Grayson involved in school wartime project
The Head of Politics at Goldsmiths, University of London, Dr Richard Grayson, has been applying his research expertise to help out with project run by the secondary school he attended as a pupil in 1980-87.The project called 'Hemel at War' originated from discussions between Dr Grayson and staff at Hemel Hempstead School about how memories could be preserved in a way that would help the local community.
Pupils have spent the past six months interviewing local people who lived through the Second World War. Those interviews are now online at http://www.hemelatwar.org/ Among the most vivid accounts were of the seasick tank commander who took part in D-Day, the evacuees who had to walk the streets to keep out of the way of their hosts and the school students who sat their exams sitting in bomb shelters. One commando spoke of being in the siege of Tobruk for 7 months - his mother died and was buried before he even knew she was dead.
The pupils, aged from 15 to 18, visited people who either served in the armed services or lived on the Home Front.
"It has been an incredibly illuminating experience for pupils," headteacher Ms Sandra Samwell said.
"They have met a vast range of people whom they would never normally have met in the course of everyday life. The experience has been both moving and educational."
The Royal British Legion has supported the project and helped arrange the first interviews. Other interviews were arranged through local contacts.
"Our members were delighted to support the project," the Legion's Peter Taylor said.
"In fact, they have probably got as much out of it as the pupils themselves. In an age when young people get a bad press, here we have had a group of teenagers use their own free time to meet people 60 years older than them. Our members have loved talking to them."
Dr Richard Grayson trained the students in oral history techniques before they conducted their first interviews.
"Everyone has been very supportive of this project, both interviewers and interviewees," he said.
"There are countless stories out there if only someone takes the trouble to find them. That's exactly what these pupils have been doing and the results speak for themselves."