Interviewees wanted!

My Scottish Oral History Centre colleagues would like to interview people about their experiences of working as a disabled person or with disabled people in Scotland during the years 1939-1950:

'During the war huge demands were made on the working population of Scotland to meet production targets for munitions and other goods. With the departure of many workers to the armed forces employers began recruiting disabled people to help fill the gaps in the essential services at home. By 1941, a wartime employment service for disabled people (aged 16 or over) had been put in place which also provided help to those who had been wounded in battle and were undergoing rehabilitation.

Some research has been done on this subject but the personal stories of those directly involved are scarce. Indeed, it is almost impossible to access the Scottish experience. However, by creating an oral history archive for Scotland the gap in knowledge will begin to be filled providing an important and valuable resource that can be used as a platform to stimulate research and disseminate and improve knowledge.

We would love to hear from anyone who thinks they could help with this project. So, were you, or do you know anyone who was disabled and who worked during the war years? Did you or do you know anyone who helped the disabled in the workplace during the Second World War period? This includes all those who worked for disability organizations. It doesn’t matter where you are based as we are able to visit you and capture your memories using a digital audio recorder. So, if you, or anyone you know fits the bill and want to become a part of Scottish history then why not contact David Walker in the first instance on and leave a message. Or, you can email him at david.walker@strath.ac.uk’

This is a great project so please contact David if you're able to assist! Sue.

Oral History Research & Training Consultancy
Oral history heritage professionals serving Scotland and the UK