Research Sources
When invited as a guest to be part of the SPH and you later become an associate, you will have access to a wealth of knowledge, expertise and resources to help you with your collecting. This knowledge is freely shared between everyone as are indeed helpful resources which are not the exclusive domain of the Society. Here we share our growing list of useful online resources.
| Site | URL | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Websites in General | ||
| The British Library, London | https://www.bl.uk | The index is searchable but a reader’s ticket is required to request books. The ticket is free with the appropriate identification. |
| The National Archives, Kew, London. | https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk | The index is searchable and some documents can be downloaded free, others are charged and others are not yet digitised but can be seen at Kew. |
| Maritime Archives | http://www.maritimearchives.co.uk | Books, Boxes & Boats - Maritime & Historical Research Service |
| PEOPLE | ||
| Genealogy | https://www.findmypast.co.uk | British Births, Deaths, Marriages, Census 1851 – 1911 and digitised Newspapers. Travel and migration, Military service. British and some commonwealth data. Free search, subscription for details. |
| War Graves Commission | https://www.cwgc.org | War dead of WW1 and WW2. Free access. |
| British Service records | https://www.forces-war-records.co.uk | Free search, subscription for details. |
| DNB Dictionary of National Biography | https://www.oxforddnb.com | Searchable site, subscription for details, but accessible with Local Library card. appears to be all UK libraries |
| Newspapers, Gazettes & Documents | ||
| British Newspapers | http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk | From the British Library. Free search, subscription for details. |
| Singapore + Malaya Newspapers | https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/ | Search, on key words and date ranges. Free access. |
| The Times Digital Archive | https://www.thetimes.co.uk/archive/ | Available free via many local libraries, or by direct subscription. |
| New Zealand newspapers | https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz | Free website – also includes mail notices and shipping notices. |
| Australian newspapers | https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper | Free website. |
| Hong Kong Government reports | http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkgro/index.jsp | Covers 1842-1941. Free access. |
| University of Leicester | http://specialcollections.le.ac.uk/digital/collection/p16445coll4 | Special collection of Directories. Free. |
| Danish newspapers | http://www2.statsbiblioteket.dk/mediestream/avis | (includes St.Thomas') |
| New York Times | https://www.nytimes.com/search/ | Free search facility subscription for details + full articles |
| Alta California (San Francisco) | https://cdnc.ucr.edu/ | Good for shipping data 19th century |
| Hathi Trust | https://www.hathitrust.org/ | A fantastic collection of documents including old Navy Lists for the RN, various State Papers etc |
| Philatelic Organisations | ||
| The Federation of European Philatelic Associations | https://fepanews.com/ | A website brings you the latest news about European Philately as well as the FEPA news magazine, published twice a year. Also, there is information on forthcoming exhibitions, as well as links to the national organisations who are members of FEPA. |