@dahiggs popped along with a camera and a couple of  iPhones to grab some “aural histories” on Audioboo and see if we could convince any if the veterans to go “on camera” and share some of their wartime experiences. Just after pulling up, we bumped into Team Amplified who had the same idea. There were a couple of things @bletchleypark wanted me to get on film but after that I was pretty free to roam. Julia and Gaby were charged with hunting down willing volunteers to wave an iPhone in front of and James and I were in charge of the video.

The response to the day was overwhelming and the numbers of veterans arriving for the reunion far outnumbered expectations. The volunteer helpers seemed to have more on their hands than was fair, so Gaby and Julia laid aside their audio project (team #amp09 seemed to have that well covered anyway) to lend a hand in the organising of the day.

James and I got some really great interviews with visitors, veterans and exhibitors alike. Quite amazed at how many people were willing to share time and stories with us. (I have started to put some together and will keep adding to this page as I get round to them)

One of the things that really stood out for me was the interaction and enjoyment my two seemed to get out of the day. For them the veterans brought the museum to life, not just dusty old bits of tech, but living, breathing pieces of our history. Radio & coding rooms previously visited for ten minutes became hubs of activity, stories and memories flying, keeping them both mesmerised and “almost there”.  We owe so much to this generation that is easily forgotten. Time is not on their side and it will not be long before they fade away, leaving us with only sanitised museums and emotionally disengaged textbooks to tell us their stories of sacrifice and bravery.

At the end of an emotionally draining as well as physically tiring (not used to lumping all the camera equipment alone) day I popped over to the area Christian and Matt had used for filming. It seems that they too felt that there was more that needed to be done to preserve this living history before it was too late. We can’t do much more to bring to life the histories of the ancient civilisations or the middle ages than we already do with archaeology, museums, movies and books, but to let this generation pass without giving them the opportunity to tell us the stories that can keep it “alive” would be a great shame.

A small plan has begun to form in my mind as to how we may begin a project that could see us darting across the country, organising get-togethers with groups of veterans, urns of tea, coffee, biscuits and sandwiches, a few well placed mics and a camera or two. A collection of stories and memories, digitally preserved for future generations to revisit. Watch this space…

http://bletchleyparkreunion.info/category/blog/ (Team Amplified Reunion Site)
http://www.bletchleypark.org.uk/ (Official site)
http://www.savingbletchleypark.org/ (Save Bletchley Park)