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WORLD WAR TWO

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Espana

Espana Report 16 Oct 2011 06:38

Second World War
Does anyone know if it is possible to contact a government service to find what a person was involved with during the above war.

My friend who I have helped research her family tree knows her late Mother was employed during the above war as a translator said for the BBC in London. Her mother was born, educated and grew up in a region of Eastern Germany of English parents. Family returning to England she in her early teens so of course spoke fluent German and to her dying day was often mistaken as a German citizen because of her strong accent.
When asked by her daughter all she ever said was "I just did translation" but we both have wondered if there could be a little more to this story.


Thank you Cindy

Jill 2011 (aka Warrior Princess of Cilla!)

Jill 2011 (aka Warrior Princess of Cilla!) Report 16 Oct 2011 09:55

You could write to the BBC and see if they have any archived personnel records.

Jill

Researching:
London: Faber, Haysey, Spicer ...

Jonesey

Jonesey Report 16 Oct 2011 09:59

Most unlikely I would have thought as the BBC was independent of the British government even during wartime. Why not contact the BBC to see if they have any records of the lady?

Researching:
Don't put off until tomorrow doing what you can do today. If you like doing it today you can do it again tomorrow. Be kind to your children for it is they who will decide which care home you end up in.

DazedConfused

DazedConfused Report 16 Oct 2011 11:34

Jonesey I think that the BBC did a little more during the war in regards to secret squirrel activity!!!

Even the staff a London Transport did some odd work. I know cos my aunt worked at their HQ at St. James'. And she would never say what her dept. did during the war, just that she worked underground and I have a photo to prove it. But what exactly they were doing is anyones guess. My thought would be arranging mass evactuations in case of a major invasion or germ warfare.

Researching:
We are all of us in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars, Oscar Wilde New avatar, my dad age about 3/4 months, could have been worse, it could have been the awful nude on a rug!!

Espana

Espana Report 16 Oct 2011 20:44

Thank you all for showing interest in my request for help and will put a letter together to the BBC and see if it produces anything.
Maybe it is the 'romantic' in me but cannot believe a young lady with her skill was sat behind a desk reading and writing German every day for the duration of the war.
Thanks Cindy

DIZZI

DIZZI Report 17 Oct 2011 07:56

WHAT ABOUT THE IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM
THEY MAY HAVE INFORMATION AS TO WHO DID WHAT

Researching:
FINCH+LOCK+WEAVER+HALES+BROOKINGS+MANSFIELD+HOOK+TITCHENER and STEVEN & ISRAEL WEAVER c1735

DazedConfused

DazedConfused Report 26 Oct 2011 13:25

Dizzi is right, they may have records of the 'secret squirel' activities of the BBC during the war. We all know about their coded broadcasts.

One thing that you do need to take into account, that even after all this time some war work was so secret that it may never be revealed due to the sensitive nature of the work.

Researching:
We are all of us in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars, Oscar Wilde New avatar, my dad age about 3/4 months, could have been worse, it could have been the awful nude on a rug!!