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.
Special Black History issue of Oral History is published (vol 8 no 1). Cover photo featuring Donald Hinds as a disc jockey at a Brixton party c 1959. Donald Hinds, a teacher and writer, joined the OHS committee in 1982
11- 13 April joint conference of Llafur (South Wales Labour History Society) and the Oral History Society at University College, Swansea. Organised by Hywel Francis of the South Wales Miners’ Library. Speakers included George Ewart Evans, Philip Weekes of the National Coal Board and Angela Johns, with contributions from leading members of the National Union of Mineworkers also contributing.
OHS AGM agrees to replace the ‘Campaign Committee’ with three sub committees to co-ordinate the Society’s activities: a conference committee, a publishing committee and a finance and membership committee.
OHS publishes an innovative pamphlet by Sallie Purkis, Oral History in Schools price 75p. Drawing on advice and experience from teachers and practitioners the booklet aimed to fill a gap as oral history was becoming ‘an increasingly popular method of study in schools and colleges’.
Donald Hinds talks about meeting Paul Thompson in Warwick in the 1970s and his experiences of being a member of the OHS committee. He also mentions his research on Claudia Jones and writing for the Oral History Journal.
Click on OHS@50 logo to view in Soundcloud and read a transcript.
Recorded in 2012-2014 by Robert Wilkinson for the Oral History of Oral History in the UK, funded by the British Library.
OHS publishes The Directory of British Oral History Collections, compiled by the Manchester Studies Unit at Manchester Polytechnic. It details 230 collections and is priced at £1.95.
31 October - ‘Women’s history and oral history’ conference is held at the City of London Polytechnic.
27 November - Life Histories and Ageing: a joint conference organised by the Oral History Society and the British Society of Gerontology, Policy Studies Insitute, London.
28 November – Exploring Living Memory, St Clement’s Hospital London, practical workshop of over 80 people working with oral history and reminiscence in hospitals, community projects, schools, ending with a steering committee and plans for a London-wide Life History exhibition.
Steve Humphries replaces Bill Williams as Secretary.
8 May – OHS organises its first video workshop in London.
Oral History special issue on women’s history (vol 10 no 2).
8-9 April – OHS annual conference in Brighton takes as its theme ‘Ten Years of Oral History’ speakers, Paul Thompson, Mary Chamberlain, Naziba Hamouda, Jerry White, Raph Samuels, Angela Hewins.
Oral History vol 11, no 2, special issue on labour history.
18 June 1983 – Oral History in Schools, joint conference of the Oral History Society and Warwick University Institute of Education.
9-11 September – Joint OHS conference with Scottish Oral History Group in Edinburgh on ‘The oral history of communities’.
22 October – Ulster Society for Oral History first seminar at Lisburn Museum, Co. Antrim.
29 October – Oral History Society acquires charitable status (no.288805).
November–December - Of While Heart Cometh Hope, Age Exchange Theatre company touring a play commissioned by the Cooperative Retail Society for the Centenary Year of the Cooperative Women’s Guild based on memories of women co-operators.
17-19 February – Exploring Living Memory at the Royal Festival Hall with GLC funding for projects from across the city.
12 May 1984 – Oral History and its uses in museums, libraries and heritage centres, North West Oral History Society, Warrington.
2-24 February - Exploring Living Memory, Royal Festival Hall, London, over 90 displays daily for two weeks of life history and reminiscence projects from across London, GLC funded.
12-13 April – OHS’s first annual conference about oral history in museums is held at the Imperial War Museum.
13 April - Oral History and Education, North-West Oral History Society Spring conference.
27-28 April – Middle class, politics and history, conference organised by the Centre for Social History and the Oral History Society, London.
September – The Making of Modern London 1914-1939 London Weekend Television’s Oral History Competition – winner Annie Lai, judges Paul Thompson, Asa Briggs, Fay Weldon and Juliet Gardiner
2-3 May – OHS joins with the Labour History Society to organise a conference ‘Oral History and Labour History’ at the National Labour History Museum in Limehouse, East London.
4 October – Oral History journal readers meeting, London
Vic Gammon is appointed as part-time OHS Development Worker with a brief to organise workshops, handle media coverage and membership.
OHS mounts a two-year campaign against a government proposal to impose a levy on blank audio tapes to compensate record companies and performers for lost sales due to illegal home taping of commercial records (including via an amendment to the 1988 Copyright Design and Patents Bill). The levy proposal is eventually dropped in 1988.
8 November – Regaining Control: Oral History in Education, Oral History Society and ILEA History and Social Sciences Teachers’ Centre, London.
25-26 April – joint conference with the Royal College of Nursing History of Nursing Group and Wellcome Unit for the History of Medicine on ‘Oral history and health care: Memories of Health and Caring', Morley College, London
Oral History Journal readership survey is organised by Rob Perks and finds that 93% like the format but 40% want to see more practical articles. 48% attended conferences. The typical reader profile is male, aged 36-46 and employed in ‘education’.
10 September 1987 - From Oral History to Drama, day workshop, at Royal Court Young People’s Theatre, led by Elyse Dodgson, with Age Exchange Theatre.
12 -23 October – Exploring Living Memory at The County Hall, London, theme ‘Londoners from everywhere’
Vic Gammon succeeds John Saville as Chairman. John Saville becomes the Society’s OHS Life President. The Society has 845 members.
23-24 April – OHS annual conference is held in Bradford on the subject of ‘Oral history, courtship, marriage and relationships’, organised by the Bradford Heritage Recording Unit with sponsorship from Yorkshire Television. Final plenary session with Vic Gammon singing songs of the English countryside.
Rob Perks succeeds Steve Humphries as Secretary.
George Ewart Evans (photo), oral history pioneer and one of the founders of the Society, dies (obituary OHJ vol.16 no.20).
Alun Howkins describes George Ewart Evans, his relationship with Paul Thompson and connections to Welsh poets Iorwerth Peate and Keidrych Rhys.
Click on OHS@50 logo to open on Soundcloud and see a transcript.
Recorded by Robert Wilkinson 2009-2011 for Oral History of Oral History in the UK, funded by the British Library.
31 March-2 April – OHS annual conference at the Central School of Art and Design, London, focusses on ‘Oral history and the crafts’ with leading historians, craftspersons, exploring recording objects and discussing visual theories.
On its 20th anniversary Oral History journal is completely redesigned by Jacque Solomons with a special issue on reminiscence.
14-15 October – OHS autumn conference is held in Southampton on the topic of ‘Oral history and the sea’.
27 October – Alan Ward becomes Chairman after a secret ballot at the committee meeting.
1 December – Gillian Munro becomes the first representative of the Scottish Oral History Group on the OHS committee.
