Collecting Memories (future magazine project)

A future plan for our magazine, the Ormskirk and District Family Historian, is to include a feature made up of written memories about people and subjects from West Lancashire's past, and I'd like the help of Society members (or anyone with an interest in local social history) to compile it.

The basic idea is to collect together an assortment of different "social" memories that members may have. They don't have to be about local "famous names" (unless you happened to know someone like that), in fact the details I'm hoping to include might seem a bit "ordinary" at first. I'd actually like to know about memories of . . .

The local teachers, their attitude to their job, whether they were scary or easy-going, what kind of punishments they gave out (or whether they didn't really like to give reprimands)

Midwives and doctors - are you an older sibling who can remember younger family members being born at home? Were you sent outside into the garden or up the road to a neighbour or relative until the new baby appeared? Did you have a particular "family doctor" when you were ill?

What you did in your spare time - did you get pocket money, what did you spend it on and where did you buy things? Did you favour particular sweet shops and/or toy shops and what did you prefer to buy? Can you remember anything about the location, size or owners of the shops?

Did you join the Brownies/Guides or Cubs/Scouts, where did you meet and can you remember who ran the groups? Did you have to pay each week and did you have a uniform? Did you ever go out on "extra" trips?

What kind of jobs did your parents have and did you meet anyone who they worked with or knew through business? If your parents were in certain professions (ie. teacher, doctor, lawyer), did you meet anyone else in similar or related jobs? If you are/were from a farming family, did you know other local farmers and did you ever help out when produce had to be harvested or taken to market?

If you have memories that you'd like to contribute, submissions are very welcome - whether they cover a page or just a few lines. The information you share is completely up to you, so you might prefer to name your teacher as "Miss Charlotte Smith from Lydiate Primary School" or just as "Miss S". Contributions may be e-mailed to my address (listed in the Society magazine) or sent to the Society's postal address, indicating that the contents are for the Magazine Editor.

If possible, I hope to include the results of this project in the form of an article in the November 2011 magazine. Illustrations of any kind are also welcomed.

Kate Hurst (Magazine Editor)
February 2011