The MEMORIES project was set up to allow people - of ALL countries -
to describe what happened to them in their everyday lives during the
1940s. We encourage children to ask their grandparents about those
times and to submit their short stories, and also to ask questions
about other peoples stories that they read there. We particularly
welcome stories from the Eastern European Republics and the occupied
countries of Europe.
The period is one that contains a wealth of important social detail;
absent sons and fathers returning, or never to return; the stresses of
rebuilding a shattered economy; a new understanding of what had
actually happened during the six years of the war; in many countries a
new regime exerting itself over the old, sometimes with equal
viciousness. This was a time of social change on a major scale.
We believe that those that LIVED THESE THINGS should find a way to
DESCRIBE THESE THINGS directly to the generation of the twenty-first
century, without waiting to be asked to do so by this or that
publisher.
Memories of the 1940's is not a project with a start date and a stop
date - it is a resource that teachers can plan for and use in their
classroom whenever they wish. For more information or joining
instructions please write to me, or look at our WEB pages at the
address given below.
Answers to some frequently asked questions
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The purpose of this is to provide participating schools with some
information about the Elders taking part, and to provide guidance on
the sorts of questions that they might be able to answer.
Why are you setting up this project?
It is now 50 years since World War Two and we want young
people to learn about that conflict from those who lived
through it. We are a LIVING HISTORY BOOK. We have passed
beyond the hatreds that we suffered at the time. We tell our
stories now in the hope that YOU will learn from it, and will
realise that conflicts on this scale do not solve problems.
Are the people mentioned in the announcement all real people?
Yes. You will find a list of some of us at the end of this
document with very brief biographical details, but many
more 'Elders' are on the list and will also be sending their
answers.
Are they all available by email on the Internet?
Most are, but one or two don't have access and will be
interviewed as required and their answers sent back.
What sorts of questions can we ask the panel?
You will see that the Elders are a cross-section of people who
were caught up in the war. We were not involved in decisions
or strategies; in a sense, whether we were civilians or
soldiers, we were the victims of decisions made by others.
We can answer questions about our daily lives and the effect
that the conflict had on us, other than that we will leave it
to YOU, teachers and students, what you want to know about or
what you would like to tell us about the Elders you have
spoken to.
Are there subjects we should avoid?
Common sense will tell you that civilians who lived in cities
that were carpet-bombed for 'strategic reasons' or whose
relatives were killed for 'ethnic reasons' will not want to
be closely cross-examined about it. Similarly, those who
were put into uniform unwillingly will expect some
sensitivity to be shown.
Look at the list of Elders. Think who we are and what we
have seen. Remember that we are now friends who wish to love
each other. That can be your guide.
Some of the Elders taking part
------------------------------
THE LAND GIRL - Anne Oliver completed her studies at Liverpool
University but was immediately 'called up' to work on a
farm. She remembers having to learn all the tackle that
the huge shire horses used for pulling the machinery. She
is now a retired schoolteacher.
THE BERLIN SCHOOLBOY - Eberhard Weber lived in Berlin during the
war and remembers during one period "spending more time in
the shelter than out of it". He now lives in Los Angeles.
THE LONDON SCHOOLBOY - Tom Holloway lived in London throughout
the blitz and remembers seeing American soldiers for the
first time "with their strange clothes and amazing build -
like Martians...". He now runs an Email Charity for children
with special needs.
THE VIENNESE SCHOOLGIRL - Lotte Evans lives in Melbourne,
Australia, but remembers her schooldays in Vienna vividly,
and the discrimination because of a jewish great-grandmother.
THE POLISH EXILE - Feliks Chustecki was Headteacher of a Polish
school in Coventry and is now retired. In 1944 he arrived
in England via Egypt to train as a pilot in the Polish Air
Force.
THE AMERICAN SOLDIER - Phil Bernheim was in England during
1943/44 and recalls "the awesome sight of airplanes
from horizon to horizon on D-Day...". He lives in South
San Francisco.
THE CROATIAN SOLDIER - as a teenager, Zvonko Springer was forced
into a German Uniform and made to fight. He survived the
'Croation Death March' of soldiers who surrendered to
Tito's partisan army. He now lives in Salzburg, Austria.
THE LANCASHIRE SCHOOLBOY - Sidney Allinson was a schoolboy during
the Second World War, living in Southport, Lancashire.
Southport was a rest-centre for US Air Force crews and
Canadian troops. Sidney retains vivid memories of wartime;
he is a professional writer who lives in Victoria, British
Columbia, Canada.
THE RAF ENGINEER - Horace Basham serviced Typhoons and Tempests.
He says "I was in the RAF for four years two months and two
days and in that time served on seventeen stations. Mostly
in East and southeast England and for a while in Northern
Ireland."
THE NURSE - Mary Langley first worked getting disabled children
and expectant mothers out of London during the blitz. She
then became a Nurse and worked in hospitals in Northampton
and London until the end of the war.
THE CANADIAN ADMINISTRATOR - Raymond Delaveaux served as a
Pilot with the Royal Canadian Air Force in several occupied
countries. After the war he was seconded to the Allied
Military Government of the Occupied Territories to assist in
the process of post-war recovery.
==================================
Tom Holloway ----- +44 1926 888333
Home: 1926-420204 Fax: 1926-435534
Internet: t.holloway@warwick.ac.uk
URL:http://www.tcns.co.uk/chatback/
==================================
17 September 2000 update:
The web pages for the MEMORIES project now have a site and a name of their
own. With immediate effect we are now called Timewitnesses, and all of our
stories and other material can be found at http://timewitnesses.org -- in
English, French and German
Our new name is in line with work we are doing with similar groups in
Germany (Zeitzeugen) and other countries, but our purpose has not changed -
to record the personal stories, particularly of women and children, whose
lives were affected by the events of the 1940s and 1950s - to provide
first-hand descriptions of the EFFECTS of war for younger generations.
This list will continue to be available for those schools and individuals
who wish to ask questions about those years. Those of us who witnessed those
times will, I hope, do their best to provide answers.
=============
Tom Holloway
tom.holloway@u3a.org.uk
http://timewitnesses.org
(+44) (0) 1926-771772