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Interview with Gino Muratori
Gino Muratori (b. 1929) recollects three Rimini bombings that occurred in November 1944, one of which was aimed at the Ausa river bridge. He mentions his grandmother losing two relatives when their boarding house was destroyed, and recalls how, on 26…
Interview with Giovanni Delfino
Giovanni Delfino was first evacuated to the Cremona area, where he could see the glow of the distant bombings. He then came back to Milan, only to witness a bomb nearly missing his house and killing factory workers. He describes the gruesome sight of…
Mary Brophy at Middle Rasen
Mary Brophy, in summer dress, is sitting on a brick wall; behind the wall is a hedge and tree in full foliage and in front of the wall a grass verge. Mary Brophy remained in the village after the war to go to grammar school. Captioned 'Mary Brophy.…
Interview with Enrica Mariani
Enrica Mariani recollects her wartime experiences in Milan: her brother dying of bronchitis after spending too much time in the shelter and her father working in an armaments factory; the aggressive fascist militiamen and the long hours she spent in…
Interview with Hubert Draegert
Hubert Draegert remembers his wartime experiences, first in Berlin and then as an evacuee at his uncle’s farm near Wroclaw. He mentions the bombing of the Berlin State Opera and the repeated efforts made to rebuild the gutted building. He remembers…
Interview with Jim Wright. One
Jim Wright was born in 1932. He was evacuated from West Ham during the Second World War, along with his mother and two brothers. His father joined the Royal Air Force as an Observer Bomb Aimer with 207 Squadron. His aircraft was shot down over…
Interview with Harold Beech. Two
Harold Beech could see the activity of several airfields and witnessed stricken aircraft flying back to stations near his home. He also witnessed a crash and describes how he hid in a Lancaster, with the help of the engineer who was billeted with his…
Interview with Dr Marjorie Birch
This interview was carried out when Dr Birch was 91 years old and she describes her experiences of the German bombing raids and her medical training in London.
Dr Birch was born near London in 1924. Her father had served in the Royal Flying Corps…
Dr Birch was born near London in 1924. Her father had served in the Royal Flying Corps…
Interview with Joan Raettig
Joan Raettig (nee McGuire) was born in Hull and was evacuated to Scarborough when she was 14, the day before war broke out. She experienced the bombing of Hull and spent nearly two years sleeping in an air raid shelter, due to the frequency of the…
Interview with Sheena Staves
During the war Sheena lived in Cottingham, a village close to Hull. She lived with her mother and father (who was a fire watcher and had fought in the Far East during WWI). She had two elder brothers, one in the Navy and one in the Royal Air Force,…
Interview with Edith Taylor
Edith Taylor (née Tate) grew up in Manchester and experienced the bombing of Manchester. When the war started, Edith, her mother and two siblings, were evacuated to Leek. Edith and her brother were separated from her mother and sister. They had two…
Interview with Jim Wright. Two
John Wright was born in 1932. He was evacuated from West Ham during the war, along with his mother and two brothers. His father joined the Royal Air Force as an Observer Bomb Aimer with 207 Squadron. His aircraft was shot down over Switzerland on…
Interview with Wolfgang Jähnichen
Wolfgang Jähnichen recalls being a five-year-old boy in Dresden at the time of the 13 February 1945 bombing. He gives a vivid account of the attack and recounts various episodes: the time spent with his mother in the cellar used as air raid shelter;…
Interview with Tito Samorè
Tito Samorè recalls wartime memories in Milan, when he was a member of the Balilla youth organisation. He remembers the outbreak of war and its announcement on the radio. Tito describes the first bombing of Milan in 1940, stressing how easy it was…
An interesting war
Memoir of the life of Arthur Spencer. Includes details of childhood and growing up. Continues with his joining the Royal Air Force and his training in the United States as a pilot and then navigator. Followed by training in England and then posting…
Interview with Alberto Buvoli
Alberto Buvoli recalls his wartime childhood in Udine, where he lived in the railway station area. He describes how furniture was moved to a safer place at the onset of the war and explains air raid precautions, such as leaving the windows open and…
Interview with Nino Tenca Montini
Nino Tenca Montini reminisces about his wartime experiences in Udine and the Friuli region. He describes the family shelter as a concrete reinforced basement, sparsely furnished with wooden benches. He recalls the urge to escape the vigilance of…
Interview with Speranza Piras
Speranza Piras reminisces about the Alghero bombing on 17 May 1943 and her subsequent life as an evacuee. She describes daily life in wartime; German occupation; anti-aircraft fire; hardships; the black market; and different anecdotes about enlisted…
Interview with Alessandro Samorè
Alessandro Samorè recalls his early life in Milan, Domodossa, Portofino, and Santa Margherita Ligure. He also gives details of life in youth fascist organisations, playing with homemade fireworks, and attempts to assemble an improvised scuba gear.…
Interview with Giovanni Oderda
Giovanni Oderda recalls the Dogliani bombing on 8 September 1943. He claims that the town was hit because partisans shaved a fascist woman; after the attack Giovanni and his family left the town. He and his brothers ended up in the partisan ranks…
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 Sandro Boiocchi
Sandro Boiocchi remembers wartime memories at Travacò, in the Pavia area and mentions various episodes: food shortages; the black market; fascist and German roundups; Pippo flying at night; bombing of bridges; giving shelter to evacuees.He tells how…
Interview with Guido Toccacieli
Guido Toccaceri remembers his wartime experiences as a schoolboy in Milan: the day war broke out; food shortages; his father working at an airfield near Bergamo; train strafing; basements used as makeshift shelters; being evacuated outside Milan,…
Interview with Lidia Vendramin
Lidia Vendramin recalls her childhood in Sacile, including details on her primary schooling, family, and town life. She contrasts the public manifestations of joy the day the war was declared, with the shock and dismay of her parents, whose lives had…
Interview with a survivor of the Cordenons bombings (informant A)
The interviewee recalls her wartime years at Cordenons, from the day the outbreak of the war was announced on the radio. She describes how she anticipated the air raid siren with a mixture of elation and fear, being somewhat eager to skip school. She…