Oral History is now recognised as a valuable and credible method to engage with and learn about the past.[i] Oral historians indicate that oral history research requires a different set of interpretative practises as it is a source that necessitates historians to directly engage with subjectivity.[ii] The interview is a source created by a shared […]
Tag Archives | oral history
“It’s Because We’re Just Women.” Listening to Women in Port Town Industries
Following Women’s International Day on 8 March 2014, it is appropriate that the role of women and their voices be given attention. Port Towns are ostensibly about men, masculinity and male bonds of friendship. Men have arguably shaped our understandings of port towns, their projected identity and this has left a lasting presence on the […]
“They Had no Inhibitions Did They?” Pub Going in a Port Town 1939-1945
Young women workers public house attendance during the war and attitudes towards it highlights variety in opinions. They reveal both continuity and change regarding young woman’s place in the public sphere and how young women should behave. Oral testimonies reflect similar responses that generally it was becoming more acceptable for women to drink in pubs; […]
“We Were Proud of What We Did” – A Wren’s Reflections of Serving in a Port Town, 1939-1945
Analysis of Grace’s narrative reveals a number of striking features about her period of service in the Women’s Royal Naval Service (WRNS) at Lee-on-Solent. She felt part of a clearly identifiable group, her uniform distinguished her from the other services and civilians and she felt proud of her part in the war effort. Grace therefore […]