The OHS is fifty years old this year!
Explore the timeline to discover the Society's own history and achievements over the last half century.
13 December – Informal inaugural day conference of what would become the Oral History Society is held at the British Institute of Recorded Sound (which later becomes the British Library National Sound Archive) at Exhibition Road, London. Chaired by Theo Barker (University of Kent), it included Paul and Thea Thompson, Raphael Samuel, George Ewart Evans, John Saville, Stanley Ellis and Brian Harrison and others from across the UK. The first committee comprised Theo Barker, George Ewart Evans, Paul Thompson and Stewart Sanderson.
Oral History: An Occasional News Sheet, number 1, is published.
"I think it’s important to realise two things about the situation in 1969 when this meeting [an initial meeting of interested people – eds] was held. One is that, at that point we had no idea that there was oral history going on in America. I mean it was just simply an English group. But, the other thing is, it was a very small group of people, so everybody very quickly knew everybody else. And I would say the key elements were, first of all Theo Barker, who was a history professor at Kent, and he had been interested both in doing oral history but also in the media. He had a vision of creating a kind of major national centre with the BBC involved and the British Library. That’s what he really wanted to happen. But of course it didn’t happen like that. So he was the chair of this meeting."
Paul Thompson: Founder Editor Oral History. Professor Emeritus, University of Essex
Paul Thompson recalls his early oral history work, and what 'oral history' meant in America in the 1960s.
23-25 March – A conference on the ‘Problems of oral history’ is held at Leicester University and organised by Paul and Thea Thompson with the Social Science Research Council, attended by ‘some ninety oral historians and folklorists’.
A lengthy issue of Oral History arises from the conference entitled ‘The interview in social history’ and includes verbatim transcripts of the lively discussions as well as a subscription form to pay for the costs of a planned ‘twice-yearly newsheet’.
Issue 2 of Oral History includes a brief note on oral history in the United States and mention of sound archives in Europe.
24 September – At a meeting of ‘oral historians and social scientists’ held at York University the ‘Oral History Society’ is founded.
The aims of the Society are ‘to further the practice of oral history in all appropriate fields and encourage the discussion of methods and all relevant matters by the publication of a journal and by the organisation of local and national meetings and conferences. We intend to make sure that the Society will not become an exclusive academic body, as we realise that anyone who has access to a tape-recorder can make a vital contribution to our activities’.
The inaugural Chairman is Theo Barker (University of Kent) with John Saville (University of Hull) as Vice-Chairman, Christopher Storm-Clark (University of York) as Secretary, Mary Girling as Treasurer and Paul Thompson as Editor (both Essex University).
The name ‘Oral History Society’ beats other suggestions including the ‘Interview Method in Social History Society’ and the ‘Non-Aesthetic Speech Society’!
At the November 1973 meeting of the Oral History Society there was a lively debate about subscription fees - Paul Thompson describes both points of view. He also recalls early decisions to do with the format of the Oral History Journal.
Click on OHS@50 to view in Soundcloud and read a transcript.
Recorded by Robert Wilkinson, 2012-16, for the Oral History of Oral History in the UK, funded by the British Library.
February – the Social Science Research Council announces that ‘in principle it wishes to encourage the development at the British Institute of Recorded Sound [British Library National Sound Archive] of a major centre of advice, training and documentation in this method of historical enquiry [oral history]’.
11 May – the first AGM of the OHS approves a constitution and agrees that the Society ‘pursue a rigorous economy in administration’.
Click on OHS@50 to view in Soundcloud and read a transcript.
Recorded by Robert Wilkinson, 2012, for the Oral History of Oral History in the UK, funded by the British Library.
“I’d always asked people questions. Then in 1974 I discovered that there was a discipline, a society and a journal called ‘Oral History’ for people like me. So this was my community! I’ve loved being part of it for 40+ years. It’s been crucial in helping my books and exhibitions emerge.”
