Oral History

Forester’s Forest The Dean Heritage Centre Oral History project is part of the NLHF funded Foresters’ Forest Landscape Partnership Programme formed from an association of local organisations and community groups within the Forest of Dean. The aim is to raise awareness and participation in the built, natural and cultural heritage of the Forest. This 5 year project ran until March 2022.

The Forest Oral Histories project is to digitise and catalogue our unique collection of around 170 audio cassette tapes from the 1980s to 2000s. Digitising them will not only preserve the audio recordings but also enable access to a wide range of people. The recordings are interviews of Foresters talking about various aspects of their lives in the Forest of Dean. They are fascinating to listen to and reveal what life was like in the Forest fifty to a hundred years ago. People talk about their experiences in mining, forestry, various industries, childhood, schools, growing up, shopping, towns and villages, Forest dialect, and much more.

The collection was begun by Elsie Olivey, a founder of Dean Heritage Museum, who could see Forest life rapidly changing and decided to preserve people’s memories by recording them. In an interview on Radio Severn Sound in 1984 Elsie describes why she is doing the interviews:

‘We go out and talk to old people in the Forest. We are trying to get the old ones first because that’s the generation that is fast disappearing. We talk to….men …on mining…and women …domestic service… ….things on tape you get never read in the history books because you are getting the thoughts of the people themselves’.

Collections Officer Nicola Wynn ‘Much has been written about the history of the Forest of Dean, but the recorded interviews further enrich this history by recording the unique personal experiences and memories of people. They really bring history to life and allow us to connect with people’s lives. The recordings reveal the heart and soul of daily life and are by turns fascinating, poignant and moving.’

We are collaborating with project partners Voices from the Forest who have recently recorded interviews of people taking a biographical, life story approach to discover the occupational histories of men and women in the Forest of Dean in the last half of the twentieth century. These recordings have been added to the DHC Oral history archive. We have also collaborated with the Forest Dialect project which looks at the development and distinctiveness of the Forest dialect. This project is partially based on DHC oral history recordings.

The legacy of this project will be an oral history archive of nearly 200 recordings spanning the 20th century. An important social history archive for the Forest which will be a valuable resource to historians and people interested in Forest history. Look out on our website, Facebook page and newsletters for further updates and events.

Help wanted Dean Heritage Centre is trying to contact interviewers and interviewees to ask their permission to use the recordings. Sadly, many of the people interviewed will have died by now so we must then try to contact relatives. We would greatly appreciate help from the public in tracing the relatives of the people interviewed. Please have a look and if you are a relative or friend or you have any information for us please contact us. Contact us if you would like to volunteer to help on the Oral History project.

Voices from the Forest website:

https://www.voicesfromtheforest.co.uk/

Forest Dialect website:

https://forestdialect.wordpress.com/

Much work has been carried out by volunteers Pat Lacy, Roger Thorne, Alice Paddock, Sue Pawling, Christian Horton, Owen Adams and Lauren Wynn. We would like to thank them for all their time and efforts, without them this project would not have been able to happen.

The interviews cover a wide variety of topics:

Industry & Work - Coal mining (free mines & large collieries), saw mills, iron mining, brickworks, nail making, tin plate, transport, farming, forestry, fishing, haulage, teaching, armed services, Rank Xerox

Home & family life – cottages, furnishings, washing, bathing, toilets, gardening, clothing, lighting, cooking, keeping animals

Towns & villages – descriptions, shops, events, cinema

School – various school experiences, teachers, walking to school, games played

Domestic service – experiences of various women in what was the most common work by women

Religion – church, chapel, Sunday school, Temperence, outings & treats

War – both WW1 & WW2, life in armed services and on the home front, Americans in the Forest

Poverty & hard times – living through 1920s, 1930s and war years, living with little money

Strikes/Unions – General strike of 1926, lockout 1921, Speech House demonstrations

Sheep – many miners running sheep

Health – before the welfare state, doctors, the Dilke hospital, home remedies, illnesses & accidents

Dialect – many examples of strong Forest dialect

Leisure/culture – choirs, cinema, songs, sport, fairs, days out, walks, social gatherings, events

Camp Mill (now Dean Heritage Centre) – saw mill, people living in cottages, children playing

Migration – moving in or out of the Forest for work

Miscellaneous – old customs, humour, courtship

Accessing the recordings - Full recordings can be accessed by visiting DHC Excerpts – a few can be listened to on the DHC website and more can be accessed at DHC database - this searchable database holding all catalogued records is available at DHC Please contact the Collections Officer to make an appointment to visit DHC Batch 1 This is the Elsie Olivey collection, the original collection and the oldest recordings. The interviews were carried out in the early 1980s with people who grew up from the 1890s to the 1930s. A rich source of information and interest for early 20th century life in the Forest. Includes many detailed recollections of mining. Batch 2 12 recordings of interviews arranged by Elsie Olivey through The Forge Centre in Cinderford early 2000s plus various other recordings of interviews of Foresters from the 1990s up to 2000. Also includes the song The Jovial Forester, Forest choirs and radio programmes on free miners and fishing on the Severn. Batch 3 Various interviews recorded in the early 2000s. Interviews of Foresters from early to mid-1900s. Includes several interviews with local farmer Eric Freeman. Batch 4 interviews mainly from John Fowler, which were recorded in the early 2000s about Foresters and locals from the start of the 1900s to mid 1900s.

Batch 1 - This is the Elsie Olivey collection, the original collection and the oldest recordings. The interviews were carried out in the early 1980s with people who grew up from the 1890s to the 1930s. A rich source of information and interest for early 20th century life in the Forest. Includes many detailed recollections of mining.

Batch 2 - 12 recordings of interviews arranged by Elsie Olivey through The Forge Centre in Cinderford early 2000s plus various other recordings of interviews of Foresters from the 1990s up to 2000. Also includes the song The Jovial Forester, Forest choirs and radio programmes on free miners and fishing on the Severn.

Batch 3 - Various interviews recorded in the early 2000s. Interviews of Foresters from early to mid-1900s. Includes several interviews with local farmer Eric Freeman.

Batch 4 - Various interviews recorded in the early 2000s mostly by John Fowler. Interviews of Foresters from early to mid-1900s.

For all Oral history enquiries please contact Collections Officer Nicola Wynn by email Nicola@deanheritagecentre.com or tel 01594 822170.

Interviewees include:

Harry Barton

Mary Hale

Amy Adams

Tom Gibbs

William Bowlder

(Click here to download some excerpts of the recordings)