Martin Bisiker- London Regional Advisor
The projects listed below are ones that I’ve had some involvement with during 2024:
Journey to the Frontline: Trailblazing Women of the British Army
Legasee secured a HLF grant to film 30 interviews with women of the Women’s Royal Army Corps. We have used the project as a launch platform to radically overhaul the website’s search functionality which should appeal to schools, universities and researchers. As part of the project we also worked with a Southampton based school to create an Oral History teaching resource for KS2 pupils and separate lesson plans for KS3 students on the role of the WRAC. We are also writing an academic paper about the pros and cons of a female only military corps. The project is due for completion in July 2025.
The Veterans’ Voice – D-Day
Working with volunteers, we used our extensive archive of filmed testimonies with veterans of the Normandy campaign to create a 5 part series of podcasts about D-Day. The focus was very much on the voices of those who took part with sound design by Iain Kitching.
Breaking the Gustav Line: The Royal Fusiliers in Italy
I worked with London’s Fusilier Museum and filmed interviews with surviving members of The Royal Fusiliers (City of London) Regiment who witnessed action in the Italy during WW2. The interviews will be used to create a short film for the museum unearthing the significant role the regiment played in Italy in the Second World War.
Pam Schweitzer- European Reminiscence Network- London Regional Advisor
This year has been dominated by two projects: “Remembering Yesterday, Caring Today” Reminiscence in Dementia Care and the Reminiscence Theatre Archive.
1) “Remembering Yesterday, Caring Today” (RYCT) is a project supporting family carers and the relatives they are caring for. Over ten weeks, a group of about eight families participate in a review in which they revisit significant turning points in their long lives. They explore chronologically the key stages, such as childhood, school days, work. They work with experienced team leaders, who use drama, music, dance, artefacts and discussion to bring the past alive and help people with dementia to join in with their own memories. These team leaders come from a wide range of backgrounds, including the arts, dementia, oral history, education, social work, group work, and including non-verbal communication for some of the participants. http://www.rememberingyesterdacaringtoday.com
We have now created an apprentice scheme for those who wish to develop their skills and create their own projects. This last year we have been working with families in Lewisham and Greenwich.
2) The Reminiscence Theatre Archive is now accepted as a special collection within the University of Greenwich Archive. The University has taken on the upkeep of the archive on behalf of the European Reminiscence Network and we hope that will ensure its future. The archive records all the shows and festivals over 25 years during my time as Artistic Director of Age Exchange Theatre Company. The recorded oral history interviews on which the verbatim plays were based are a very important part of the archive. These recorded interviews are all digitised with full transcripts and audio.. The hundreds of interviews are now stored in the archive and can be viewed there at any time on request. Students of history, drama and psychology have worked on the archive this last year and gained invaluable experience, They come on work placements and get to choose which of the many projects they would like to work on, where they can be helpful in improving and correcting the collection. In this last year, there have been several visits to the archive and talks about it, for example a presentation given to the Irish In Britain, and consequently is gradually getting to be better known. www.reminiscencetheatrearchive
Sarah Gudgin- London Regional Advisor
I’ve been involved with the following projects during 2023-24. In addition I have continued in the role of RAN co-ordinator and am joint chair of the COSIG.
Recording the memories of WW2 veterans for the Royal British Legion As part of the commemorations for the 80th anniversary of the end of WW2 next year, the Royal British Legion commissioned me record the wartime memories of several WW2 veterans. So far, this has involved interviews with three incredible women, two 100 years old and one 103 year old, one of whom is still a practicing yoga teacher! It is a great privilege to spend time with these individuals and to hear their service stories. I will be continuing with more interviews in 2025. They will later appear here.
Digging in the City (City of London Archaeological Trust (CoLAT)) This year I have been digging around in the past, in order to capture the memories of seven archaeologists involved in the early development of archaeological fieldwork in London, under the DLA and the DGLA, which later merged to become MOLAS. Now that the interview work has been completed, applications are underway for additional funding to create project outputs, which will enable the sharing of these recordings more wildly. This may include developing content for the Layers of London website and creating podcasts from the interviews.
Museum Of Me (Newham New Deal Partnership) I devised and delivered the Museum of Me project for NNDC, running weekly themed creative reminiscence sessions with people with dementia and their carers. Over eight weeks, participants shared stories and memories of living and working in the local area, sharing special objects and personal photographs, in order to capture memories and create their own memory books as part of the project. I also conducted oral history interviews with workshop participants and service users of NNDC.
The Listening Inn As part of the 600th anniversary year celebrations at Lincoln’s Inn, I recorded the thoughts and recollections of five of its members including High Court Judges and KCs, about and the significance of the Inn in their legal careers. Using these long from oral history interviews, I also created five podcasts which reveals aspects of the lives and careers of the interviewees and explores a sense of the continuity of both the legal profession and the role of the Inn in people’s lives. The podcasts are available at the Lincolns Inn website here and Spotify. The longer term aim of the project is to create an on-going oral history archive of the Inn, adding more recordings over time, covering a wider range of Inn experiences, including those of students, pupils, employees, tenants, clerks, Benchers, KCs and Judges.
Family commissions: I have also enjoyed working with families to capture life story interviews with family members.
