Down Memory Lane - Remember When

A lot has been going on since I last posted workshops, discussion groups, creative art, filmmaking and promoting.

Down Memory Lane work is getting noticed.

Thanks for drawing this to my attention, and

all the best with this work.

The conversations you record enrich our

communities. I am pleased they are

inspiring other activities too.

Andrew Smith MP

Helen Fountain Reminiscence Officer for the City visited ‘Down Memory Lane’.

She spoke about Morris Motors and the old Pressed Steel plant. Doris Burton

remembered her time working at the plant during the War when it was an  ammunitions factory.

Make Do And Mend with Helen Jacobs

Workshops started this month with Artist Helen Jacobs . Felt making with themes from make do and mend.

Members remembered making clothes by recycling cloth and cutting patterns out of ready-made clothes

Pupils of St Helen’s also joined in the session as part of the Duke of Edinburgh Awards.

Dig For Victory with Isla Goldsmith & Thrive

It was time to get your hands dirty and look at how growing your own helped

through the War years. Thrive looking at the history of gardening and the ‘Dig For Victory’ Jan recalls that when War was declared all the flowers went from the garden and the vegetables came in. Soot was dried from the Chimney to put on the garden along with other products from day to day use.

Films On-line Vimeo History Channel

1) Women During the 2nd World War – (Stella Coulling Oxford Bus Driver)

Film Click Here: Stella Coulling 

2) Ration & Fashion – (looking at Rationing, Food, Clothes and Fashion with members

of the Centre)

Film Click Here: Ration & Fashion 

3) Anderson Shelters – (short interview with Doris Burton and Pat Fairbrother)

 Film Click Here: Anderson Shelter

4) John Mason School – (Make a sponge cake using a War-time recipe)

 Film Click Herte: John Mason School Baking A Cake

5) British Declaration of War 1939-45 (Members speak about their memories when

War was declared)

 Film Click Here: British Declaration of War

6) Down Memory Lane with the Brownies – (1st Drayton Brownies join the Centre to

remember social clubs (Brownies, Guides, Scouts and Girls Life Brigade), activities

and games as well as celebrating their own anniversary of 55 years)

Film Click Here: Brownies How was life for you 

7) Down Memory Lane - (Remembering the hard facts of War - contains images of concentration camps) We wanted to remember those who survived and those who did not.

Film Click Here: Memories of War 1939 -45

We would like to thank those individuals and organisations for supporting this

project. Through time, volunteering, equipment, resources, publicity or for directly

taking part in this important Oral History, Reminiscence and Archive Project for

future generations.

A Big Thank You To:

Gill Jaggers - Head of Marketing Pegasus

Helen Fountain – Reminiscence Officer Museum of Oxford

Roger Hammett – ‘Reel History’ Archive Partners BBC South

Suzy Sheriff & Matt Taylor - Manager & Assistant Manager Phoenix Picturehouse

Philip Cowen – Academic Subject Leader Newport Film School @ University of Wales Newport

Louisa Weeks & Phil Ashworth - Oxford Bus Company

John Bayliss – Oxford Museum Trust Ltd

Kay Harman - Little Nellie’s Sweet Shop, Henley

Ruth Hudson - 1st Drayton Brownies

Charlie Barrnett & Amy Paterson - John Mason Gifted & Talented Group

Isla Goldsmith – Thrive

Helen Jacobs – Artist

Anne Ransome – Archive Midcounties Co-operative

Exhibition will take place on the 22nd September

Thank you to Helen Jacobs and Isla Goldsmith for the ongoing workshops. We will have visits from Cait Sweeney and Nick Gill who will be giving us a sing-a-long as well as looking at the Stars from the Golden Screen. We have objects and memories with Cait Sweeney, Gill Munday – Reminiscence from the County Museums and cinema with screenings of feature films and showing some of the films we have made to date.

Down Memory Lane is funded by The Awards For All Grant – Lottery Fund.

The project is being run with:

Forum Chairs (representing the Oasis group)

Renee Zarecky , Josie Kinduich , Doris Hurley, Janet Churlish,

Sylvia Pead and Mary Southey

Jackie Bowler – Abingdon Resource and Wellbeing Centre

Abigail Brown & Helen Jacobs – Arts Development Officer Vale of the White Horse District Council

and

Pauline Krason, Pat Taylor, Cathryn Baggott , Sarah Holloway, Lina Mokute, Christine Sadler

and Jackie Richards.

Sharon Woodward – Filmmaker/Artist in Residence, Project Co-ordinator

Cait Sweeney – Assistant Co-ordinator

Sharon Woodward - Projects and Films  

If I Knew You Were Coming I'd Have Baked A Cake

Down Memory Lane with John Mason School 

The film made with Abingdon Wellbeing Resource Centre members,

inspired a discussion on rationing with a group from John Mason School.

