SouthEast Regional Network
Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire, Kent, Oxfordshire, Surrey, Sussex
 Manda Gifford Outreach Officer, Coastal Museums c/o Whitstable Museum and Gallery, Oxford Street, Whitstable CT5 8DB Telno: 01227 772379 Email: Manda.gifford@canterbury.gov.uk  Jocelyn Goddard 41 Linden Avenue, Whitstable, Kent, CT5 1RX Telno: 07872 622102 Email: jehgoddard@yahoo.co.uk  Sheila Jemima Manager Cultural Services Oral History Unit, Southampton City Council, Civic Centre, Southampton SO14 7LP Telno: 023 80635904 Email: sheila.jemima@southampton.gov.uk  Roger Kitchen 3 Stacey Avenue, Wolverton, Milton Keynes, MK12 5DN Telno: 01908 313514 Email: roger@kitchens-ink.fsnet.co.uk  David Lee Film & Sound Archivist Wessex Film and Sound Archive, Hampshire Record Office, Sussex Street, Winchester. SO23 8TH Telno: 01962 847742 Email: david.lee@hants.gov.uk Buckinghamshire (and beyond)Living Archive Milton Keynes continues to undertake oral history projects. Just about to be published is ‘The Story of the original CMK’ told by the architects, designers, planners, landscape designers, engineers, surveyors, architectural technicians, finance and project managers - the people who shaped the initial ideas of Central Milton Keynes as young men in the late 1970s. It is based exclusively on the words from 22 interviews carried out last year by Roger Kitchen and edited into book form by Marion Hill. It was commissioned by the Central Milton Keynes Partnership, the organisation that is about to make radical changes to the original city centre design. Milton Keynes has just got itself a brand-new football stadium (it bought the club a few years ago from Wimbledon!) and you would think that this was the first football ever to be played in the area! An HLF ‘Your Heritage’ funded project on the History of Football in the area should put that right and it was launched with over 200 people attending a ‘Down Memory Lane’ event at the new stadium a few weeks ago. One of the problems with a project of this scale is deciding which people to interview as time and the transcription budget is limited. The opening event’s experience was that it is going to be a hard choice – so many interesting reminiscences being shared. Living Archive has also submitted a large funding bid to HLF for a three year project that would include three large scale collection projects involving socially excluded groups, the cataloguing and digitisation of the archive that has been collected over the last 30 years and which includes well over 1,000 hours of oral history recordings, and the creation of e-learning materials from this collection. The Milton Keynes Community Foundation has promised finance for the Archivist/Digitisation Officer, so fingers crossed for the HLF decision – expected in December. Roger KitchenKentThe Coalfields Heritage Initiative Kent (CHIK) marked the completion of its first phase with the opening of the Miner’s Trail in April 2007. In the past three years the project, hosted by Dover Museum, has collected over 5,000 images of the Kent collieries and their associated communities. In addition, the oral history archive has over 200 hours of recordings of life in the coalfields communities and pit-life. The community groups, having received training in basic oral history techniques, are continuing to collect both images and oral histories from within their communities. Excerpts from the collected oral histories are being trialled on the website www.kentcoal.co.uk, which also hosts an online history of the coalfields, access to the collected images through the Commanet site and a downloadable education resource for Key Stages 1-3. The site and the project have been extremely successful. Dover Museum is now exploring the possibility of continuing its links with the communities through future projects that would involve both oral history and reminiscence work. The community memories group ‘Telling Whitstable’s Story’ is celebrating the news of a grant of over £8,000 from the Lottery distributor Awards for All. The voluntary group will use the grant to fund a project – ‘Shop Talk’ - celebrating the town’s much-loved independent shops. This will include creating an archive of memories and pictures, a major exhibition at Whitstable Museum, and a publication. The group has been in existence for 10 years and has worked on a number of previous projects in partnership with the Museum. The grant will make it possible to buy recording equipment and copy images, and then to share the results with local people and visitors alike via the exhibition, book and a loan collection for schools and community groups. The exhibition will include maps, photographs and adverts, plus hands-on activities (including a children’s themed play corner) and a glimpse inside a traditional shop. Herne Bay Living History Group is continuing a pilot around the theme of ‘These Sporting Lives’, gathering information on a variety of sports in which local people participated from casual engagement to county level (such as sea rowing) and the nationally renowned (eg rink hockey). South East Grid for Learning and the Advisory Service Kent supported the Kent and East Sussex Railway in three days of 'Evacuation' activity in May 2007, recognising that the railways played an enormously important part in war-time Britain and many thousands of young people were transported from our cities to escape the bombing. Over 600 Key Stage 2 school children were given the opportunity to find