Catherine Dibben (1850-1934) rose from a poor Hayling Island childhood to running a successful boarding house and inspiring four generations of women
A Woman of Her Own Making
Author: Natalie Mayhew
Originally a London girl, now living in Rochester, Kent. Fascinated by social history and passionate about equality, diversity and inclusion
Discovering the Missing Mayhew Child
Lily Violet Dorothy Mayhew (1907–1942) vanished from the records as a baby, only to re-emerge as a young woman whose life was shaped by loss, work, and war
The Weight of Silence
A detour through Staffordshire leads to a profound encounter with history, humanity, and remembrance at the National Memorial Arboretum.
Each Name a Story: The Lives Behind a Forgotten War Memorial
Fifteen young men, lost too soon, rediscovered from a forgotten Second World War memorial in Rochester. These are stories of courage, sacrifice, and the people behind the names
Luck of the Irish
Joseph Twohey (c1838–1913) an Irish-born soldier whose career spanned Crimea, India, and near-miraculous survival, honoured with Hayling’s first military funeral
A Ruptured Life
James Twohey (1794-1866) an Irishman who served with the British Army and endured hardship in India before being discharged through injury
A ‘desperate state of things’
Alexander Cameron Brock (1855-1898) a forgotten family story, uncovered through hospital archives, reveals the quiet tragedy of a Victorian doctor lost to mental illness
The Good Mother
Leah Ellen Mayo (1847–1927) a young widow, navigated poverty, prejudice, and impossible choices - then reinvented herself to keep her family together
A Voyage of Controversy
Peter Poulton (1925–2004) sailed aboard HMS Pickle during the historic 1946 voyage that marked the end of Sarawak’s White Rajahs
Witness to surrender: Far East 1945-46
Peter Poulton (1925-2004) left behind photographs and letters that illuminate his wartime experiences in the Far East during and after World War II
