Voices of World War Two: Memories of the Last Survivors

Description

In association with the flagship BBC2 series, Britain's Greatest Generation celebrates the achievements of the exceptional generation of men and women born in the early twentieth century. In association with the flagship BBC2 series. This is the story of the men and women of a truly remarkable generation. Born into a world still reeling from the earth-shattering events of the Great War, they grew up during the appalling economic depression of the 1930s, witnessed the globe tear itself apart again during the Second World War, and emerged from post-war austerity determined to create a new society for their children. It is the story of people who raised their families during the immense social upheaval of the Fifties and Sixties, as the world in which they had grown up changed inexorably. It is the story of the people who shaped the way we live now. Britain's Greatest Generation tells this multi-faceted story through the eye-witness accounts of those who were there, from Japanese prisoner of war Fergus Anckorn to Dame Vera Lynn, from Bletchley Park veteran Jean Valentine to Dad's Army creator Jimmy Perry, and from fighter pilot Tom Neil to the Queen's cousin Margaret Rhodes. Together their testimony creates a vivid, often deeply moving picture of an extraordinary epoch - and the extraordinary people who lived through it.

Sue Elliott is the author of the bestselling memoir and history of adoption Love Child (Vermilion, 2005) and The Children Who Fought Hitler (John Murray, 2009), which relates the Second World War exploits of former pupils of the British Memorial School in Ypres. She was a researcher on the BBC4 documentary of the same name made by Testimony. Steve Humphries, described by Broadcast magazine as 'the king of oral history', is a former history and sociology lecturer at the University of Essex. After working as a producer at London Weekend Television, where he made landmark series such as The Making of Modern London (for which he also co-wrote the accompanying four books), he set up Testimony Films in Bristol in 1992. Since then, Testimony has made over 60 single documentaries and series for all the public service broadcasters and for specialist digital channels.

Wonderful... Each account is colourful, touching and unique, each individual shining a fresh light on our shared past. This is a rich, heart-warming record of a generation to whom we owe so much, and a physical reminder of the importance of talking to our relatives about their lives, for the benefit of those who come after us. * Family Tree *