As part of the Armed Forces Day exhibition of the War Widows Quilt, lead artist Lois Blackburn invites you to try your hand at sewing your own token of love and remembrance, whether you’re a novice or experienced embroiderer. You Read More …
On Saturday, 24 June 2023, in honour of Armed Forces Day, St George’s Hall, Liverpool, will host a special exhibition of the War Widows Quilt. Made by over ninety war widows and their families from armed forces shirts, the War Read More …
By Andrew Hopper Andrew Hopper is Professor of English Local History at the University of Leicester and the principal investigator for the project ‘Conflict, Welfare and Memory during and after the English Civil Wars 1642-1710’. Funded by the Arts & Humanities Research Council, Read More …
Rita shares her life, career, volunteering, and how she coped after her husband, Henry, passed away as a result of the injuries he sustained from serving in the Parachute Regiment in the Second World War. Read More …
Bernice speaks about her life and about losing her first husband, Harry Golding, while being pregnant with their second son. Harry was killed in action in Italy in 1944 while serving in the British Army. Read More …
Jeannie talks about growing up in post-war London as the daughter of a war widow. Her father, an RAF pilot, died in action during the Second World War, leaving behind her mother Betty and two baby daughters. Read More …
Christina talks about growing up as the daughter of a war widow – Christiane Kirton – and without ever having known her father, John, who was killed in action aboard a submarine during the Second World War. Read More …
Kathleen Cockroft shares her life story, including the loss of her husband Roy during the Korean War. She was eight months pregnant with their child when he was killed. Kathleen describes growing up in the Huddersfield area of West Yorkshire Read More …
Joy Cousins’ husband Derek served in the RAF, touring in Germany, Singapore, and Northern Ireland. While serving on a ground tour in Old Sarum, Wiltshire, in 1978, Derek sustained five angina heart attacks and died. Derek’s death left Joy in the middle of a large house renovation with three children. Joy talks about her early life, her career in property management, her fight for a War Widows’ Pension, remarrying, and how remembering their former spouses forms an important part in her and her second husband’s relationship. Read More …
Catherine Drummond, in the company of her daughter, recounts her life growing up in Scotland and enlisting for the Women’s Royal Airforce (WRAF) at the age of nineteen. Catherine talks about her experiences as wireless operator during the Second World Read More …