Jo Stanley, Liverpool John Moores University.
Colin Bundy succeeds Christopher Storm-Clark as Secretary.
Oral History special issue on family history is edited by Thea Vigne.
Click on OHS@50 to view in Soundcloud and read a transcript.
Recorded by Robert Wilkinson, 2008-2010, for the Oral History of Oral History in the UK, funded by the British Library.
Mary Chamberlain describes the dramatic response to her 1975 book, 'Fenwomen: A Portrait of Women in an English Village' - the first book published by Virago Press.
Click on OHS@50 to view in Soundcloud and read a transcript.
Recorded by Robert Wilkinson, 2012-14, for the Oral History of Oral History in the UK, funded by the British Library.
The OHS constitution is published in Oral History vol.4 no.1 (Spring 1976) and runs to a single page.
Oral History vol 4, no 1 includes a short section ‘News from Abroad’ for the first time.
John Saville becomes OHS Chairman, Bill Williams Secretary.
30 October – OHS conference at the BBC’s Langham House on ‘Oral history and radio’.
Oral History noted the arrival of a new journal, History Workshop, a Journal of Socialist Historians and history workshops being held at various places, including Ruskin College Oxford. Oral history was a key feature of this new movement.
Click on OHS@50 to view in Soundcloud and read a transcript.
Recorded in 2013-2015 by Robert Wilkinson for the Oral History of Oral History in the UK, funded by the British Library.12-13 February – First OHS women’s oral history conference at Essex University is attended by 120. A special issue of Oral History (vol.5 no.2 autumn 1977) derived from the conference is edited by Joanna Bornat, Eve Hostettler, Jill Liddington and Thea Vigne.
13-15 April – Welsh Folk Museum and Easter School on oral history, held at St Fagans, conducted entirely in the Welsh language.
15-17 April – OHS annual conference is held in Edinburgh and includes a ceilidh. The conference ended by setting up working party which would look into setting up an Oral History Group within Scotland with its own meetings and a newsletter.
Click on OHS@50 to view in Soundcloud and read a transcript.
AGM at an OHS conference at Reading on ‘Oral history and the local historian’ agrees to raise the basic membership rate from £2 per annum to £5 with the aim of producing a re-designed journal ‘printed to better standards’ but ‘without losing any of its present informality’.
Publication of the first edition of Paul Thompson’s seminal groundbreaking The Voice of the Past: Oral History (OUP).
Scottish Oral History Committee formally becomes the Scottish Oral History Group at a conference held on 2 December 1978 at the University of Strathclyde. The Group’s first committee comprised Professor T C Smout, Historiographer Royal of Scotland (Honorary President), Eric Cregeen, Edinburgh University School of Scottish Studies (Chair), John Bates (Vice Chair), Iain Flett (Secretary).
Joanna Bornat joins the OHS committee as joint deputy journal editor.
Paul Thompson talks about his early design work for the Oral History journal with Manchester Press. Also mentioned in the clip are Mary Girling, Rob Perks and Joanna Bornat.
Click on OHS@50 logo to view in Soundcloud and read a transcript.
Recorded in 2012-2016 by Robert Wilkinson for Oral History of Oral History in the UK, funded by the Brtish Library.
Oral History: The Journal of the Oral History Society (vol 7 no 1 Spring 1979) is redesigned and relaunched in a new more professional format with images.
23-25 March – First OHS International European Oral History Conference at the University of Essex is attended by 200 including 150 from abroad, and is preceded by a two-day train and coach tour (‘travelling seminar’) of UK oral history centres.
2-3 November – First OHS ‘Oral history and black history’ conference held at Manchester Polytechnic is attended by over 100 people including groups of teachers. It is notable for controversy and debate after two black contributors question the rights of whites to talk about and ‘pry into’ black experience, and criticise the separation of West Indian and Asian sessions (instead arguing for the need for discussions around shared black experience, especially racism).
