Civilians' War - Allied: British and Commonwealth

John Ashmore
From 1936 to 1973 John was a Civil Defence Staff Officer and a member of the West Riding Special Constabulary.

John D. Bones
At 16 John joined the Air Training Corps and later trained at the Colchester Gliding School.

Jeanne Bullard
Jeanne Bullard spent the war in England while her future husband served abroad. She worked in the hydrographic department of the Admiralty, drawing and updating charts. Her letters and tape-recording provide insights into daily life on the Home Front.

Celia's Story
Celia and her family were interned by the Japanese in Burma after their house was bombed in 1942. The family endured enforced labour, illness and mistreatment until the British relieved their camp in March 1945. Celia's harrowing story is illustrated by photographs and 3-dimensional material.

J. Anne Cloudsley-Thompson
Anne Cloudsley-Thompson set up a Physiotherapy Department at Hatfield House and was Superintendent Physiotherapist to the Peripheral Nerve Injury Centre at Wingfield Orthopaedic Hospital in Oxford.

Frank Colenso
Frank explains how he became a Home Guardsman in Falmouth and the various roles he undertook.

Alfred Crisp
When Alfred Crisp's young daughters were evacuated, he sent them weekly letters with beautifully illustrated envelopes.

Barbara Davies
Barbara left her home in Sowerby Bridge to work in a Coventry aircraft factory.

Sadie Hall
Sadie Hall was fifteen at the outbreak of war but in 1942 she joined the Women's Land Army with her friend, Nora. Both girls were stationed in Devon and involved in various aspects of agricultural work including pest control.

Vincent Harrison
Vincent Harrison describes his childhood in a mining village in the North East of England.

Jack's Story
Jack was in a reserved occupation as a miner, despite his wish to join one of the Services.

Godfrey Talbot
From the Battle of El Alamein in October 1942 to the fall of Rome in June 1944, War Correspondent Godfrey Talbot was among the half-dozen or so best-known voices on BBC radio. For countless listeners at home he seemed to provide a much-needed link with the men of the Eighth Army in North Africa and Italy.

Sheila Tolley
As a schoolgirl in the Lake District Sheila's family welcomed an evacuee into their home.

Dennis Vernals
Dennis became a messenger and then a Leading Cadet in the Sheffield Fire Service.