Marconi and Hoffman 1914-1945

On 11th of November. Armistice Day, we welcome Catherine Pearson to our branch for the first time. We started our programme of talks for 2026 with a talk about Munitionettes, those women, and men, who kept the factories working and provided the basis for victory. 

This talk will look at two Essex based companies that were key parts of that victory. By 1914 Marconi was already renown as a leading manufacturer of radio and communication. Hoffman Manufacturing Company made precision ball bearings, that kept the armed forces rolling. How did production meet the Nation’s requirements in not one but two world wars, with both being targets in the second?

Catherine Pearson read History at King's College, London followed by a MA and PhD in Museum Studies at University College London. She is an independent researcher and historian and editor of the journals of museum curator, E.J. Rudsdale (1910-1951). 

She is the author of 'Museums in the Second World War: Curators, Culture and Change' and 'E.J. Rudsdale's Journals of Wartime Colchester' . She is a committee member of Friends of Historic Essex.

This meeting is at The Village Hall, Maldon Road, Hatfield Peverel, CM3 2HP, starting at 8pm. 

Members and non-members of The Western Front Association are equally welcome. Any new visitors are guaranteed a friendly atmosphere and a warm welcome from a group of like-minded enthusiasts