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The LCPA Oral History Research Group has been meeting for the last couple of months in order to try out their interviewing skills and to talk to people who have stories to tell about their lives in Lincoln in the early part of the 20th Century. Armed with tape recorders kindly supplied by the Local Heritage Initiative several of our members contacted elderly people to gather their memories. Everyone came back with fascinating stories to tell about their experiences. Susan Redpath has kindly written down her experiences.
“I have been interviewing ‘getting on a bit’ folks. This was in order to help in the writing of a play about the Lincoln riots of 1911. Any tapes recorded will be kept in the Lincoln Archives for future reference. The three people I was lucky enough to interview could not have been more helpful in my endeavours for the cause.
Despite willing and very helpful interviewees, I found that my interviewing technique was not the best! Plonking the tape machine next to the budgie made one recording sound like it was taped in an aviary and forgetting to turn the tape over were just two of my shortcomings. I know there were others….
However, the whole experience was fascinating as I learned about knickers without elastic (fastened to liberty bodices), calling for the ferry from the other side of the Trent in order to catch the bus to Gainsborough and trying to catch an independently minded horse on South Common every day in order to do the Lincoln daily milk round.
Some times were sad as well, as I was told about what must have been one of the first children to be knocked down and killed by a motor vehicle – few and far between at the time. The whole of Waddington mourned the loss.
I also had the privilege of enabling two people who had not seen each other since their teenage years to meet again after so long.
What an experience! Joey enjoyed it too (the budgie)!
The Group is hoping to publish extracts from the transcripts in the future.
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