Nucleus event will help to preserve memories of wartime
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Caithness families are being encouraged to share stories and objects relating to World War II as part of a nationwide campaign.
Nucleus: The Nuclear and Caithness Archives will be hosting a Digital Collection Day on Saturday, November 25, from 10am to 3pm.
It is part of an initiative organised by Their Finest Hour, a project based at the University of Oxford and funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
The project team points out that as stories from the war years are fast fading from living memory, it is vital that they – and the objects that often accompany them – are preserved for future generations.
At the Digital Collection Day, stories about family members' wartime experiences – and associated items such as diaries, letters, medals, journals and ration books – will be recorded and digitised, then uploaded to the Their Finest Hour online archive. It will be launched in June 2024 and will be free to use.
Dr Stuart Lee, the project leader, said: “We’re delighted to be able to create an archive of memories of the Second World War. We know from previous projects that people have so many wonderful objects, photos and anecdotes that have been passed down from family members which are at risk of getting lost or being forgotten.
"Our aim is to empower local communities to digitally preserve these stories and objects before they are lost to posterity.”
The project team is especially interested in collecting contributions from people from "underrepresented backgrounds".
Anyone wishing more information about the Nucleus event is asked to contact north.highlandarchive@highlifehighland.com.
Nucleus is located across from Wick John O'Groats Airport.