Following this on Thursday 19th April the Gifted & Talented group at John Mason School embarked on a cookery project.

The recipe and method was as followed:

Cake or Pudding Mixture

1 egg (reconstituted);

4 ozs national flour;

2 oz Sugar

1 teaspoon backing powder;

A little Milk

Method.- Beat Egg. Cream fat and sugar,

add egg and lastly the flour mixed with

the baking powder. Mix to a soft

2 ozs sugar;

2 ozs fat;

1 teaspoon baking powder;

A little milk.

consistency with a little milk. Spread in a

tin and bake for 15 – 20 minutes.

Note. This mixture can be steamed in a

basin for 1 hour and served as a pudding

with jam or custard sauce.

The cake was given to members of the Centre to try and see if it was how they remembered cakes tasting at the time.

I am still interviewing individual members who are kindly sharing their memories of time gone by. We have spoken of those who managed to get away from the islands before the Germans arrived. Many remember leaving on boats with only a suitcase with them. Others recall losing their homes when they came up from the Air Raid shelters and found their homes had been bombed.  They spoke of being put up in a church until such time as they were found other accommodation.

These are funny, sad intriguing stories and only wish I could spend longer on these very short films.

We have more that will be taking place over the next six months. Artist Helen Jacobs will be running workshops in June & July. Co--op Archives Anne Ransome will be visiting, Helen Fountain and Gill Munday from the Museums, Cait Sweeney will be looking at the Stars from the Golden Screen. While Isla Goldsmith runs the tabletop plants and gardening session and we look at the  ‘Dig For Victory’ campaign. 

Down Memory Lane is funded by The Awards For All Grant – Lottery Fund.

The project is being run with:

Forum Chair- Renee Zarecky

(representing the Oasis group) , Josie Kinduich , Doris Hurley, Janet Churlish, Sylvia Pead and Mary Southey

Jackie Bowler – Abingdon Resource and Wellbeing Centre

Abigail Brown – Arts Development Officer Vale of the White Horse District Council

and

Pauline Krason, Pat Taylor, Jean Abraham, Sarah Holloway, Lina Mokute, Christine Sadler and Jackie Richards.

Sharon Woodward – Filmmaker/Artist in Residence, Project Co-ordinator

Cait Sweeney – Assistant Co-ordinator

Sharon Woodward - Projects and Films  

The Memories Begin

 

Down Memory Lane - Anderson Shelter

We have been preparing for the Down Memory Lane activities and events that  start the week of the 16^th April.

On Thursday 12^th April at 11am Doris Hurley  (Chair of the Oasis & Abingdon Resource and Wellbeing Centre members group) and myself (Sharon Woodward) were interviewed for local radio. The BBC Radio Oxford Malcolm Boyden show.

Doris was wonderful and it was great that the local station were so supportive in promoting this project. I had to smile when Malcolm Boyden attempted to tease Doris. He joked about her being a movie star at 86 and then asked, had she consider being in the new James Bond Film?

It was excellent when she responded with 'Yes' that she wouldn't mind volunteering  to help them out.

16^th April 2012

Well today the Down Memory Lane Project really got started. We were treated to a visit by the Drayton Brownies, they sang a number of songs including ‘We’ll Meet Again’. They also had a number of interesting questions to ask.

The young people asked the Senior Citizens  how life had been different when they were young. The questions covered things like getting up and going to school without a hot shower or Central Heating. Traveling to and from school and how they would learn once they were at school. Learning was not done via a computer, the games that were played had been very similar or the same. They spoke about after school activities as television was not around and learning to saw and knit were the favorite pastimes.

What I found interesting afterwards was the Brownies feedback. One young lady said that she was surprised that they had games in common. Another said she had not realized there had been so many small shops as she was used to shopping in a large supermarket, with all the goods under one roof. Another spoke about Rationing, saying  she had been aware of food getting rationed but didn't know that clothing had the same restrictions. 

Down Memory Lane is funded by The Awards For All Grant – National Lottery

The project is being run with:

Sharon Woodward – Filmmaker/Artist in Residence, Project Co-ordinator

Cait Sweeney – Assistant Co-ordinator   

Forum Chairs (representing the Oasis group)

Renee Zarecky , Josie Kinduich , Doris Hurley, Janet Churlish, Sylvia  Pead and Mary Southey

Jackie Bowler – Abingdon Resource and Wellbeing Centre

Abigail Brown – Arts Development Officer Vale of the White Horse District Council

With Support and thanks to:

Pauline Krason, Pat Taylor, Jean Abraham, Sarah Holloway, Lina Mokute, 

Christine Sadler and Jackie Richards.  

