FIBIS Blog

FIBIS Conference 2021

FIBIS Conference 2021 – Mark Your Calendars!

05 Jul | News,

The FIBIS Conference 2021 runs from 13.00 on Friday 24 September, until 13.00 on Sunday 26 September at the Mercure Oxford Hawkwell House Hotel ****
Delegates have access to all lectures and in addition we are planning some smaller-scale activities, details to be published nearer the date.
Booking options include overnight and day attendance, across the weekend.

Speakers at the FIBIS Conference

Patrick Scully

Welcome address
FIBIS Chairman Pat Scully will open and close the event, and welcome visitors each day. Now that he has retired, Pat has finally found the time to pursue his family history research: India and his birthplace in Amritsar shortly after Partition, and Burma, where he also lived. Pat is fascinated by all things Burmese.

Jan Leeming

After-dinner speaker interviews
Jan Leeming’s family ties to India date back to the 18th century and at our last conference she entertained us with recollections of recent visits and involvement with the ‘Real Marigold Hotel’. Her career encompasses news-reading, acting, reality shows, documentaries, presenting, voice-overs, writing, and music events across the world. She also actively supports various charities in Britain and is a Freeman of the City of London. For this event Jan will use her interview skills to move the focus from the subject to the speaker.

Margot Finn

The East India Company at Home Research Project: Collaboration and Co-Production
Margot Finn co-managed an ambitious research project to examine effects and influences brought back to England by some of those who travelled the East with the East India Company among others. Contributors included many independent researchers and also the National Trust. The resulting conference produced a fascinating closer look at some famous, and some less famous, English homes and experiences, at correspondence, even at shopping! Margot is currently Professor at University College London, specialising in topics relating to British colonial and imperial history.

Tom Harper

Introducing the India Office Maps Collection of the British Library
Tom Harper, a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, is the British Library’s lead curator of antiquarian mapping, co-curated the exhibitions ‘Magnificent Maps’ (2010), and ‘Lines in the ice: seeking the Northwest Passage (2014), and led the 2016-17 exhibition Maps & the 20th Century: Drawing the Line. His talk introduces us to the India Office collection, comparing it to contemporary collections, examining the maps’ uses originally by the administration and now by researchers, and looking at future possible uses for the material.

Richard Morgan

The Dutch East Indies
Richard Morgan was a FIBIS trustee for many years and a regular adviser at FIBIS events. From his own extensive research he has produced three FIBIS publications, including the research guide on shipping in Indian waters. He has also contributed articles for the FIBIS and BACSA journals and Family Tree Magazine, and edited Diary of a Cavalry Officer. Many of us wonder or speculate about other East India Companies; Richard will speak about the Dutch East India Company. He will also run the open forum/panel session that opens the conference and offer individual research guidance.

Sue Paul

A Most Notorious, Naughty, False, Lying Fellow: A Global Back Sheep or Maligned Character? Two views of Henry Smith. Which would you include in your family history?
Now retired after many years in IT project management, experienced family historian Sue ‘discovered’ Captain Thomas Bowrey whilst researching her own one-name study, sparking her own interest in the East Indies. She is a founder member of an active writing group and speaks to family history and other groups on several subjects.

Harry Smee

Gunpowder and Glory: something of the life and achievements of Frank Brock
Harry Smee is an engaging speaker who will tell us something of the many careers of Frank Brock, a man of exceptional ability, with a brilliant mind, quick to analyse and solve problems. Frank was born into a family involved in fireworks and designing spectacular displays, guaranteed to impress the crowds attending official events, such as the 1911 Coronation Durbar display. One talk is not enough to do justice to the breadth of the man’s achievements.

Hedley Sutton

Plain Tales from the Archive
A skilled and knowledgeable historian first and foremost, and presently the Enquiries Team Manager at the Asian and African Studies reading room at the British Library, Hedley Sutton has helped many of us to access and find our way around the records on site. He regularly helps enquirers world-wide on a wide range of family history questions. He also contributes occasionally to the British Library’s blog ‘Untold Lives’. He has kindly supported our previous conferences, with specialist talks and with individual research support.

Mike Tickner

Sustain to Victory
Mike Tickner’s research on the Indian Army, particularly the Burma campaign and the final years before independence, supports his regular talks to military groups, museums and civilian clubs and he has also led battlefield tours to the Far East. His talk lays bare the severe challenges involved in re-supplying the 14th Army in Burma and describes how these were eventually overcome.

Christian Wolmar

Railways and the Raj: How the Age of Steam Transformed India
Christian Wolmar’s many achievements include award-winning writer, journalist, broadcaster, transport historian and political campaigner. Railways and the Raj, published 2017, tells the epic story of the British construction of railways in India and reveals the full story, from their very beginnings to the present, examining the chequered role they have played in Indian history and the creation of today’s modern state.

