Lost Strathclyde Heritage Group wins Heritage Lottery Support

In 2018, Lost Strathclyde Heritage Group received a National Lottery grant of £52,800 for an exciting heritage project, ‘Patterton WWII: A POW Camp and its Neighbours’. Made possible by money raised by National Lottery players, the project focused on Camp 660, a WWII prisoner of war camp, and the nearby East Renfrewshire village of Patterton. This intergenerational oral history project has captured the history of the camp and its impact on the local people between 1939 and the late-1950s.

Around 50 local volunteers, including many young people, received filming, research and/or oral history training and interviewed nearly 30 respondents who lived in or near Patterton during WWII and the post-war era of rationing and austerity. Volunteers worked with Dr Sue Morrison and Rachel Kelly (Project Coordinator) to produce audio clips from the oral history archive, and with a film maker to film interviews and create short videos. These digital products were used in project outputs, exhibitions, presentations and the project website. 

The project offered opportunities for cross-generational learning activities and exploration of experiences through reminiscence events, talks and film screenings. It also evoked memories of the lighter side of life from which respondents shared recipes, and swapped dress and make-up tips from the era, and local dancers worked with volunteers, young and older, to recreate WWII-themed tea dances. In addition, the project produced a beautiful oral history book packed with personal memories, research and photographs.

Commenting on the project, Iris Larkins, Chairperson, said: “We were thrilled to have undertaken this fantastic heritage project that has promoted and instiled pride in this important aspect of East Renfrewshire’s wartime heritage.” 

 

Contact: StrathclydeHeritage@outlook.com

Website: https://www.pattertonpowcamp.co.uk/