Sharon Woodward - Projects and Films

Memories Near and Far

Cait Sweeney (Assisting Sharon Woodward in documenting the project) met some of the group for the first time. 20^th February.

Doris brought in a photo of herself in uniform (WAF) from 1944 which gave us the idea of bringing in my (Cait Sweeney’s) scanner and lap top for a week so anyone can bring in photo’s, memento’s, souvenirs etc from their childhood and we can make copies which will go towards the exhibition in September.

Doris also has a book  ‘From Peron to Piccadilly’ written by her brother-in-law…it’s in French, but she also has a typed translation. Could she bring these in when we have the scanner?…we could maybe us extracts and book cover in Exhibition.

Other areas discussed were, games they used to play as children, with hoops, marbles, skipping and chucks (Jacks). (How many of these are played today?).

Doris spoke about how the children from her school were evacuated to Exeter but she refused to go so she stayed in London. Earlier in the War she had been evacuated to her Godmother’s house ‘but that was different.

They remembered how front gardens in particular were full of flowers before the War and after they had been turned into vegetable patches.

Mary S loved going to school so much that she cried when she left aged 15. They talked about how different it was; learning was through repetition  .  Mary S gave us a demonstration how she can still say the alphabet backwards! 

Both Mary Southey and Doris remember boys getting the cane, but couldn’t recall any girls that had, whereas Mary Walsh remembers clearly girls getting the cane and was taught by ‘cross nuns’! 

Mary W. grew up in County Cork, leaving school at 16; she came to England in the ‘50s to work in service. 

We talked about the kind of entertainment that was available and the film-stars and ‘heart-throbs’ around at the time like; Errol Flynn, Stuart Granger, Richard Green the ‘Brylcream Boy’.
For Mary Southey it was all about the ‘Rockers and the Rollers’, she remembers how she used to take a matchstick and rub the end in soot from the fire to draw herself a beauty spot. She met her husband because she began writing to him in Malaysia…so pen pals first. Is Internet dating the modern day equivalent?

 There was talk of the ‘Potato Famine’ and the ‘Highland Clearances’, which whilst not in their living memory are stories or oral family histories that have been passed down through the generations.

Cait Sweeney - Assistant Co-ordinator   

Big thank you to Cait Sweeney for typing this up. 

Was really nice to have Mary Walsh join the planning meeting on Monday she had previously been involved in the taster workshops I ran, so  good to get her input. I think her experience of being in Service and coming from Ireland will offer a different historical perspective. So many people from all over have come to live in Oxfordshire I only wish I could capture everyone’s story.    

Pictures of my Grandmother, Grandfather and Great Grandfather -

Sharon Woodward

 Many things came up in the meeting that I hadn’t been aware of, such as evacuees being taught separately from the pupils who already attended village schools. How very different the education system is now to how it has been and the kind of environment the members of Abingdon Resource and Wellbeing Centre had grown up in. When Mary recited the alphabet backwards I remembered my grandfather doing this and how impressed I had been.  The schedule is coming together for April – September and looking like a very interesting selection of events I’m certainly looking forward to filming the memories and events that are taking place. I have also entered the Ration & Fashion; Women During the 2^nd World War into the Portobello Film Festival if they show them it will be great because it takes place in September and could coincide with the exhibition in Oxford. 

Sharon Woodward (Filmmaker/Artist in Residence)

Down Memory Lane is funded by The Awards For All Grant – Lottery Fund.

The project is being run with:

Forum Chairs (representing the Oasis group)

Renee Zarecky , Josie Kinduich , Doris Hurley, Janet Churlish, Sylvia  Pead and Mary Southey

Jackie Bowler – Abingdon Resource and Wellbeing Centre

Abigain Brown – Arts Development Officer Vale of the White Horse District Council

We would also like to thank:

Pauline Krason, Pat TaylorJean Abraham, Sarah Holloway, Lina Mokute, Christine Sadler and Jackie Richards.  

Sharon Woodward – Filmmaker/Artist in Residence, Project Co-ordinator

Cait Sweeney – Assistant Co-ordinator   

The Memories Begin

It was just before Christmas the 21^st December when I received the email telling me that the Senior Citizens - Oasis group based at The Abingdon Resource and Wellbeing Centre had been successful in their bid for funding from the Awards 4 All Lottery application. This was indeed wonderful and meant that the amazing stories of these incredible people are now going to be documented through digital video and archived for future generations.

