Description
Object description
British civilian living in Shanghai, China, 1934-1939 and GB, 1939-1945 canal worker in GB, 1945
Content description
Recollections of life, 1910-1934: family background; early memories; death of father during First World War; impact of father's death on family; attitudes to death in early twentieth century; food rations during First World War; Russian refugee schoolgirls attending her school; education; old fashioned cures for minor ailments; social life.
REEL 2 Continues: 'Victorian' aspects to her upbringing; marriage to naval submariner. Recollections of life in Hong Kong & Shanghai, China, 1934-1939: impressions of Hong Kong; life in International Concession, Shanghai; Japanese bombing attack; arrival of Japanese troops, 1937; impact of Japanese occupation on Shanghai and on International Concessions; return to GB. Recollections of life in GB, 1939-1945: husband's naval service; work in Spitfire factories, Southampton area; attitude of other workers to her class background; duties; working conditions.
REEL 3 Continues: pay; working conditions; relationship with colleagues; male and female workers in factories. Recollections of period working on Canals, 1945: joining Canals; clothing and kit; arrival at Tyseley Docks, Birmingham; primitive living conditions on board ship; story of getting ropes caught in blades; carrying loads of coal and aluminium; memories of trainer, Daphne French; living conditions; first experience of opening locks; using windlass; story of haunted lock.
REEL 4 Continues: relationship with boat people; canal boat art; attitude of boat people towards them; difficulties obtaining food rations; memories of Virginia Shadwell; heavy nature of work; difficulties of living closely with two other women; using push bike; food rations; visiting home to get food and supplies; taking dog on boat; attending church on Sunday; memories of Susan Wolfit and other women working on canals; memories of trainers, Daphne French and Kit Gayford; neglected state of Canals during Second World War.
REEL 5 Continues: use of public baths; memories of transsexual, 'Billy'; opinion of Virginia Shadwell; attitude towards leaving the Canals; attitude towards war work; keeping in touch with other boat women; fly boats; loads carried on canal boats; living conditions. Aspects of life on farm, post-1945. Story of her cousin who worked for King Haakon of Norway during the war.