News 2008-9

Dorset in Wartime, the diary of Phyllis Walther 1941-1942

A wartime diarist from Dorset has become the latest Mass Observer to have her diary published.

Phyllis Walther worked as a volunteer for the WVS during the war. She was responsible for the welfare of evacuees and for providing clothing for displaced children and their mothers.

She also organised the provision of hand-knitted comforts for the troops and despaired of the tangle caused by garments mistakenly knitted in the wrong sizes and service colours.

Dorset in Wartime the Diary of Phyllis Walther, 1941-1942 is published by the Dorset Record Society and is edited by Robert and Patricia Malcolmson (who have edited other MO diaries, such as (Nella Last’s Peace and A Soldier in Bedfordshire 1941-1942: The Diary of Private Denis Argent). To purchase the book please contact the Dorset Record Society.

Timescapes Conference: The Craft of Qualitative Longitudinal Research, 20th January 2010

Cardiff School of Social Sciences is holding a one day conference which provides an opportunity to consider research that takes a qualitative, longitudinal approach to researching families, relationships and identities-in-the-making. The Conference theme will be around the craft of Qualitative Longitudinal Research. This event is being held in collaboration with the ESRC Timescapes Study, which is exploring the ways in which personal and family relationships unfold over time and through the life course, and how those relationships shape who we are. Relationships studied are those with significant others: parents, grandparents, siblings, children, partners, friends and lovers. For further information please visit the Timescapes website.

Wartime Women: A Mass Observation Anthology, 1937-1945 re-issued for the forth time.

'My horror of all this war business is qualified by an eagerness to be a unit of it. I feel as if I have been waiting for this all my life and I have just realised it' A young woman writing in her diary in September, 1939

Edited by Dorothy Sheridan, Development Director of the Mass Observation Archive, this anthology details what daily life was like for British women living through the Second World War. Dorothy has chosen extracts from the whole range of Mass Observation material including File Reports, diaries, directive replies and letters. The book is published by Orion and was featured on BBC Radio 4's "A Good Read". You can buy a copy of Wartime Women here.

The diary of a wartime Mass Observer has been published:
A Soldier in Bedfordshire, 1941-1942: The Diary of Private Denis Argent

Denis Argent, a professional journalist, joined the British Army in 1940 at the age of 23. During most of his first two years in uniform - he was billeted in Bedfordshire in 1941-42 - he kept a remarkably detailed and probing diary for Mass Observation. He wrote of street life and other aspects of the Home Front in Luton and Bedford (the BBC's Symphony Orchestra was relocated there shortly before he arrived); daily military routine; bomb disposal; transportation; women, sex, and leisure; his political views and cultural interests (he loved music and was widely read); the crucial importance of leaves to see his girlfriend; and his fellow conscientious objectors - he was in the Non-Combatant Corps, though he later chose to take up arms. Denis Argent had a keen and observant reporter's eye; he was also highly attuned to the modernist intellectual culture of his time. His is a wartime diary that is perceptive, colourful, wide-ranging, sometimes amusing, and very well written. A Soldier in Bedfordshire, 1941-1942: The Diary of Private Denis Argent is edited by Patricia Malcolmson and Robert Malcolmson and published by Bedfordshire Historical Record Society. You can purchase it here.

English Anxieties at the John Hansard Gallery, University of Southampton

Previously shown in Cardiff, English Anxieties, will now be displayed at the John Hansard Gallery at the University of Southampton. The project was put together by Tim Brennan and reflects his experiences researching in the Mass Observation Archive.

You can watch a video of Tim Brennan being interviewed about the exhibition on the John Hansard Gallery website here.

The exhibition runs from 7 July - 29 August 2009. More information can be found on the John Hansard Gallery's website.

Original Mass Observation publications re-issued

 

Twenty five books were published during Mass Observation's original phase of activity.The books brought together material collected by the organisation's dedicated panel of observers and diary writers. From the coronation of George VI to peoples drinking habits in Bolton

pubs, the themes covered by the books are diverse.

In recent times the books have been out of print and hard to get hold of. Now, thanks to an extensive reissue programme by Faber, the books will be able to reach new audiences. Titles include: Britain, First Year's Work, May the Twelfth, The Pub and the People, War Begins at Home, War Factory, Meet Yourself on Sunday, Meet Yourself at the Doctor's,

Puzzled People, Report on Juvenile Delinquency. To find out more about how to purchase

these books please visit Faber’s website.

Can Any Mother Help Me?

The story of the Cooperative Correspondence Club (CCC) gained affection through the publication of Can Any Mother Help Me? (edited by Jenna Bailey, Faber and Faber, 2008). Now the story of this remarkable writing group has made the transition from page to stage. The Foursight Theatre Group has worked closely with Jenna Bailey to adapt the publication into an evocative piece of physical theatre, bringing the words of these women to life. The play will be touring around the UK. For tour dates please visit the Foursight Theatre website.

English Anxieties at Ffotogallery at Turnerhouse, Penarth

English Anxieties is an art exhibition in association with the Mass Observation Archive, the Ffotogallery and Photoworks. Produced by Tim Brennan, the exhibition explores the work of Mass Observation during its first phase of activity. Over the past year Brennan has been regularly visiting the Archive to research the exhibition, and his artwork explores his encounter with Mass Observation as a multi media configeration.

The exhibition is at the Ffotogallery at Turnerhouse in Penarth and runs from 14 March till 26 April 2009. The gallery is open Wednesday to Sunday 11am-5pm. For more details visit the Ffotogallery website.