So it was on Monday the 9^th January that we had our meeting with Mary Southey, Doris Hurley and Josie Kinduich from the group along with myself, Jackie Bowler from the Centre and Abigail Brown the Arts Development Officer from the Vale of the White Horse. Unfortunately Renee Zarecky wasn’t available on that day but I did manage to catch up with her a few days later and she let slip that she had once taken part in a show to entertain the troops. I’m really looking forward to that story.

We were all incredibly excited and we draw up a rough outline of the project. The ideas is that I will now schedule in events, activities, day trips and these will run from April – September. Some of the events and visits will be followed by group discussions that I will also be filming and I will also be interviewing people towards the final films. All this will be put towards an exhibition that will in the first instance be taking place in September. We are also discussing space for of the exhibition to be shown in other local museums. I have also had some interest from the Hanney group of Senior Citizens who would like us to visit after September, they would like to see some of the films and I hope to encourage the Oasis group to come along as well. I think it would be very inspiring to hear this group talk.

I have also had a meeting with a wonderful lady Anne Ransome who will be paying a visit to the group with some of the amazing photography and poster archive from the Co-op. She showed me photograph of an Co-op stall from the 1920’s which was not far from where I now live and I was really taken back with it.

We will also be working with a local school as well as the Daryton Brownie group and I’m looking forward to hearing a younger generations outlook on life without computers, mobiles, TV and lets face it general telephones.

So I will now be working closely with Forum Chairs: Renee Zarecky , Josie Kinduich , Doris Hurley, Janet Churlish, Sylvia  Pead and Mary Southey, Abigail Brown – Arts Development Officer (Vale of the White Horse), Jackie Bowler – Assistant Manager (Abingdon Wellbeing & Recourse Centre) as well as my new assistant Cait Sweeney who will be supporting me in some of the co-ordination.

I would also like to thank welcome those of you who have shown an interested in this project

I am so please that I made the two pilot films Ration and Fashion as well as the Women During the 2^nd World War I think they give some insight into what is possible in filming the memories of these amazing group.

I also feel incredibly privileged to be allowed into the past of people’s lives and feels that they have allowed me a little bit of my Grandmother back. That I somehow understand why she believed and thought certain things now, that I didn’t when I was younger, it is indeed a bonus to find that the group you are working with have given you back some memories of your own.

Down Memory Lane is funded by The Awards For All Grant – Lottery Fund.

The project is being run with:

Forum Chairs (representing the Oasis group)

Renee Zarecky , Josie Kinduich , Doris Hurley, Janet Churlish, Sylvia  Pead and Mary Southey

Jackie Bowler – Abingdon Resource and Wellbeing Centre

Abigain Brown – Arts Development Officer Vale of the White Horse District Council

We would also like to thank:

Pauline Krason, Pat TaylorJean Abraham, Sarah Holloway, Lina Mokute, Christine Sadler and Jackie Richards. 

Cait Sweeney – Assistant Co-ordinator   

Anybody who is interested:

We would like to hear from local businesses, educational establishments or individuals who feel they could offer something to the project for example a Restaurant who might be interested in making a Wartime meal using rations that were available at the time or a Garden project who might be interested in revisiting the ‘Dig for Victory’ Campaign.    

Those organisations that have already contributed:

The Oxford Bus Company

The Oxford Bus Museum

The Phoenix Picture House

Newport Film School (Philip Cowan)

Little Nellies (Traditional Sweet Shop) Henley (Kate Harman)

Those who would like to contribute in someway can contact local filmmaker Sharon Woodward info@mischiefpictures.co.uk 

Project Co-ordinator and Filmmaker:

Sharon Woodward

Sharon is an Independent Filmmaker, Project Manager and Media Tutor she has over the years received a number of awards for her documentary work as well as corporate production. She trained at Newport Film School, the National Film and Television School and with BBC Wale and Tyne Tees Television. 

This is a wonderful opportunity to take part in documenting the past for future generations.

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Ration and Fashion

It’s a Monday morning on the 17^th October, and I have talked my friend Eloise Coyle into taking part in the gravy browning stocking challenge (I actually just made that up but I liked the sound of it).

Many of you will be aware that during the 2^nd World War just about everything was rationed including materials. Silk and high-grade rayon was needed for parachutes, wool needed for military uniforms, and basically every type of fabric was in short supply worldwide.

In the UK rationing was very strict, the British government introduced a coupon system for clothing that started on Sunday the 1st of June 1941. Rationing continued until 1949, and some forms of rationing didn’t end until mid 1950’s.

I remember my Grandmother talking about how some women would paint their legs with gravy browning when they were unable to get stockings. So it was with this in mind that we went along to the Abingdon Wellbeing and Resource Centre to see how it was actually done.

