In order to perpetuate Di Harding's name the Di Harding Awards are given annually to the authors of the best articles submitted by members and published in the Society's Journal.
The Awards are given based an articles appearing in the four Journals in a calendar year. 2009 was the first year of the award, Di having passed away in December 2008. (see Obituary).
The Awards consist of three prizes and are judged by the previous year's Award winners:
1st Prize 3 years’ free subscriptions
2nd prize 2 years’ free subscriptions
3rd prize 1 years’ free subscription
The Awards are announced in December of the qualifying year and published in the following (February) journal.
Members do not need to apply for consideration of the Awards as qualifying articles are automatically entered for selection by the Journal Editor.
Terms and conditions do apply and can be read here.
As a former Editor of the Journal, we hope that Di Harding (1950 - 2008) would have approved of this initiative to perpetuate her name.
Award Winners
2024
First: Anthony LAVERS (IWFHS Member: 6282)
Wins 3 years' free subscription For his article “From the Isle of Wight to the USA - LAVERS Emigrants” which was published in the November Journal
Second: Steve STOTESBURY (IWFHS Member: 3664)
Wins 2 years' free subscription for his article “Unravelling the Identity of Willam SALTER's Families” which was published in the May Journal
Third: Tony EWEN (IWFHS Member: 34)
Wins a year's free subscription for his article “Story of the ODELL and MEW Families of Barton Village” which was published in the November Journal
2023
First: Simon LININGTON (IWFHS Member: 6141)
Wins 3 years' free subscription For his article “From Chale to St Helena in the 1840s” which was published in the February Journal
Second: Coreene KENNEDY (IWFHS Member: 2902)
Wins 2 years' free subscription for her article “Alfred Peter ‘Ranji’ HOLSINGER and Ryde Cricket Club” which was published in the August Journal
Third: Ian ROACH (IWFHS Member: 1415)
Wins a year's free subscription for his article “Isle of Wight Forest Tree Project ” which was published in the August Journal
2022
First: Keith HAINES (IWFHS Member: 6802)
Wins 3 years' free subscription For his article “The Multifarious Descendants of Rev Wetenhall SNEYD” which was published in the August Journal (pages 51-58)
Second: Lorraine COOKE (IWFHS Member: 6416)
Wins 2 years' free subscription for her article “My Dad’s Ryde” which was published in the May Journal (pages 49-54)
Third: Tony MILES-PROUTEN (IWFHS Member: 3137)
Wins a year's free subscription for his article “Four Drowned off Mill Bay, Ventnor” which was published in the August Journal (pages 32-36)
2021
First: Melodie WOODFORD and Glen MATTHEWS (IWFHS Members: 3312)
WIn 3 years' free subscription for their article, “In Search of AYLIFFEs” which was published in the May Journal on pages 18-24.
Second: Dr Steve STOTEBURY (IWFHS Member: 3664)
Wins 2 years' free subscription for his article, “Martha Knight HAYWARD: an investigation” which was published in the February Journal on pages 26-31.
Third: José GIBBS (IWFHS Member:1270)
Wins a year's free subscription for her article, “A Prisoner of the Great War” which was published in the February Journal on pages 49-53.
2020
First: Hilary Lloyd (IWFHS Member: 14)
Wins £50 plus a year's free subscription for her article "Admiral Thomas Wren CARTER" which appeared in the May Journal.
Second: Alan DINNIS (IWFHS Member: 1350)
Wins £25 plus a year's free subscription for his article, "Grandpa HAYES, CLIP and His Seagoing Career" which appeared in the August journal.
Third: Lesley ABRAHAM (IWFHS Member:540)
Wins £10 plus a year's free subscription for her article, "Kite Hill House" which appeared in the August and November journals. Part 3 appears in the February 2021 Journal.
All three winners have kindly offered their prizes back to the society - we shall use these funds to buy books for the Heritage Resource Centre.
2019
First: Barry ATWOOD (IWFHS Member: 3213)
Wins £50 plus a year's free subscription for his article "The Cooper Family and Wootton Bridge Tide Mill" which appeared in the November Journal (pages 37-43).
Second: Melodie WOODFORD and Glen MATTHEWS (IWFHS Members: 3312)
Win £25 plus a year's free subscription for their article, "A Brush with Fame" which appeared in the February journal (pages 22-25).
Third: Kay DEVONSHIRE (IWFHS Member: 0166)
Wins £10 plus a year's free subscription for her article, "Red Hair" which appeared in the November journal (pages 31-34).
2018
First : Tony EWEN (IWFHS Member: 0034)
who wins £50 plus a year's free subscription for his article "Lieutenant Henry George HARDING MC 1877–1917" which appeared in the November Journal (pages 21-28).
Second : Hilary LLOYD (IWFHS Member: 0014)
who wins £25 plus a year's free subscription for her article, "Ellen CANTELO – Artist and Photographer" which appeared in the May journal (pages 36-43).
Third : Sarah IRWIN-DAVIS (IWFHS Member: 3525)
who wins £10 plus a year's free subscription for her article, "An Action at Niergnies, France - October 1918" which appeared in the August journal (pages 56-58).
All three winners have kindly offered their prizes back to the society - we shall use these funds to buy books for the Heritage Resource Centre.
2017
First : Mr Graham TAYLOR (IWFHS Member: 3138)
who wins £50 plus a year's free subscription "Beyond the Nunnery Wall" which appeared in the November Journal (pages 17-22). Graham has kindly offered the prize back to the society - we shall use these funds to buy books for the Heritage Resource Centre.
