as:

        *       selected Asian and Caribbean ships' passenger lists,

including the SS Empire Windrush, searchable by name

        *       playwright Brendan Behan's correspondence to the Home

Secretary requesting permission to return to England following his IRA

conviction

        *       Internees Index: Internees at Liberty in UK - records

detailing Jewish refugees granted asylum between 1939 and 1942, searchable

by name Interviews with Caribbean RAF pilots from WW2

        *       extensive records, including correspondence from Gandhi,

charting the struggle for Indian independence

        *       rare photographs of slaves onboard a ship from 1869



You can read about the history of migration to England, get guidance on

tracing your family history, send images as e-postcards and contribute your

own stories of migration to the website. 



Trevor Phillips, Chair of the Commission for Racial Equality, said:

"England has a long history of immigration and I commend 'Moving Here' and

The National Archives on creating a website which recognises and celebrates

the contribution of immigrants to all sections of our society."



Sarah Tyacke, Chief Executive of The National Archives, said: "'Moving Here'

is a step forward because for the first time all this material has been

digitised so that you can see it in your living room.  Archives are moving

away from their 'dusty and musty' image by making these documents available

at the click of a mouse."



Historian Simon Schama said:

"It's a TERRIFIC idea, both moving and important."



Sam Walker, Director of the Black Cultural Archives, said: " 'Moving Here'

is another in a long list of activities which is helping to dispel the myth

which requires the absence of Black people in British history.  Black

Cultural Archives is proud to be part of this illuminating and very

necessary project."

Chandan Mahal, Diversity Manager at the Museum of London, said: "People

don't realise how much material about their communities is stored away in

museums and archives.  When I have gone into community groups and been able

to show them images of the Asian lascars in the Docks and the Asian

suffragettes on the 'Moving Here' website they get really excited".



Sarah Jilings, Curator of Collections of the Jewish Museum, London said:

"'Moving Here' is a unique online resource for Jewish people to explore

their heritage and draw parallels with the experiences of other immigrant

communities. It has brought together a wonderful array of sources from

collections across the country, many of which would otherwise be

inaccessible, to provide a detailed picture of Jewish community life."



Alison Taylor, of the Luton Museum Service, said: "Through 'Moving Here' we

gained important new information on the history of the Luton Irish

community, and the community has gained greater recognition for its

contribution to the town." 



'Moving Here' is funded by the New Opportunities Fund.  Further material

will be added to the site by the end of September.



-Ends-



Notes for Editors:

*       For press enquiries, images, or to attend the launch at 2:15pm on 30

July at London's City Hall, please contact Clea Relly or Jaclyn Boshoff at

The National Archives Press Office on 020 8392 5277 or e-mail

[log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]>



*       The National Archives http://www.nationlarchives.gov.uk is the lead partner on "Moving Here" and

the central "Moving Here" team is based at the offices in Kew.  The National

Archives museum and research rooms are open to the public 6 days a week.  It

holds over 1000 years of documents including sources for family history

research.  The National Archives was created in April 2003 when the Public

Record Office and the Historic Manuscripts Commission came together to form

one organisation.   



        *       The Moving Here partner organisations are: Birmingham City

Archives; Black Cultural Archives; Bradford Heritage Unit; British Library;

Croydon Museum & Heritage Service;   Hackney Museum;   Haringey Museum and

Archive Service (incorporating Bruce Castle Museum);  Hull City Archives;

Imperial War Museum;  Jewish Museum, London;   Lancashire Record Office;

Leeds Museums & Galleries;   Liverpool Record Office;   London Metropolitan

Archives;   London School of Economics;   Luton Museum Service;   Manchester

Central Library;   Manchester Jewish Museum; Museum of London;   The

National Archives;   National Maritime Museum;   North West Film Archive;

Oxfordshire Museums;   Public Record Office of Northern Ireland;   Royal

Geographical Society; Tower Hamlets Local History Library and Archives;

Victoria & Albert Museum;   Walsall Local History Centre;   Wandsworth

Museum and Local History Service;   West Yorkshire Archive Service 



* http://www.EnrichUK.net is a gateway to the collection of websites like

http://www.movinghere.org.uk supported with National Lottery money by the New

Opportunities Fund. Their contents range across the very best in culture,

history, art, science, and social and economic development of England,

Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales and make a major contribution to

lifelong learning.



* The New Opportunities Fund is the biggest of the National Lottery good

cause distributors, providing Lottery funding for health, education and

environment projects across the UK, with a particular focus on improving

quality of life, particularly in disadvantaged communities. To date the New

Opportunities Fund has committed over £2 billion in funding to schemes

across the UK. The Fund supports sustainable projects that will:



*       Improve the quality of life of people throughout the UK

*       Address the needs of those who are most disadvantaged in society

*       Encourage community participation

*        Complement relevant local and national strategies and programmes



Funding for programmes is divided between England, Scotland, Northern

Ireland and Wales on the basis of population weighted to reflect levels of

deprivation.  



Further information about New Opportunities Fund can be accessed at

http://www.nof.org.uk:  Press Office 020 7211 1888; email

[log in to unmask] ;

Out of hours media line 07867 500572.



++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Note: The material contained in this communication comes to you from the

Forced Migration Discussion List which is moderated by the Refugee Studies

Centre (RSC), University of Oxford. It does not necessarily reflect the

views of the RSC or the University. If you re-print, copy, archive or

re-post this message please retain this disclaimer. Quotations or extracts

should include attribution to the original sources.