Conflict, Power and Gender in Women’s Memories of the Second World War: a Mass-Observation Study

Abstract

The Second World War is a pervasive feature of British culture, but until now the impact of the popular memory of the war on ordinary people has not been studied. Mass-Observation provides a means to do so. Since 1981 the Mass-Observation Project has recruited a panel of volunteers who answer “directives” several times a year. The Spring 2009 Directive asked questions about the meaning of the Second World War in personal lives since 1945. This paper analyses the responses of some of the women panellists. It reveals that, while the 39-45 conflict is important to some, not all women engage happily with the memory of that war. The figure of the Mass-Observation diarist, Nella Last, however, is a recurring motif in these very diverse testimonies.

Keywords

• memories
• gender
• Second World War
• mass-observation
• Britain