Graham Taylor passed away on 21st July 2021
Second : Melodie WOODFORD (IWFHS Member: 3312)
who wins £25 plus a year's free subscription for her article, "A Place to Rest Your Head - Pinhorn Cottage, Calbourne" which appeared in the May journal pages 35-41.
Third : Rosemary COOPER (IWFHS Member: 2545)
who wins £10 plus a year's free subscription for her article, "Tom Tuffley's Schooldays" which appeared in the August journal pages 49-53.
2016
First : Mr John McCONKEY (IWFHS Member: 2195)
who wins £50 plus a year's free subscription for his article, "75th Anniversary of SS Portsdown sinking" which appeared in the November journal pages 39-45.
Second : Dr Kevin TOWNER (IWFHS Member: 3173)
who wins £25 plus a year's free subscription for his article, "A Nautical Life - Frank OSBORNE" which appeared in the February journal pages 13-18.
Third : Mrs Laraine JASPERS (IWFHS Member: 2830)
who wins £10 plus a year's free subscription for her article, "The VALLENDERs and COOPERs of Cowes" which appeared in the November journal pages 51-55.
2015
First : Mrs Angela Woodford SHERRY (IWFHS Member: 0279)
who wins £50 plus a year's free subscription for her article, "Fred Furmidge – a Barnardo’s Boy" which appeared in the February journal pages 44-51.
Second : Mr Gordon CHILDS (IWFHS Member: 1073)
who wins £25 plus a year's free subscription for his article, "Sergeant Major Edward Cotton" which appeared in the May journal pages 48-50.
Third : Mr Graham TAYLOR (IWFHS Member: 3138)
who wins £10 plus a year's free subscription for his article, "The Sam Browne Belt" which appeared in the November journal pages 38-40.
All three winners also received a free subscription to the IWFHS for 2016.
Graham Taylor passed away on 21st July 2021
2014
First : Mrs Biddy SHEPHARD (IWFHS Member: 1296)
who wins £50 plus a year's free subscription for her article, "The Eventful Life of an Island Man" which appeared in the May journal pages 21-24.
Second : Mr Louis LEHMANN (IWFHS Member: 2293)
who wins £25 plus a year's free subscription for his article, "Exploring Genealogical Fantasy" which appeared in the May journal pages 25-31.
Third : Mr Fred ATKEY (IWFHS Member: 0906)
who wins £10 plus a year's free subscription for his article, "Pascall ATKEY and the East India Company" which appeared in the November journal pages 35-40. Fred Atkey passed away on 29th August 2016 aged 90.
All three winners also received a free subscription to the IWFHS for 2015.
2013
First : Graham TAYLOR (IWFHS Member: 3138)
who wins £50 plus a year's free subscription for his article "For King and Country" which appeared in 2 parts - in the February 2013 Journal on pages 49-53, and the May 2013 Journal on pages 19-22.
Graham Taylor passed away on 21st July 2021
Second : Terry BRIDGER (IWFHS Member: 0322)
who wins £25 plus a year's free subscription for her article "Beyond Reasonable Doubt" which appeared in 4 parts - in the May, August, and November Journals.
Third : Patricia JONES (IWFHS Member: 2980)
who wins £10 plus a year's free subscription for her article "John Coombes (1842-1922) Ryde Ruffian" which appeared in the August Journal on pages 48-54.
All three winners also received a free subscription to the IWFHS for 2014.
2012
First : Brian GREENING (IWFHS Member: 3171)
who wins £50 plus a year's free subscription for his article "The Mystery of John COCKRAM" which appeared in the May Journal on pages 51-54.
Brian Greening died in 2020.
Second: Peter STALLARD (IWFHS Member: 2144)
who wins £25 plus a year's free subscription for his article "A Sad Tale" which appeared in the August Journal on pages 39-40.
Third: Denis KELLAWAY (IWFHS Member: 2453)
who wins £10 plus a year's free subscription for his article "The KELLAWAY Line to a PERKINS Past" which appeared in the August Journal on pages 41-46.
All three winners also received a free subscription to the IWFHS for 2013.
2011
1st prize of £50 goes to Rosemary Cooper (2545)
for her article "My Grandfather's Diary" published in the May journal (No. 101).
2nd prize of £25 goes to Edna Rowland (3097)
for her article "Henry Simpkins and Sarah Denness" published in the November journal (No. 103).
3rd prize of £10 goes to Val Stuart (2211)
for her article "The Londoners - the Corney Family" published in the November journal (No. 103).
All three winners also received a free subscription to the IWFHS for 2012.
2010
1. "Skeletons in the Cupboard", by Catriona Williamson
Journal No. 96 – Membership No. 2794
2. "What Happened in 1488?", by George Legge
Journal No. 98 – Membership No. 1919.
It is with regret that we have to inform you that Dr George James Ferguson Legge sadly passed away on 14th December 2013 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia aged 81.
3. "From An Islander", by Judith Tollman
Journal No. 97 – Membership No. 2074
All three winners also received a free subscription to the IWFHS for 2012.
2009
1. "Working Life in the 15th to 17th Centuries", by Susan Graczer, Journal No. 95 - Membership No. 1958
Susan Graczer passed away on 18th April 2015 in Bay of Islands, New Zealand. She was 73.
2. "The RANN Family of the Isle of Wight", by Kate Burhouse, Journal No. 95, Membership No. 2566
3. "Twice Married", by Barbara Starmans, Journal No. 95, Membership No. 2237
Kate Burhouse (right) receives her award from Di Harding's mother, Mrs Janette Dixon, at the New Year's Luncheon on 31 January 2010.
The Chairman (at that time) Janet Griffin is in the background.