Interview with Helen Mary Skyrme

671988436
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1377518733
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All Rights Reserved except for Fair Dealing exceptions otherwise permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

Accepted Non-commercial Use

Permitted use for these purposes:
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Use on websites that are primarily information-led, research-oriented and not behind a paywall.
Use on personal social media accounts, provided the individuals are not promoting themselves commercially.
Non-Commercial educational use for the purpose of teaching and instruction, including internal training.
Downloading audio-visual for non-commercial offline listening or viewing.
Free exhibitions held in venues, which do not charge an entry fee.

If you would like to use IWM collections materials in a way that is not covered above, require a commercial licence, high-resolution copies, or have manipulation requests, please contact the Image and Film Licensing Team. Digital files of films and sound recordings are available at cost depending on intended use.
1377672772
Order this sound recording under fair dealing

All Rights Reserved except for Fair Dealing exceptions otherwise permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

Accepted Non-commercial Use

Permitted use for these purposes:
Personal use for non-commercial research and private study and other uses under the UK’s exceptions to copyright and those exceptions to copyright in place where the user is located.
Use on websites that are primarily information-led, research-oriented and not behind a paywall.
Use on personal social media accounts, provided the individuals are not promoting themselves commercially.
Non-Commercial educational use for the purpose of teaching and instruction, including internal training.
Downloading audio-visual for non-commercial offline listening or viewing.
Free exhibitions held in venues, which do not charge an entry fee.

If you would like to use IWM collections materials in a way that is not covered above, require a commercial licence, high-resolution copies, or have manipulation requests, please contact the Image and Film Licensing Team. Digital files of films and sound recordings are available at cost depending on intended use.
1416859916
Order this sound recording under fair dealing

All Rights Reserved except for Fair Dealing exceptions otherwise permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

Accepted Non-commercial Use

Permitted use for these purposes:
Personal use for non-commercial research and private study and other uses under the UK’s exceptions to copyright and those exceptions to copyright in place where the user is located.
Use on websites that are primarily information-led, research-oriented and not behind a paywall.
Use on personal social media accounts, provided the individuals are not promoting themselves commercially.
Non-Commercial educational use for the purpose of teaching and instruction, including internal training.
Downloading audio-visual for non-commercial offline listening or viewing.
Free exhibitions held in venues, which do not charge an entry fee.

If you would like to use IWM collections materials in a way that is not covered above, require a commercial licence, high-resolution copies, or have manipulation requests, please contact the Image and Film Licensing Team. Digital files of films and sound recordings are available at cost depending on intended use.
667403522
Order this sound recording under fair dealing

All Rights Reserved except for Fair Dealing exceptions otherwise permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

Accepted Non-commercial Use

Permitted use for these purposes:
Personal use for non-commercial research and private study and other uses under the UK’s exceptions to copyright and those exceptions to copyright in place where the user is located.
Use on websites that are primarily information-led, research-oriented and not behind a paywall.
Use on personal social media accounts, provided the individuals are not promoting themselves commercially.
Non-Commercial educational use for the purpose of teaching and instruction, including internal training.
Downloading audio-visual for non-commercial offline listening or viewing.
Free exhibitions held in venues, which do not charge an entry fee.

If you would like to use IWM collections materials in a way that is not covered above, require a commercial licence, high-resolution copies, or have manipulation requests, please contact the Image and Film Licensing Team. Digital files of films and sound recordings are available at cost depending on intended use.

Description

Object description

British civilian in Shanghai, China, 1934-1939; aircraft worker with Supermarine Aviation Works (Vickers) Ltd in Southampton, GB, 1940-1944; canal worker with Grand Union Carrying Company in GB, 1945

Content description

REEL 1 Background in GB, 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; rationing during First World War; presence of Russian refugee schoolgirls at her school; education; use of old fashioned cures for minor ailments; social life. REEL 2 Continues: nature of upbringing; marriage to Royal Navy submariner. Recollections of life in Hong Kong and Shanghai, China, 1934-1939: impressions of Hong Kong; life in International Settlement, Shanghai; Imperial Japanese Army Air Service bombing attack on Shanghai; arrival of Imperial Japanese Army troops, 1937; impact of Japanese occupation on Shanghai and on International Settlement; return to GB, 1939. Recollections of period as civilian aircraft worker with Supermarine Aviation Works (Vickers) Ltd in GB, 1940-1945: husband's service with Royal Navy; work in Supermarine Aviation Works (Vickers) Ltd in Southampton area; attitude of other workers to her class background; duties; working conditions. REEL 3 Continues: pay; working conditions; relations with colleagues; presence of both male and female workers in factories. Recollections of period as bargee with Grand Union Carrying Company in GB, 1945: background to becoming bargee; 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: relations with boat people; canal boat art; attitude of boat people towards them; difficulties obtaining rations; memories of Virginia Shadwell; heavy nature of work; difficulties of living closely with two other women; using bicycle; rations; visiting home to get food and supplies; taking dog on boat; attending church on Sunday; memories of Susan Woolfit and other women working on canals; memories of trainers, Daphne French and Eily 'Kit' Gayford; neglected state of canals during Second World War. REEL 5 Continues: use of public baths; memories of transsexual, known as 'Billy'; opinion of Virginia Shadwell; attitude towards leaving canal work; attitude towards war work; keeping in touch with other boat women; fly boats; loads carried on canal boats; living conditions; life on farm, post-1945; story of her cousin who worked for King Haakon VII of Norway during Second World War.

Object Details

Category: Sound
Related period: 1990 to the present day (production), Interwar (content), Second World War (content), Second World War (association)
Creator: IWM (Production company)
Smith, Lyn E (Recorder)
Skyrme, Helen Mary (Interviewee/Speaker)
Production date: 2002-08-04
Dimensions: whole: Duration 150, Number Of Items 5
Catalogue number: 23791

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Interview with Helen Mary Skyrme

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