Notes of meeting held on Friday 30 November 2018 at 2.30 pm at St Mary’s Church Hall.
What a super start to our project. After the considerable amount of time and effort taken to fill in the HLF application and then being turned down, I must admit to feeling quietly downhearted, but tonight’s meeting was a fantastic boost and I have regained all the initial enthusiasm I had last April. I must also give thanks to Cynthia for the support she has provided and the conviction that we could still do it on our own. And so this meeting was arranged.
Sixteen people turned up, so with four or five apologies, I guess that was a good number to start with, and before the meeting ended two hours later, everyone was chatting and remembering and reminding each other of times, places and events from many years ago and willing us on. Some people had to leave towards the end, but we had to finally break off the last few conversations when the key holder turned up to lock up.
I am attaching two documents here that were handed out at the meeting:
1. The Programme for tonight’s meeting. This sets out the plans we have and the stages the project will go through.
2. This is a series of 30 ‘Conversation Starters’ which we hope everyone who attended and anyone else who would like to join us will use over the Christmas and New Year period to encourage their families to remember. We hope they will tell stories, make notes or recordings (perhaps even on mobile phones if that is possible) and return on Friday 1 February with something that we can use in the writing of a book.
We would welcome anyone who knows anyone who lived worked or played in Sprotbrough between 1925 and 1965 to print these off and use them and then come to the next meeting.
CONTACTS: Liz Reeve Email: soh.lizreeve@gmail.com
Cynthia Ransome Email: cynthiaransome@gmail.com
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Document 1 - PROGRAMME
SOH Meeting – Friday 30 November 2018 at 2.30 pm in St Mary’s Church Hall
1. WELCOME & INTRODUCTION
2. WHERE ARE WE AT?
· Failed HLF bid
· We want to carry on and capture memories of older people whilst we can
· The Question is, do you want to help us to do this?
· If so, are you willing to help and in what way?
· Go over the following
3. WHAT MIGHT BE INVOLVED? TWO AIMS
1. To write a book
2. To create a plan of the village at different stages between 1925 and 1965
4. THE BOOK
· What research might be needed
· What material is already available, eg 1967 histories done by WEA, magazine articles, personal reflections: ie References that can be listed for further study
· What would we want to put in it
o Back story – how the village developed before 1925
o Oral history – interviews with residents to get a rounded story
o How the village developed after the Estate was sold in 1925
o 1930s, 40s and 50s – changing work and lifestyle patterns
o 1960s – increased development and new housing estates
o How newcomers were received
· Publication – costings, grants, crowd-funding, ebook?
5. A PLAN OF THE VILLAGE
· To identify:
o 1924 – Original homes, farms and families living in the village in 1925 and Sale of Estate
o 1930s – Demolition of the Hall and new properties being built in its grounds, etc
o 1965 – Addition of new estates
· Considerations:
o Design and size
o Production
o Ease of availability for show purposes
o Storage
o Computerised possibilities
6. HOW TO PROCEED
Stage 1 – Starting today
· Small-group session with leaders/scribes to record discussions/reactions to above
· Circulation of Conversation Starters for discussion in families over Christmas and New Year
· Make notes/recordings if you have the means
· Suggest interviewees for different generations
Stage 2 – Report Back
· Next meeting: Friday 1 February 2019 at 2.30 pm, same venue
· Group sessions with leaders to record information/ideas gathered from families
Stage 3 – Personal Interviews and ongoing work
· Session for Interviewers to establish best practice
· Start interviews and made CDs of same. (Anyone with interviewing experience could start asap, as the sooner the older generation are interviewed the better.)
· Meet on a monthly(?) basis to catch up/report back/ discuss/ ask for suggestions/etc
7. COMPLETION
The writing of the book and the making of the plan should start as soon as appropriate.
A launch party may be a possibility
8. IF TIME AND SUFFICIENT AUDIENCE, DISCUSSION IN GROUPS RE THE
ABOVE WITH A SCRIBE TO RECORD RESPONSES AND REPORT BACK
9. DATE OF NEXT MEETING – FRIDAY 1 FEBRUARY 2019 AT 2.30 PM
10. Close of meeting
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Document 2 – CONVERSATION STARTERS
SPROTBROUGH ORAL HISTORY 1925-1965
Name: ………………………..........................................................................................................
Contact details:……………………………………………………………………………………
Names and ages of those you are going to chat with:……………………………………….......
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
CONVERSATION STARTERS
These are just suggestions to bring back memories and prompt you and your family and friends to start talking informally about your/their lives in Sprotbrough Village between 1925 and 1965. Please jot down anything really interesting that can be picked up on for future reference. Perhaps this can be done whilst sitting around together over Christmas.
1. Village facilities – what was it like? shops, pubs, clubs, post office
2. The War years: Home conditions – do you remember the war, what was it like for the family, warm/cold, lighting, water, sanitary arrangements, decorating
3. Schools attended – Village, Richmond Hill, Mexborough Grammar, Percy Jackson Grammar, Woodlands Secondary Modern, Other? - which attended, when left, classes sizes, conditions, segregation of sexes
4. Play time – games: marbles, two ball, tag, etc
5. Entertainment in your youth – dances, pictures, where
6. How did you meet your partner?
7. What family did you have? Were times hard? Were children easy or hard to bring up?
8. Shopping – shops, eg groceries, milk – deliveries
9. Food – at school or home, visiting others – special likes or dislikes
10. Clothing styles at different ages
11. Work – age started, type done, eg in service, office, industry, business
12. Friends known – boys, girls
13. People – characters, personalities, loved, feared
14. Death – funerals
15. Entertainment – Radio/TV, Dancing - other: where, what type
16. Sport - 4 min mile, conquest of Everest, Cricket/Ashes 1952, St Ledger/Prince Honolulu, Wrestling
17. Churches – baptism, marriage, funerals, Sunday School, whether regular attender
18. Music: church choir, concerts, dancing/styles/where?, big bands, rock and roll
19. Trips out – buses, railway
20. Footpaths
21. Weather memories, heatwaves, storms
22. National and International events
23. Decimalisation
24. Man on the Moon
25. Death of the King – Coronation of Queen – parties
26. Death of Churchill
27. Politics –parties, elections and budgets, did it interest you?
28. Have you any photos of the village or villagers to copy for display
29. Anything else of special interest?
30. Anything else of special interest?
