Personal recollections of the Second World War (or World War II) are of increasing value to historians as the number of witnesses to this period sadly declines.

In the United Kingdom, thousands of people have recorded their memories of the War. Recollections of WWII aims promote their stories through providing researchers with 
a unique directory of oral history collections relating to the Second World War.

The stories of child evacuees, survivors of the Holocaust and civilians who experienced the Blitz of British cities are featured in many of these collections. The experiences of men who served in the Army, Royal Navy, RAF and Merchant Navy, and women in the WAAF, WRNS, ATS and Land Army are well represented in collections large and small.

The large oral history collections of the Imperial War Museum, Second World War Experience Centre, BBC People's War Archive and the D Day Museum are all included, but many smaller local collections also contain fascinating and rarely heard stories.

The majority of collections have websites. Some sites offer the opportunity to download transcripts, listen to MP3s or watch videos of interviews, for example Bolton Remembers the War, Finest Hour Liverpool Blitz Sound Archive and the Shropshire Regimental Museum. Where sites include transcripts, audio or video files these are indicated by icons.

The collections can be browsed by subject or by location (split into regions of the United Kingdom).

The majority of these recordings can be easily accessed by researchers, often requiring only a few days notice. In many cases, these excellent sources of first hand testimony have not be reproduced in publications before, and can provide fresh insights into this period of history.

Recollections of WWII is an independent, non-profit website, and is run on a voluntary basis. If you have any questions about the site, or would like to suggest a collection for inclusion, please contact me.

 
This site is included in the Intute Arts & Humanities research database.