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Interview with Celsa Agosto
Celsa Agosto reminisces about her wartime experiences and talks about a relatively quiet existence, until her father was enlisted. Her neighbourhood was then bombed, and a reprisal stormed the town the day after. After that, Celsa did not return…
Interview with Gavino Pala
Gavino Pala reminisces about his childhood in Sardinia, describing schooling and paramilitary training. He recalls the Alghero bombing on 17 May 1943, explaining how part of the population had left the city the day before and slept among olive trees,…
Interview with Ruta Popika
Ruta Popika was born near the river Nemunas, in what was Lithuania before the war. She remembers her family being forced to move eastwards and westwards from Lithuania according to the changing tides of war. Remembers the occupation of the Baltic…
Interview with Jack Robson
Jack spent a year in the Local Defence Volunteers before he was called up in 1941. He joined the Royal Army Ordnance Corps and became a radar mechanic. He trained in Glasgow on radio for five months and a further two months in Bury on Searchlight…
Interview with Iris McClements. Two
Iris McClements remembers being issued with a gas mask at the age of 11, before the war started. Her family moved to Eldwick when she was about 13 to avoid the bombs. She joined the Women’s Junior Air Corps and recalls being issued with a bucket,…
Interview with Margaret Hodgin
Margaret’s family lived in Fiskerton and her first memory of war time, when she was seven and her brother four, was of her father digging a shelter in the garden. The children would walk or cycle to Reepham school.
Margaret was about eleven when…
Margaret was about eleven when…
Letter to David Donaldson from his father
Catches up with news and family. Mentions three alarms / sirens and guns and some war news.
Fire guard's pocket book pictures, diagrams and tables
![MRennisonJ[Ser#-Dob]-160224-02.pdf](https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/square_thumbnails/1488/30255/MRennisonJ[Ser -Dob]-160224-02.jpg "MRennisonJ[Ser#-Dob]-160224-02.pdf")
Covers first aid, care of stirrup pump, war gases, organisation, duties, equipment, team drills and actions and types of bombs including incendiaries. Concludes with miscellaneous notes.
What a place to be, whilst there was a war on
Ted Neale's account of when he was 18 at the Woolwich Arsenal. He tells of a bombing attack at the factory, which started just as they were leaving at 5pm.
Interview with Dr Marjorie Birch
Dr Marjorie Birch was born and grew up in London. She was evacuated with her younger sister when war was declared. She later trained as a medical student in London. She describes her accommodation opposite Kings Cross Station and the bombing. She…
Interview with Doris Reddish
Doris Reddish attended Sleaford High School followed by commercial college. She worked at Moore, Cooper and Burkett’s in Market Rasen until she joined the Royal Observer Corps. She trained for aircraft recognition in Lincoln then served as a table…
Interview with Bernie Harris. Two
Bernie Harris joined the Air Training Corps and volunteered for the Royal Air Force, joining in April 1943 and training to become an air gunner. He mentions his father serving in the Royal Flying Corps. As a young boy, Bernie witnessed the London…
Interview with Muriel Stoves
Muriel was brought up and went to school in Wolverhampton. From the age of six she had wanted to be a teacher. After high school and training college she became a teacher at Low Hill School, mainly teaching English and religious education. She…
Interview with George Rogers
Summary: George Rogers joined the RAF in 1930 at 16 as an aircraft mechanic. He talks about the build up to war, rationing and the fall of France. George was sent to India with the Royal Navy. Holidays and relaxation are discussed with stories from…
Tom Payne
An autobiography of Tom Payne, mainly pre-war in Hemel Hempstead. At the start of the war he became a fire watcher. His cousin, Vivian Gunning, died in June 1940 whilst flying in a Blenheim. He recalls bombing and low flying German bombers. He joined…
Letter from Ursula Valentine to her husband John Valentine
Writes of daily domestic activities and visits from friends. Mentions financial arrangements with her sister and that she will be able to manage household on RAF money and other income. Catches up with family and baby news. Commiserates over his poor…
Letter from Ursula Valentine to her husband John Valentine
Thanks him for letter and mentions arrival of washing and chocolate. Mentions negotiations about future affordability of gardener and work and crops required on allotment. Providers long discussion over pros and cons for future for gardener and…
Letter from Ursula Valentine to her husband John Valentine
Writes she is sorry he has not heard from her and details letters and parcel she has sent. Asks that he gives his opinion on the way forward with gardener. Relates her daily activities, shopping trips and baby preparations. Provides detailed list of…
Letter from Ursula Valentine to her husband John Valentine
Writes of relation who has gone missing at sea. Mentions she is doing to help interned woman acquaintance who will be coming to stay with her and catches up with family news. Says she will be lady of leisure with gardener, home help and internee…
Letter from Ursula Valentine to her husband John Valentine
Writes of successful shopping expedition and getting oranges, tomatoes, chocolate and cigarettes. Continues with news of savings group and what she is reading. Mentions other domestic matters and housekeeping expenses. Catches up with family and baby…
Letter from Ursula Valentine to her husband John Valentine
Reports arrival of parcel with socks, chocolate, sweets and honey. Mentions filling out form for billeting office providing particulars of people living in house and hopes they will not have anyone billeted with her. Continues with news of her…
Letter from Ursula Valentine to her husband John Valentine
Writes that she has just seen film Target for Tonight which she found real and vivid. Mentions seeing a colleague of his in sergeants uniform and pilots wings. Talks of books and Christmas presents. Reports seeing newsreel of Churchill's meeting with…
Letter from Ursula Valentine to her husband John Valentine
Writes that she has been billeted and that she is very disappointed and cut up about him not getting a commission. Hopes that he might be chosen for specialised training on strength of his navigation results and get another chance of a commission.…
Letter from Ursula Valentine to her husband John Valentine
Writes about putting up air raid shelter and how they will use it. Continues with news of daily activities and mentions putting advert in paper for daily help.
Letter from Ursula Valentine to her husband John Valentine
Writes of daily activities and Mrs Stenzel's jam making. mentions savings scheme and cost of armoured piecing bombs. Continues with more gossip of her and family activities and concludes with comment on his smoking.