Sounds interesting!

We have an interesting range of oral histories in the collection, ranging from those from miners and policemen involved in the 1984/5 miners' strike in Wakefield, to an interview with Geoff Oakes (ex Wakefield Trinity hooker).  The museum Registrar, Leanne Dodds is busy splicing and editing the clips for use in the new museum.

Museum Registrar, Leanne Dodds, editing audio clips

These include quotes such as this one from Geoff Oakes talking about returning to Wakefield after winning the Challenge Cup in 1960:
"We came back on the train to Wakefield Westgate station and they had an open top brewery waggon and we all climbed on that and went up Westgate on which you couldn't move, it was chaos, absolutely brilliant, just a wonderful memory."

Showing the Challenge Cup to the crowds from Wakefield Town Hall, 1960

We also have a series of oral histories from people who grew up during the Second World War.  These short clips provide a wonderful insight into Wartime Wakefield, and include snippets such as:

 "At the entrance to Clarence Park there were two big iron gates and two pillars with big stone balls on the top.  When the bomb had blasted, one of these two balls had blown off in the middle of the road and in the dark, one of the ARP Wardens saw it with a flashlight and thought it was a bomb.  So they closed the road off, until daylight, when they realised what it was and then felt right fools!" 

Some of these anecdotes are now also being incorporated into the WWII school sessions that will be delivered in the museum, fleshing out our wartime housewife character for role-play presentations to really help us to bring them to life!

Leanne is also editing video clips to be shown in the museum.  These include footage of Wakefield Trinity, of the centre of Wakefield  in 1925, and an interview with Denis Parkinson, the 5 time TT winner.