FIBIS Conference Activities

  • Discussion groups
  • Panel session
  • Delegates’ questions put to our panel
  • Special interest Groups
  • Small, informal discussion run by delegates
  • 1:1 Expert Advice
  • Individual help and surgery sessions
  • 1:1 Online Search help
  • On-site access to major providers
  • Displays
  • Reference area
  • Independent viewing
  • Photographs
  • Add to our FIBIS gallery
  • Maps
  • Indicate your area of interest
  • Research Materials
  • Case studies; further sources
  • Books
  • Sale of FIBIS & speakers’ books
  • Authors’ book-signing sessions
  • Workshops small groups

FIBIS experts offer help on *

FIBIS Website
Navigating the site
Using or adding to the WIKI or Gallery
Using the FIBIS members’ area
* Subject to delegate interest and expert availability

Research
Identifying sources and working round a brick wall
Railway topics
Prize draw, Raffle, Competitions
Prizes to be presented at the Saturday night dinner

BUY TICKETS

BOOKING OPTIONS – DESCRIPTION AND RATES

Rates shown are for FIBIS member / non-member

BOOKING OPTIONS are listed in the following order:

NON RETURNABLE DEPOSIT

PAY BALANCE – for the range of options listed below
FULL COST for the range of options listed below
DAY DELEGATES (Day attendance only – no accommodation)
Please read our cancellation policy for details of cancellation and refund conditions.

NON RETURNABLE DEPOSIT PER PERSON
£50 member or non-member

You may pay an initial holding deposit of £50 per person. This deposit is non-refundable.
Please state, when booking, which option you want to reserve.
To convert the deposit to a full booking, please choose PAY BALANCE for the option that you wish to book.
Full payment will be required by 16 August 2021.
Please refer to our cancellation policy for details of cancellation and refund conditions.

PAY BALANCE
This is the amount due if you have paid a deposit. (The prices listed below less £50 deposit payment.)

OPTIONS WITH OVERNIGHT ACCOMMODATION

FULL CONFERENCE – FRIDAY-SATURDAY-SUNDAY

DETAILS
Price per person includes afternoon refreshments and dinner on Friday, accommodation on Friday and Saturday nights, breakfast, morning refreshments, lunch, and afternoon refreshments on Saturday, Gala Dinner on Saturday evening, breakfast and morning refreshments on Sunday morning; as well as all lectures and workshops held on Friday afternoon, all day Saturday and Sunday morning.

COST PER PERSON

SINGLE £345 member / £365 non member
TWIN / DOUBLE £245 member / £265 non-member
Twin/double room: Please complete one booking form for each person sharing the room.

FRIDAY-SATURDAY ATTENDANCE

DETAILS
Price per person includes afternoon refreshments and dinner on Friday, accommodation on Friday night, breakfast and morning refreshments on Saturday morning; lunch, afternoon refreshments on Saturday; as well as all lectures and workshops held on Friday afternoon and all day on Saturday.

COST PER PERSON

SINGLE £195 member / £215 non-member
TWIN / DOUBLE £150 member / £170 non-member
Twin/double room: Please complete one booking form for each person sharing the room.

SATURDAY-SUNDAY ATTENDANCE

DETAILS
Price per person includes morning refreshments, lunch, afternoon refreshments and Gala Dinner on Saturday, accommodation on Saturday night, breakfast and morning refreshments on Sunday morning; as well as all lectures and workshops held all day on Saturday and Sunday morning.

COST PER PERSON

SINGLE £195 member / £215 non-member
TWIN / DOUBLE £150 member / £170 non-member
Twin / double room: Please complete one booking form for each person sharing the room.

DAY DELEGATE OPTIONS : no accommodation

FRIDAY AFTERNOON ATTENDANCE

DETAILS
Price per person is for Friday afternoon and includes refreshments on arrival and during the afternoon; and all lectures and workshops.

COST PER PERSON
£25 member / £30 non-member

SATURDAY ONLY ATTENDANCE

DETAILS
Price per person includes morning coffee, lunch and afternoon refreshments as well as all lectures and workshops on the day.

COST PER PERSON
£45 member / £50 non-member

SUNDAY MORNING ATTENDANCE

DETAILS
Price per person is for Sunday morning and includes tea or coffee on arrival, refreshments during the morning; and access to all the lectures and workshops.

COST PER PERSON
£25 member/ £30 non-member

FRIDAY, SATURDAY and SUNDAY ATTENDANCE

DETAILS
Price per person includes refreshments on arrival and during the afternoon on Friday, refreshments on arrival, morning coffee, lunch and afternoon refreshments on Saturday, refreshments on arrival and morning coffee on Sunday; as well as all lectures and workshops on all three days.

COST PER PERSON
£85 member / £105 non-member

IMPORTANT – PLEASE READ
CANCELLATION AND REFUND CONDITIONS
Non-refundable Deposit or amount paid will be repaid in full if FIBIS should cancel the Conference.
Otherwise, the cancellation policy depends on when the notice of cancellation is received.
On or before 11 July 2021: For cancellation notices/refund requests submitted by midnight 11 July 2021 there will be a full refund of all registration fees and all additional charges, less a £50 administration fee.
Between 12 July and 16 August 2021: there will be a 50% refund less £50 administration fee.
After 16 August 2021 there will be no refund made.
You will understand that we have incurred obligations to others based upon your registration, so please ensure that you have adequate holiday/travel insurance to cover the eventuality that you may have to cancel for any reason.
There will be no exceptions to the cancellation/refund policy.

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