Bath and North East Somerset Libraries

Community Memories of World War2


We collected together community and family memories of World War 2 for the 75th anniversary of VE Day. Below are some of our favourites.

Fancy Dress Street Party

From a former Bathonian:

I don’t remember VE Day as I didn’t have my second birthday until the following week. Mum and I lived with my grandparents in Brook Road while my Dad was in the RAF. At one stage my Auntie and her baby son lived with us while Uncle was in the Army.

I was told by Mum that I took part in an East Twerton Ward children’s Fancy Dress street party on that day. I think that it was held in Caledonia Road or thereabouts. Mum was always good at topical Fancy Dress and I was dressed as ‘Mrs Mopp’, the charlady from the popular radio programme ITMA , and won first prize. I wore a ‘pinny’, turban scarf and carried a brush and duster etc. I think I also had a sign with Mrs Mopp’s catch phrase ‘Can I do you now Sir?

On our way to the party we passed older people on their doorsteps watching the children go by. Two ladies called out ‘Can you bring your little girl to show Our Mum? She’s stuck in bed in the front room and she’d love to see her’. Of course we went in. There were no photos because film was so scarce.

sepia photograph of 30-40 children dressed up as nurses, policemen, clowns, brides and other unidentifiable costumes

The attached photo is of a repeat party on VJ day (August 1945?). I was dressed as a Cockney Costermonger and am second from the right in the front row, all in black. I DO remember that day – the costume and the one man band who played ‘Macnamara’s Band’ in the street outside our house.

What hard times they were for young parents living in cramped houses and separated from loved ones.

– Rosemary Conely (nee Smith)

The French Resistance

One of our library colleague’s great aunts fought for the French Resistance during World War 2.

black and white photo of a young woman, with 40s hairstyle with white shirt and wide trousers, standing on  large tuck with one foot propped up and smiling

Rennee Duverney (later Madame Martin, pictured) helped pass messages to the resistance fighters hiding in the forest (known in French as the ‘maquisard’). She cycled the countryside of the Beaujolais passing German borders and getting essential intelligence to the resistance.

The French Resistance did everything in their power to disrupt the supply chain of the occupying German forces by halting trains, laying traps and blowing up bridges – they also worked with the allied forces and SOE agents to share intelligence.

Madam Martin helped to liberate Beaujolais in 1944 before the end of the war. Her service was recognised by then French President Francois Mitterand. He presented her home with a plaque thanking and honouring her bravery during the war.

plaque on a wall, in french.

A translation:

Passer by remember!
Since May 1943, under Nazi Occupation this province was under the control of 2 Resistance French groups. In May 1944, the leaders of the 14th of July troop [their code name] was based in this village. Regular action units have been created and on the 14th July 1944, The Azergues Valley was almost freed. Honour and Recognition to the Resistance!

There was fake money printed by the French resistance, to look like the vouchers the German’s would give as food vouchers or pay for the local French villagers who volunteered to work in the industries held by the Nazis.

The Resistance parachuted these fake vouchers into the forest of my village, my aunt and her group had to find them, then give them to prisoners who escaped Nazi camps, forced labour etc. These vouchers allowed them to pretend to be volunteer workers for the Germans if they were caught on the road, or the frontiers. By having the false papers, it meant they would receive a bit of pay and food with one voucher.

Advance Of The Irish Brigade

This map, made in Egypt after the war, was sent to to us by one of our library colleagues.

Sepia coloured hand drawn map of Italy

This map shows the route their grandfather took through Italy as allied forces pushed out the occupying German forces. These troops fought at the famous battle of Monte Cassino.

They were also known as the ‘D-Day Dodgers’ as they were fighting in Italy in June 1944. Although a slight, these troops adopted the nickname with pride. They even had a song written about them.

This map shows the incredible journey taken across the entirety of Sicily and Italy. Our colleague’s grandfather was in Austria (top of the map, the very last point) when peace was announced on 7th May 1945.

Aardman’s War Story

This is a still from a very early Aardman animation called ‘War Story’ (1989).

Plasticine figure of an older man, with pipe, glasses and knitted vest over a shirt and tie

From one of our Library Colleagues:

My Grandad Perry (or Gramps Perry, as he was known to us), was William Perry, or Bill. He was quite a character and he was very outgoing! He was the kind of man who disappeared around the road to the shops and came back after an hour of chatting to his neighbours, without the shopping!

He loved to chat about some of his exploits during the second World War. He often phoned up Bristol Radio to talk to a presenter called Old Pete, his stories became quite a feature and they gained the interest of a budding animation company that was starting to experiment using real people‘s voices with plasticine models. This was back in the 80s and a very new way of working.

The company was of course Bristol based Aardman animation.

Anyway, they arranged a recording appointment with Old Pete in my Gramp’s tiny front room. My Mum can remember coming home from work one day and was surprised to see the sound recording gear spilling out of the front door into a van parked outside!

During the war, My Gramps worked at Filton, building aircraft and he worked at night as a fire warden. He was at Filton when the factory was bombed. Although he wouldn’t ever talk about that period of his life, he talked quite eagerly about other antidotes.

Aardman took the recordings and used them to make a short film, that they showcased at an evening launch at the Watershed Bristol. Mum and myself accompanied my Gramps to watch the preview and to a drinks party afterwards! Although I think that Gramps would have liked his cocoa more!

After Gramps Perry died and throughout the subsequent years, our family have kept in contact with Aardman and we have watched the company flourish. We are all very proud of Gramps Perry and his memories of the war being remembered on YouTube, in the film, especially listening to his broad Bristol accent!

PS. My Mum also featured in the film, she was the babe in arms!