out what life was like on and around a war-time railway, by travelling on the trains, meeting photographing and interviewing evacuees and veterans. Schools unable to attend were able to video-conference direct with the Evacuees. For more information click here or contact Ian at ian.coulson@kent.gov.uk. Manda Gifford & Jocelyn GoddardSouthampton Oral History UnitThe past year has been a busy and interesting period, which included threats of closure in the budget cuts. But we are still here and continue to work on new and exciting projects. Thank you all for your support. Here are some of the projects we have worked on since the last annual report: Titanic – 95th anniversary SOHU also launched the third edition of the book Titanic Voices with the addition of a DVD and many previously unpublished photographs. Based on recorded memories, photographs, first-hand accounts and letters, the book tells the story of the sinking of the Titanic on her maiden voyage. The DVD (45 mins) contains rare archive film footage of the Titanic and the voices of some of the officers of the ship. The unit also supported the publication of a new book, The Crew of the RMS Titanic, by local historian and Titanic expert, Brian Ticehurst. Hello Sailor! Gay life on Ocean Wave Hidden Histories NEW EPOC A Study Day, ‘Tudor Warships and Basque Whaling Boats’, was held at the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton in June. Maritime experts from Southampton, Portsmouth and the Basque port of Pasaia presented their work on underwater archaeology and preserving maritime heritage – including submerged archaeological sites in the Solent; the discovery, excavation and preservation of the Mary Rose; and Southampton’s international trade links over the centuries as seen through archaeological finds. Xabier Agote from the Albaola Society of Maritime Heritage described his sea-expedition around the coast of Newfoundland in a replica of a 16th century Basque whaling boat, built and navigated using traditional techniques. SOHU staff presented our activities during the NEW EPOC project. We have exchanged exhibitions with our partners in the Basque port city of Pasaia. Our exhibition, ‘Riveting Stories from the Vosper Thornycroft shipyard’, was translated into Spanish and Basque and exhibited at the Casa Victor Hugo in Pasaia in June. ‘Pasaia: Port of Basque whalers, fishermen and shipbuilders’, an exhibition created by the Albaola Society of Maritime Heritage, was displayed at the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton. In May we were invited to deliver a two day training workshop at the Muséu del Pueblu d’Asturies in Gijon, Spain. Many of the participants collected oral testimony for academic and anthropological research. The workshops were an excellent opportunity for us to exchange information about our different approaches. We learned of the variety of projects in the region - video interviews of rural communities, recording information on the fast changing language, dialects, traditions, legends, myths and music of the region and documenting memories of the repression during the Spanish Civil War. In turn the participants were interested by Southampton’s approach of community involvement, educational and outreach activities. They were keen to learn about the new Marantz equipment and sound editing software, which we demonstrated. We had meetings with representatives of other cultural organisations in Bilbao, also dedicated to collecting linguistic and cultural material of the Basque Country. We are maintaining contact with all these organisations to exchange information and hope to work together on future co-operation projects. Training Workshops Albania Wessex Film & Sound ArchiveActivity levels for oral history in Hampshire remain high, as indicated by the following group and individual projects which have deposited recordings with us since the last report: Aldershot & District Bus Interest Group; Emsworth Museum; Fordingbridge Museum; Basingstoke Talking History; St Barbe Museum, Lymington; Theatre Royal, Winchester; Whitchurch Silk Mill; West End Local History Society; Rowlands Castle Historical Association; the Book Trade History Group; North Waltham, Steventon, Ashe and Deane History Society; Petersfield Museum; and a sound + video interview (on separate occasions) with Terence Trickey, blacksmith, about the old Winchester Forge at Hyde. Video history projects were also represented by the Hampshire Coppice Crafts Group and Portsea Living History Project, respectively, the latter concerning memories of the Blitz and D-Day preparations in Portsmouth during World War Two. Recordings from past projects were also received during the year, notably regarding New Forest residents, the Isle of Wight Rifles, and British Army Chaplains, the latter including a tape of a reunion of those who were incarcerated in Changi jail by the Japanese during the War. Although not strictly an oral history recording as we now understand it, tapes like that reunion do contain reminiscences of the past from individuals’ perspectives, so I regard them as related to what we do. I have received an interesting example of this in the form of a gramophone disc cut in 1958. It features Vic Hutfield of Gosport remembering the early days of aviation and motoring in that area, and takes the form of a radio-type interview conducted by a professional broadcaster who, unfortunately, is not identified. All I know about this particular disc is that is was done for the