Eloise like myself had been told stories from various relatives about such improvisations. Eloise like me was interested in finding out just how difficult this process would be.

So like many of the fashion conscious women of the time. Eloise used gravy browning and water to paint her legs with some help from Josie. I would later attempt to use eyeliner pencil to draw a seam up the back of her leg.

Two of the members Mary and Ruby had done this themselves during the rationing. Mary explained to me that she and her friend had painted each other’s legs earlier in the day. They then had gone out only to have the heavens open on them both - it absolutely poured with rain and the gravy browning legs were washed away.

Mary and Ruby told me that ideally you would have help from your friend, and do each other’s legs. I’m pretty certain they wouldn’t have been impressed with my help. I made Eloise look like she had wonky stockings on and when Renee saw what we had done we got the big thumbs down. The line was too think, the gravy not even.

It must have been very difficult to apply such things as gravy or Coco. I’d like to find out if anybody else has tried this more recently and filmed it.

So I would like to set all you ladies the Gravy Browning Leg Challenge. Can you apply gravy or Coco to your legs evenly with the eyeliner running up the back of your legs to simulate the seam? If so please send me the link it would be great to share this and see how other people have got on.

‘Down Memory Lane’ is seeking further funding for this oral history project.

Big thank you to:

Eloise Coyle (gravy browning model)

Jackie Bowler - Resource and Wellbeing Centre

Abigail Brown - Arts Development Officer, Vale of White Horse District Council

Forum Chairs:
Renee Zarecky, Josie Kinduich, Doris Hurley, Janet Churlish and Sylvia Pead

Ration and Fashion - Short Film 

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Taste of Times Gone By

Little Nellies Sweet Shop

It was in 1953 on the 5^th February that the sweet rationing came to an end. It was with this in mind that Down Memory Lane turned to the Little Nellies Sweet Shop, 4 Friday Street, Henley of Thames for it’s next fill of nostalgia.

‘Down Memory Lane’ is a reminiscence project, currently in development with the Arts Development Officer from Vale of the White Horse District Council, myself a local Oxfordshire filmmaker and the members of the Abingdon Resource and Wellbeing Centre on Audlett Drive.

I was suddenly seven years old, asking for a 5p mix up - an assortment of chews, Blackjacks, Fruit salads and the Parma Violet sweets. Parma Violets tasted like perfume but I couldn’t resist them anyway.

All this ran through my mind as I walked into ‘Little Nellies Sweet Shop’ on Wednesday the 28^th September. Where I met Kay Harman owner and manager of the shop.

I know it’s tough investigating sweets but somebody has to do it!

If the sight of sweets in jars piled high on shelves, filled my thoughts with sweet eating memories. I wondered what they would evoke in the wonderful ladies and gentlemen of the Centre.

Kay was marvellous and very supportive of the project. She informed me that her own mother had cycled miles in 1949 to get a packet of Fizzy’s the only sweets available at the time .

According to the BBC website in 1953 ‘The government and manufacturers had been quick to reassure the public that there would be no repeat of the first attempt to de-ration sweets, in April 1949, when demand far outstripped supply and they were put back on ration after just four months.

Kay Harman weighed out the Barley Sugars, Liquorice and Aniseed Balls. Then packed them away in little brown bags. Finally she placed them in a beautiful, flower patterned sweet box, which I would take to the Abingdon Resource and Wellbeing Centre.

I was very restrained and kept the lid on (well almost) until Monday the 3^rd of October. It was then time for me to see what Barbara, Beryl , Gerald (Jan) , Mary, Reg and Betty remembered.

Mary would be the groups box opener and as each packet came out people remembered something different.

Beryl shared with the group her memories of the day the sweet rationing ended. She stood in a very long queue on Broadway in Didcot waiting for the sweets that would no longer be restricted.

Mary passed the Aniseed Balls around and I filmed as the group recalled experiences and exchanged stories. I did sample a couple of sweets myself it would have been impolite not to join in!

‘Down Memory Lane’ is seeking further funding for this oral history project.

With thanks to:

Kay Harman – Little Nellies Sweet Shop

Jackie Bowler - Resource and Wellbeing Centre

Abigail Brown - Arts Development Officer, Vale of White Horse District Council

Forum Chairs:
Renee Zarecky, Josie Kinduich, Doris Hurley, Janet Churlish and Sylvia Pead

Sweet Sampling Group:

Barbara Hodgkins, Beryl Cross, Gerald (Jan) Burnett, Mary Southey, Reg Macdonald and Betty Macdonald

Assistant Sweet Samplers: Sharon Woodward, Christine Sadler and Sarah Holloway

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