Military Oral History  Continues

Heritage

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On Tuesday, April 28th in Goderich, Kirk Scott, Videographer of the Military Oral History Project interviewed the 100th veteran, Bill Anderson.

Since April 2005, mainly in Bruce and Grey Counties, Kirk Scott has been visiting World War II veterans in their homes making video recordings of their memories about their experiences in the War. Kirk has widened his range recently to include Wellington, and now, Huron Counties.

The conversations are structured along the lines of an interview and an attempt is made to keep the conversation chronological. Firstly, Anderson tries to learn something of the veteran's family life and what they were doing before they joined up, how they enlisted and why.

From that point on, Anderson explores where they went and what they did, what they saw, who they met and what they experienced.

Stories and details, however minor, are important, as are names. For historical and archival purposes, the veterans are encouraged to try to remember as many names as possible of the people they met and where they were from.

The project also attempts to determine what they thought of the whole thing (war) and their reflections on what happened to them, as they sit in their living rooms more than 60 years later.

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 The conversations last approximately one hour and the entire session is preserved, as is an edited version. Each of the veterans involved gets a complimentary copy of both while most want extra copies, provided at no charge, for friends and family.

The objective is to create an historical record, on video, of the memories of as many World War Two veterans as possible. These stories need to be preserved for future generations and time is of the essence.

This project would not have been possible without the initial support of the Director / Curator of the Bruce County Museum & Cultural Centre, Barbara Ribey. The Billy Bishop Home and Museum in Owen Sound, has also participated in the project and the Huron County Museum is now involved.

Local Legions and Zones, individual donors, the Department of Canadian Heritage, New Horizons for Seniors and the Municipality of Kincardine have also provided generous financial support throughout the project.

To view clips from the Military Video Oral History Project visit

http://military.brucemuseum.ca/
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