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Harry,
who was himself born and bred in Bradford, has
taken a trip back in time in the city to find out more about his
relatives' lives during World War Two, including his Uncle and namesake,
Harry, who was killed in action in June 1944 - aged just 28-years-old.
Just
by delving back into Bradford's archives in Bradford Central Library,
and by clicking onto the Commonwealth War Graves Commission's website,
Harry
has begun to piece together his family's wartime story.
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| Bradford
Library was the best place for Harry to start delving into the
family during wartime |
Harry
has even found where his Uncle was buried and a copy of a scroll
commemorating his life. After
making these discoveries, Harry says he's glad he took the time
to discover something of his family's Second World War history:
"I'm certainly going to go to my Uncle Harry' s grave in Caen
[in Normandy, France] in the next few months!"
And now he says he has an appeal to make to anyone in West Yorkshire
who'd also like to retrace the steps of their family members during
wartime: "You've got a story to tell, I'm sure you have, and
we want to hear of any experiences from the Second World War or
from the end of the War."
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You
need
to watch to this! |
Together
with Community Service Volunteers (CSV), the 麻豆社 across the UK -
including right here in West Yorkshire - is hoping to capture and
preserve for future generations the story of the people in West
Yorkshire - and across Britain - during the War.
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| Even
old newspapers can contain information about your family's experience
during WWII - as Harry Gration found out here |
This
is a chance for people who lived through the war to leave a legacy
to their children, grandchildren and beyond so that the sacrifices
of the war can be better understood, after all the stories of millions
of ordinary heroes - including so many from right here in West Yorkshire
- remain untold and we need your help to get these stories onto
the 麻豆社 People's War website before the archive closes at the end
of this year.
We're recruiting a team of people to work on this project. Volunteer
'story gatherers' to help people to record their experiences, stories,
memories and recollections for the website.
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Who
are we looking for?
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We're
looking for anyone to get involved from individuals with an interest
in World War II to school groups and local history societies, so
anyone can get involved!
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| From
pilots to school pupils to priests, tell us your wartime stories... |
A
story for the site can be just a photograph with a caption or a
single anecdote about life at home, at school or in the services
during the war years. Schools can get involved too, by adopting
a veteran or looking at wartime history in their local area. There
are for all ages on the site.
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What
does it involve?
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If
you decide to volunteer for the project, we'll match you up with
people in West Yorkshire who have memories or stories of World War
Two to tell and arrange for you both to meet up in a local library
or Community Development Centre.
You'll then take down the story, either typing it directly onto
the People's war website or recording it to transcribe later. This
will all be done at a place and time to suit you both!
And don't
worry, you don't need any special skills to get going!
Ideally we'd like people with an interest in World War II and a
knowledge of the . However, we do provide training for all volunteers.
If you can give us some of your time over the next couple of months
to gather stories and recollections to put onto the site, contact
麻豆社 Interaction on 0845 300 98 98 or e-mail georgina.furnell@bbc.co.uk
and we'll send you some more details!
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More
about People's War
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Until
the end of 2005, the 麻豆社 is continuing to collect the stories and
memories of thousands of veterans and their families from West Yorkshire
and across the UK to include them in a lasting archive for future
generations. It means that people who lived through the Second World
War can help better understand the sacrifices of 1939-1945.
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| Britain
went to war with Germany on September 3rd, 1939 |
Unlike
any other war before or since, World War Two was fought as much
by those working in West Yorkshire's factories and living through
the Blitz in London, as it was by the armed forces of land, air
and sea. We think these stories should now be told - and we all
know these heroes because they're our mums and dads, aunties and
uncles, grandfathers and grandmothers. From Bevin Boys and Land
Girls to RAF Pilots and the men of the Merchant Navy, these ordinary
people have found themselves taking part in extraordinary events.
Whether it's your own story, or a story that's been passed down
through the generations of your family, we'd love to hear about
it!
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How
can we add our story?
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This
archive has been open for over a year now, however it will close
to entries at the end of this year.
Local organisations such as museums, libraries and learning centres
have joined up with the project to provide online access and help
you put the stories on the People's War website.
To find out where your nearest centre is, call the 麻豆社 People's
War line on 0845 3004475, alternatively, you can and input your story directly.
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Have
YOUR say!
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How
was your area of West Yorkshire affected during World War Two? Do
you have any stories that have been passed down through your family?
Share your stories from Bradford, Wakefield, Kirklees and Calderdale
using the form below.
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