Videos tagged with second world war

I met the man who shot down my Father in WW2

I met the man who shot down my Father in WW2

My Dad was shot down near Brussels in WW2. I met the German fighter pilot who did it.

National Service and Life in post-war Hackney

National Service and Life in post-war Hackney

Alex Mitchell speaks in a very positive light about his time doing National Service. He was fortunate to have job where he did not have to train or due guard duty but look after the officers, a 'Back Man' as it used to be called. It was a great atmosphere and he even formed a Skiffle band with some of the other men. Alex also talks about how he met his wife and how she waited for him after until after he finished his National Service when they consequently got married. Alex has always lived in Hackney, East London. He recalls what the area was like in the 60s and 70s and how he used to see the Quay Brothers out and about the place...

WW2 Experiences in Lewisham and the differences in pre and post war life

WW2 Experiences in Lewisham and the differences in pre and post war life

In the second part of his interview, John Deal speaks of how him and his wife Reenee met in the aftermath of the Second World War when they were both training to be teachers. John worked as an aircraft fitter throughout WW2 but never left the country. He witnessed a lot of destruction in the Lewisham area due to fires and bombing... John recounts one particular incident when a dormant incediary bomb fell through the roof of his house onto his parents' bed whilst they were there! Carrying on from his first interview, John explains in more detail the differences he has encountered in society and everyday life before, during and after the war...

WW2 Experiences of a working-class child in South London

WW2 Experiences of a working-class child in South London

Violet Redmont retells some of her poignant experiences throughout the Second World War. Although she was evacuated several times to Hertfordshire Violet was in South London, in particular the docklands surrounding Rotherhithe, during the some of the worst of the war. The docklands were badly affected by the bombing and Violet remembers a few particular stories of close escapes she and her family encountered... But even though she spent her childhood encountering hard times, Violet looks back on that time in a positive light and considers her family as being very fortunate during the war.

Life as a war-time baby on a London bankside estate in the 1950s and 60s

Life as a war-time baby on a London bankside estate in the 1950s and 60s

Pauline Mounsey was a war-time baby, born in the aftermath of World War Two. She spent her childhood in a typical London working-class estate in Southwark. The area that is now home to the Bankside galleries and restaurants was made up of burnt-out buildings and desolate docks. The residents in her estate lived in crampt conditions but were happy and fulfilled. In this insightful interview she recalls what life was like for children born in the aftermath of the war. They made do with what would now be considered very deprived conditions, but at the time this went wholly un-noticed and they spent their days in a comfortable and secure community surrounded by friends. It was a simple way of life but an extremely happy one.