A guide to interviewing war veterans
Jul 11, 2012 22:21:02 GMT
Post by shred on Jul 11, 2012 22:21:02 GMT
Forum member prospectroad has kindly taken some time out from his very busy schedule to produce this excellent guide to interviewing veterans.
Thanks Pete (prospectroad), it is appreciated.
If you use the guide it would be fantastic if you could post some details of the interview here, either in full or a brief synopsis. This is in no way compulsory as it may be a relative that you interview and you may wish to keep the details private.
As a veteran may be a man or a woman we shall also post this thread on the "The Women" board.
VETERAN INTERVIEWS
Please remember to explain how you want to use the information, e.g. in a book, on a CD, for a radio show, for a sound archive, a newspaper article, a website, etc. and ask permission for it to be used in this way.
Please use sensible censorship to protect the person you’re interviewing. If they ask you not to write or record a piece of information, turn off the recorder and put down the pen. Remember the person or his/her family may not want some information to be broadcast. Also they may describe an event that could upset the relatives of another person.
Check information against known historical facts, particularly dates. It was a long time ago and there is bound to be some confusion over details.
The interview may bring back painful details. Please be sensitive and don’t press.
Please don’t accept anything personal from the person, e.g. photos, medals, records, etc. They will probably have family members who will want them.
PLEASE REMEMBER THAT YOU ARE MEETING A HERO – TREAT THEM WITH THE UTMOST COURTESY AND RESPECT.
PRE-VISIT CHECKLIST
- Notebook, voice recorder (spare batteries), pen/pencil, scanner and laptop (it’s better to scan documents and photos in situ and unfair to take them away)
- Phone ahead, agree a time, and stick to it. Provide your contact details in case they want to re-arrange
- During the phone call ask for some basic information (battalion and regiment, or ship or squadron, depending on which service they were in)
- Do some research before you visit (have some idea of what the battalion, squadron or ship did – this will really help you get the most information from the visit)
- Consider whether you need to customise the checklist to suit the veteran’s service, e.g. they may have been a prisoner of war, involved in an air crash, a sinking.
ON ARRIVAL
- Ask if the person has any documents, e.g. paybook, demob papers, etc. and/or a photograph in uniform that you can scan. As a minimum these will contain the service number, regiment and key dates of the veteran
- Provide the person with a piece of paper with your name, address and phone number on (in case they or a family need to contact you in the future)
INTERVIEW CHECKLIST
- Ask permission to use the voice recorder and then turn it on (keep it in sight so you can check it’s still working)
- Say the name of the person and the interview date aloud
PRE-WAR
- Born when and where?
- Parents names?
- Home address
- Schools?
- Sports and interests?
- Work place and trade?
- Married?
- How did you hear about the declaration of war and what were your feelings?
- Did you serve in the Home Guard or Civil Defence Services before being called up? Describe your experiences
WAR SERVICE
- When were you called up?
- How did you and your family feel when the calling up papers arrived?
- What was your rank, service number, battalion, regiment (or ship or squadron)
- What company, platoon, battery, etc did you serve with?
- Where were you trained?
- What was your first overseas posting – when and where?
- Places served and when?
- Experiences such as key battles, injuries and illnesses, close escapes, etc (keep asking questions to draw out as much as possible) and try to tie it to dates
- Historical events they took part in, e.g. D-Day landings, Kohima, sinking of the Prince of Wales, etc
- Names of friends who served? What happened to them?
- Medal entitlements
- How did you hear about the end of the war and how did you celebrate?
- When were you demobbed?
- What are your overall thoughts and feelings on the war and your service?
Thanks Pete (prospectroad), it is appreciated.
If you use the guide it would be fantastic if you could post some details of the interview here, either in full or a brief synopsis. This is in no way compulsory as it may be a relative that you interview and you may wish to keep the details private.
As a veteran may be a man or a woman we shall also post this thread on the "The Women" board.
VETERAN INTERVIEWS
Please remember to explain how you want to use the information, e.g. in a book, on a CD, for a radio show, for a sound archive, a newspaper article, a website, etc. and ask permission for it to be used in this way.
Please use sensible censorship to protect the person you’re interviewing. If they ask you not to write or record a piece of information, turn off the recorder and put down the pen. Remember the person or his/her family may not want some information to be broadcast. Also they may describe an event that could upset the relatives of another person.
Check information against known historical facts, particularly dates. It was a long time ago and there is bound to be some confusion over details.
The interview may bring back painful details. Please be sensitive and don’t press.
Please don’t accept anything personal from the person, e.g. photos, medals, records, etc. They will probably have family members who will want them.
PLEASE REMEMBER THAT YOU ARE MEETING A HERO – TREAT THEM WITH THE UTMOST COURTESY AND RESPECT.
PRE-VISIT CHECKLIST
- Notebook, voice recorder (spare batteries), pen/pencil, scanner and laptop (it’s better to scan documents and photos in situ and unfair to take them away)
- Phone ahead, agree a time, and stick to it. Provide your contact details in case they want to re-arrange
- During the phone call ask for some basic information (battalion and regiment, or ship or squadron, depending on which service they were in)
- Do some research before you visit (have some idea of what the battalion, squadron or ship did – this will really help you get the most information from the visit)
- Consider whether you need to customise the checklist to suit the veteran’s service, e.g. they may have been a prisoner of war, involved in an air crash, a sinking.
ON ARRIVAL
- Ask if the person has any documents, e.g. paybook, demob papers, etc. and/or a photograph in uniform that you can scan. As a minimum these will contain the service number, regiment and key dates of the veteran
- Provide the person with a piece of paper with your name, address and phone number on (in case they or a family need to contact you in the future)
INTERVIEW CHECKLIST
- Ask permission to use the voice recorder and then turn it on (keep it in sight so you can check it’s still working)
- Say the name of the person and the interview date aloud
PRE-WAR
- Born when and where?
- Parents names?
- Home address
- Schools?
- Sports and interests?
- Work place and trade?
- Married?
- How did you hear about the declaration of war and what were your feelings?
- Did you serve in the Home Guard or Civil Defence Services before being called up? Describe your experiences
WAR SERVICE
- When were you called up?
- How did you and your family feel when the calling up papers arrived?
- What was your rank, service number, battalion, regiment (or ship or squadron)
- What company, platoon, battery, etc did you serve with?
- Where were you trained?
- What was your first overseas posting – when and where?
- Places served and when?
- Experiences such as key battles, injuries and illnesses, close escapes, etc (keep asking questions to draw out as much as possible) and try to tie it to dates
- Historical events they took part in, e.g. D-Day landings, Kohima, sinking of the Prince of Wales, etc
- Names of friends who served? What happened to them?
- Medal entitlements
- How did you hear about the end of the war and how did you celebrate?
- When were you demobbed?
- What are your overall thoughts and feelings on the war and your service?