Having worked with many community and heritage projects across Scotland, Communities Past & Futures Society members are passionate about capturing and preserving the memories of those people who have been witness to social and cultural changes, and the events that inspired, challenged, motivated, or just haphazardly led to or effected their own lived experiences, positively or negatively, everyday or extraordinary. One such event was WWII. Many of those who were children at the time experienced family dislocation, evacuation, rationing and air raids, but also love, joy and play. This project was inspired by and is dedicated to those wartime children and their memories.
During this present global Covid 19 pandemic, we are especially grateful to everyone who shared their stories with us, and to the wonderful volunteers who contributed their time, energy, and creativity to helping us to record those precious memories, and to create a range of dissemination outputs, which includes a book, a unique oral history filmed archive, an amazing project website, wonderful original artwork, and a series of mobile exhibitions.
This project has had its challenges, with Covid, long-Covid, lockdowns, supplier delays, staffing shortages, and tragically, the devastating loss of friends taken from us way too soon. There were times when we wondered if we could continue with this project, if we should continue. Ultimately, there was no choice, the stories and memories of our wartime children had to be recorded and shared, and our members, our volunteers, our respondents, and our professional colleagues, were adamant that we complete that task as well as possible under the circumstances. It is with great honour and pride that I shall always remember how we all supported each other through these difficult times, how we all worked together, and that the final successes of this project belong to all the whole team, for we are indeed a team - a strong, creative, ingenious and mighty team!
We are also grateful to National Lottery Heritage Fund and National Lottery Players for their generous financial support, and to Dr Sue Morrison (Oral History Research & Training Consultancy), Rachel Kelly (Project Coordinator), Rikki Traynor (Sound Specialist), Joyce Kelly (Artist in Residence), Mark Downie (Mark Development), and Rainy Days Productions, for their tremendous professional support that went over and above their original remits. Lastly but not least, we extend our deep gratitude to everyone who participated in this wonderful project - volunteers, respondents, event organisers, and many others, during what can truly be described as yet another extraordinary period.
Thank you, All.
William Morrison
Communities Past & Futures Society
October 2021
