Oral History collection: Miss G. M. Walters interviewed by Unknown about Second World War and Three Nights' Blitz of Swansea.

Track 1. [00:00:10] Second World War: Miss Moy Evans founded the WVS in Swansea. [00:01:03] Second World War: WVS members went to Corrymore Mansions to learn how to assemble gas masks and then taught public how to wear them. [00:01:52] Second World War: Set up rest posts for families who were bombed out of their homes. [00:01:53] Second World War: First rest post was in Mount Pleasant - the families from Byron and Shelley Crescents moved in. [00:03:04] Second World War: Two Jewish business women (Mrs Foner and Mrs Hyman) were instrumental in helping with the rest posts. [00:04:08] Second World War: WVS set up canteens for Police, Army and Civil Defence in St Helens Road. [00:05:01] Second World War: Set up canteen for transport drivers in Terrace Road. [00:05:37] Second World War: An American officer and his batman were billeted with the interviewees family for a year. [00:06:01] Second World War: Many of the GI's were coloured - interviewees first experience of coloured people. [00:06:54] Second World War: WVS made camouflage nets in the Old Guildhall and had a shop for collecting Aluminium in Wind Street. [00:08:52] Second World War: Refugees came from Belgium and Gibraltar. Great hardship among them. Women and children lived in Glanmor and St Helens - men lived in Tawe Lodge. [00:10:02] Second World War: WVS collected blood - one of the first areas to collect blood. [00:10:42] Second World War: Knitting jumpers for soldiers on the front line. [00:11:43] Second World War: Lady Reading, founder of the WVS visited Swansea and was very pleased. [00:12:45] Second World War: Mr Francis of Sketty describes his role as a Police Officer during the War. [00:13:32] Second World War: Preparations started in 1938 - the Police trained the ARP's. [00:14:26] Second World War: Two Police Inspectors went to the Home Office to be trained, they trained their officers and the officers trained the ARP. [00:16:50] Second World War: Named the ARP's. [00:17:13] Second World War: Before the War the Police were also Firemen and Ambulance drivers. [00:17:52] Second World War: Gas warfare. [00:18:51] Second World War: Bomb Disposal. [00:19:30] Second World War: Lessons from the Spanish Civil War. [00:20:10] Second World War: Children's gas masks made to look like Mickey Mouse. [00:22:00] Second World War: Police were well prepared by the start of the War. [00:24:01] Second World War: Royal Engineers were the bomb disposal unit based in Swansea. [00:24:32] Second World War: Recalls many incidents of unexploded bombs and how they were dealt with. [00:33:20] Second World War: Three night Blitz - Police saw devastation at first hand. How the Police coped. [00:34:24] Second World War: Civil defence formed an ambulance section and the Police had their own ambulance. [00:39:20] Second World War: Looting after the bombing - looters caught and punished. [00:39:44] Second World War: Rounding up aliens during the War - mostly Italians who had lived in Swansea for years but they had to go. Sent mostly to Australia. [00:42:00] Second World War: Conscientious objectors worked voluntary as first aiders. [00:42:10] Second World War: GI's were camped in Singleton. There was a murder at the time and it was suggested a GI was responsible. [00:43:14] Second World War: Many of the GI's were coloured and were based in the Docks, Manselton racecourse and Morriston. [00:46:19] Second World War: Headlights on cars being blacked out at start of war. [00:47:54] Second World War: During a blackout, interviewee describes nearly hitting a bus as it was so dark. As soon as siren sounded all traffic had to stop. [00:50:10] Second World War: Describes what they were told to do when a siren sounded. [00:53:55] Second World War: Describes land mines being dropped by parachute. Caused a lot of damage.