Muriel and Doris Lester &
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Oral History Summary – Daphne Harris

Interviewees’ surname Harris nee Saville                             

Title:   Mrs                              

Interviewee’s forenames:  Daphne

Gender:  Female                           

Occupation:  Retired                                   

Date of Birth:  2 May 1932                   

Date(s) of recording and tracks (from – to):  17 June 2010

Location of interview(s):   Hornchurch                             

Name of interviewer:     John Saville     

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Interviewee’s background: Parents lived in Bow and active in KH Bow (KHB). She was brought up in Dagenham and member of KH Dagenham (KHD) from birth through most of life actively involved in Sunday school youth work Camp Fire Youth Exchange Concert Party

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Highlight: Parents at KHB [life at KHB help from Muriel visit to home by Gandhi,

Comment: Includes Evacuation and then wartime experiences KHD work with German POWs during war

Summary

[0:00, Introductions;
[0:30, Family background in Bow & Dagenham;

[3:00, Parents life in Bow including mother at Sunspots concert party;
[3:49, KHB “Joy Nights”;

[3:49, Muriel Lester(ML) and suit for father;

[5:30, Parents housing in Bow (Eagling Road);
[5:49, ML involves George Lansbury in sewage problem;

[6;50, Brother Gerry at Children’s House and orchestra;

[7.55, Gandhi visit to family home;

[8:40, School life in Dagenham;

[9:28, Evacuation to Suffolk in 1939{travel via Ford Dagenham steamer Felixstow Kesgrave};
[13:20, Return to Dagenham 1940;

[14:20, Wartime memories including time in “dugout” {air-raid shelter};
[16:20, Street shelters;
[17:30, Early life at KHD {Sunday School/Play Hour}
[18:00, Christening at KHB by ML;

[18:40, Teenage at KHD {puppet making/theatre};

[19:30, Year at home after school

[20:10, Work at Pirie Appleton’s {stationary} Chadwell Heath 1947-1991;

[21:20, KHD during war as shelter for neighbors after land mine;

[22:20, Work of KHD with German POWs;

[24:10, Youth Exchange started by Arthur Durrant with Witten in Germany {start of “town twinning” visit to British “Commissioner” in Germany};

[29:10, Resulting lifelong Anglo/German friendships;

[31:30, Memories of destruction of post war Germany;

[33:20, KHD Youth Clubs {Junior & Senior “Unity”};

[33:40, KHD Saturday “6d Socials” {dancing & games};

[35:05, KHD Sunday Evening Services;

[36:06, Women’s Fellowship in Old Hall;

[37:50, Camp Fire Girls;

[38:55, Lester Sisters at KHD inc ML taking her mother’s funeral {1958};

[40:14, Living at KHD for 2 years;

[41:40, Volunteers at KHD;
[41:30, Concert Party;

[45:20,;  Days Out from KHD;
[46:10, Sydney Russell on trips;
[46:40, Hiking days;

[48:20, Marriages at KHD  Blue carpet from Queen’s wedding at Westminster Abbey;

[49:27, Influence of KH on life;

[50:28, Signing of release form;
[52:44, Her evacuation story may be published in print