benefit of Mr Hutfield and his family, but whether it was actually broadcast is a matter of speculation at the moment. The BBC Sound Archive is full of such material, of course, thanks to Marie Slocombe, whose efforts to retain important - including ‘ordinary’ people as well as the famous - voices from the past were featured in a Radio 4 programme on 1 September. Marie is an inspiration to us all, especially those involved in saving audio-visual recordings from decay and destruction. BBC local radio also broadcast ‘remembrances of the past’ and we hold a particularly fine series produced by countryman Norman Goodland for Radio Solent. His poignant and often humorous tales of rural life were immensely popular with listeners, and helped inform ‘townies’ and younger generations about conditions in the countryside and on farms, starting from the 1930s, based upon his own experiences. Sadly, he died in 2005, but I was able to commemorate him in an illustrated talk, helped by his son Jim, who told us about the man himself. The 2006 Oral History Seminar once again attracted people from the wider region to see and hear fascinating accounts and informative sessions, as well as enjoy entertaining presentations. Sheila Jemima from Southampton Oral History Unit told us about the many interesting community and maritime projects going on in the city, including the publication of the third edition of Titanic Voices, this time accompanied by a DVD of personal testimonies and film footage of Titanic and her sister ship, Olympic. In the afternoon, Roger Kitchen showed us how personal testimonies can be turned into musical stage plays using original words recorded with local people, and illustrated by video extracts of performances at Milton Keynes. It is not an easy process, but the end results are always worthwhile, and his work certainly inspired some of those attending the seminar. Lastly, representatives from Whitchurch Silk Mill explained how they used oral history to help make up for the lack of historical sources about activities there, due to the destruction of written records in the 1950s. On display was a beautiful silk banner, made at the Mill for display at Winchester Cathedral during the 450th anniversary commemorations of the marriage of Philip of Spain and Mary Tudor in 2004. The oral history project is ongoing and is already helping to inform a revised history of the Mill, and is being used for educational activities. I have been assisting groups and individuals by giving advice and holding training sessions, as well as taking part in a Hampshire Field Club Local History workshops day in Winchester, at which Field Club members examined the value of oral history and listened to a few extracts from WFSA collections. Oral history training sessions were given to groups at the Record Office and on the Isle of Wight, enabling local volunteers to be better informed about the subject prior to various projects taking place in the region. I also helped deliver an oral history/reminiscence event at SEARCH, the Hampshire County Museums education centre in Gosport, generating a small amount of income and exceptionally good feedback from those who attended from museums around the region. During these sessions I hope to reveal the importance of preparation, listening skills, empathy with the interviewee, and other qualities needed to bring out the best in recording sessions. The ability to challenge statements sensitively and seek meaningful insights, where possible, is what makes this field of enquiry a powerful tool in the right hands. Mentioning ‘tool’ reminds me of the Regional Network Event that we were privileged and pleased to host last year at Winchester. I shall never forget Craig Fees’ presentation about Wiki websites, involving pieces of paper and members of the audience to graphically illustrate a complex (well, to many of us, anyway) subject and make it comprehensible. The use of traditional ‘tools’ to explain new technology was quite apt for some of us ‘oldies’, I think, as we now grapple with solid state recorders, flash cards and computer software in our work, and try to pass it on to others… Last, but certainly not least, Portsmouth has been a hive of activity with regard to oral history. The Royal Naval Museum, in partnership with other related local organisations, has begun a project called ‘Sea Your History’, which will run until November 2008. Funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Museum is developing a website www.seayourhistory.org.uk, focusing on the history of the Royal Navy during the 20th century. During the course of the project, 90 new oral history recordings will be made and accessed via the website. I have not received a report from Portsmouth Museums & Records Service, but note that John Stedman gave a talk in May this year about their ongoing project, Portsmouth Voices, involving 400 people being recorded on audio and video talking about a huge range of topics – ‘from working in a corset factory, running Chinese and Indian restaurants, singing in a rock band (and jumping up and down on John Lennon's bed), to policing Portsmouth's streets and what goes into school dinners - the result is a rich and fascinating insight into people's lives’. The Service has also published one of a series of oral history books covering life in Portsmouth, Voices from Landport, a collection of the memories and stories of 32 people who were interviewed about this area of the city from 1925 to the present day. David Lee |