Discover Your Wartime Relatives at Verdant Works

Anyone keen to find out more about the daily lives of their parents, grandparents or great-grandparents during the Second World War, should go along to Verdant Works on Bank Holiday Monday.

On Monday, May 3, Verdant Works will be taking a fond look at life in Dundee during the 1940s with a Jute and Jitterbugging day – and, for those keen to find out about their wartime relatives, a team from Tayroots will be providing advice to anyone researching their family tree. 

At the Jute and Jitterbugging day, Tayroots, organisers of the Angus & Dundee Roots Festival, and Tay Valley Family History Society will be providing information about where to go to discover the facts about families with links to the local area - with a particular slant on finding out more about ancestors from the not-so-distant past. 

“In order to provide as much help as possible, we’ll be taking along a selection of excellent resources which relate to this period of time,” said John Irvine, Chair of Tay Valley Family History Society. “As a result, our expert team of volunteer genealogists should be able to advise anyone specifically looking for relatives from the days of the First or Second World Wars, including suggesting helpful websites.” 

Ancestral history is only one of the activities being featured at Verdant Works on May 3. “Stepping through the factory gates at Verdant Works on Bank Holiday Monday will be like stepping back in time,” said Brian Kelly, Education Officer at Verdant Works. 

“We’re going to have live swing music from local band Havana Swing,1940s dance lessons and demonstrations, as well as chances to handle wartime artefacts and dress up in the outfits of the day. In addition, wartime vehicles and personnel will be in attendance, along with an ARP warden providing training sessions on what to do if there’s an air raid.” 

For more information about Tayroots, visit www.tayroots.com