Bristol Blitz Oral History Resource

Use audio clips of real people talking about the Blitz to bring this topic to life.

Bristol people talk about their experiences of the Blitz in 17 short audio clips (MP3 files). Topics covered include seeing an air raid, what it was like in the shelter, enemy attacks, and entertainment during the Blitz. Each clip has been edited to a maximum of 3 minutes. We suggest five activities for use alongside these clips, which focus on knowledge and understanding, listening and literacy skills and creative output. These could be done in class or remotely, individually or collaboratively.

These clips have been digitised by Bristol Archives as part of a national project led by the British Library. They are from an oral history collection held at Bristol Library called ‘Town in the West Country’. Included in the resource is a link to more clips from this collection.

Please give us feedback on this resource so we can improve our offer for teachers and pupils in the future.

Cover image c. Bristol Archives