Lecture
Children in the War in Oxfordshire
Speaker: Liz Woolley
Tue, 6 May 2025
About the lecture:
Children and War
Experiences of the Second World War in Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire escaped major bombing during World War II, but the county’s inhabitants were, nonetheless, heavily affected by the War. Preparations for possible attack and invasion altered the familiar landscape, and everyday life in towns and villages was disrupted. Thousands of evacuees found refuge here and became part of residents’ homes and schools.
This talk looks at how the lives of Oxfordshire children – both those born in the county and those evacuated here – were affected by World War II.
It will likely prompt older listeners to recall and share their wartime experiences, whether from Oxfordshire or elsewhere. The talk is based on work done for the Soldiers of Oxfordshire Trust, whose major 2011-13 exhibition, Children and War, examined wartime evacuation, boy soldiers, war toys and commemoration, from the Boer War to the present day.
Liz Woolley is a local historian specialising in aspects of the history of Oxford and Oxfordshire.
She is particularly interested in the history of the city’s “town” – as opposed to “gown” – and in the everyday lives of rural people across the county, chiefly during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Liz has lived in Oxford since 1984. She completed an MSc in English Local History (with Distinction) at the University of Oxford’s Department for Continuing Education in 2009, having gained a Diploma (also with Distinction) in the same subject in 2007. She is an experienced speaker, guide, tutor, researcher and writer who is keen to help individuals and groups to enjoy finding out about the history of their local area.
