War On Our Doorstep (1939) - Headingley HEART Centre

Sally Bavage writes:

You may remember a brilliant TV portrayal of Nella Last by the late Victoria Wood in 'Housewife, 49' a few years ago.  Well, our own brilliant portraitists came to the HEART Centre last night to give a packed house  a flavour of Headingley diarists Fred, Joan and Henry.  World War Two started as the snow fell.  Our own audience had indeed shown the 'spirit of the blitz' to get here through the blizzards and listened in silence as we heard the recorded announcement by Neville Chamberlain declaring that Britain was at war in his quiet, sombre, tones.  Words from the past that set the scene.

Trio Literati
Photo: Lloyd Spencer

The Mass Observation project had started as a social research project in 1936 to discover the real and unguarded opinions of the pubic concerning the abdication crisis.  Volunteers then continued the work throughout the war.  We heard from newly-married housewife Joan, surveyor Fred from the Office of Works (a reserved occupation though he dreamed of the Home Guard) and young student Henry based at the Woodhouse barracks. 

It was alleged that the diarists were left wing, middle class and highly literate.  Not all true, of course, but certainly the words and opinions these literati have left for us take you back to those desperate, unsettling, even frightening times with unerring accuracy.  Worried?  Have a cup of (mostly unsweetened) tea. Women in trousers!   Air-raid shelters built in the pantry.    Gas masks on a weekly shopping list.   The cafes in department stores such as Lewis's and Marshall and Snelgrove serving tea that tasted of senna pods.  And, of course, rationing with its privations and eccentricities – brains on toast anyone?

Obsessive listening to the wireless was the main source of news.  The collapse of the Low Countries and the withdrawal from Dunkirk brought the war closer to Headingley.  Dangerous aliens, even Jews who had escaped from Nazi pogroms, were suspected, questioned and interned.  Road signs taken down, so the cry of “Where are we?” echoed round the number 6 tram.  Saucepans for Spitfires.  Lace curtains for mosquito nets.  Make do and mend was the national mantra.

Although Leeds suffered very little bomb damage, the pounding of Bradford and the drone of planes flying overhead on their way to Sheffield spread alarm and fear.  It must feel a little like that in many areas of the middle east at the moment – war is never less than frightening for the civilians who live it.  Maggie Mash, Jane Oakshott, Richard Rastall and Will Rastall played the denizens of Headingley who told us what life – large and small – was like for this little corner of Britain. 

But the theatres stayed open, the Cottage Road cinema did good business – dear old Fred and Ginger – and dances gave people an outlet for some fun and entertainment.  Wireless concerts were popular and many songs of the period have attained iconic status – Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square, Lambeth Walk, Bluebirds over the white cliffs of Dover and, of course, We'll meet again.  All beautifully rendered by Eleanor Rastall, with musical accompaniment from Jonathan Drummond on the piano and Tom Richards on the saxophone.

Comments on the mundane actually offered a profound view of what wartime was really like.  Petty, scary, ridiculous, heroic, unpredictable.   But presented to us with brio, panache, humour and a light touch.  Another triumph for Headingley's very own Literati.

Audience Comments

Very evocative portrayal of this local area of Leeds during the onset of the second world war. Slick and varied with the right mix of reading from the Mass Obs. Diaries, music and singing.

I thoroughly enjoyed the show! It was fascinating, moving and locally relevant material performed with warmth, love and skill.

The attendance considering the weather was amazing. Tribute to Trio Literati and I believe the event organisers. The reproduction of the 40's and music of the war was very nostalgic for me. My third fine event of the series.

Good fun. Well worth coming out in the wind and snow to see it!

Informative and very entertaining. Glad we came.

An excellent evening! Lovely singing too.

An excellent evening!

I enjoyed it very much. It was my first but I would like to see them again. Thanks

Very enjoyable , well performed, as one expects from Trio Literati, but as always full of lovely surprises. Quite a family affair now!

I thought it was great. It made you think without laying on too much political propaganda!

A very well acted performance, very entertaining and engaging.

Good to look/think back to what it was like for 'normal' people during war.

Well done, great event! Interesting to hear about the Yorkshire involvement. Glad I came!

Very good show - interesting historically and somehow uplifting. Very well performed.

Superb production! So many talented performers. We really enjoyed it. Well done Trio Lit and guests!

A very lively entertainment cleverly adapted from a great book, full of inspired memories and enthusiastic performances from the actors and musicians.

Loved it. Nostalgic memories!

Good fun. Good to have quotes from the Mass. Ob. Records, and especially to hear about this locality. Nice variety.

Very enjoyable - nice to have the local references. Trio Lit are especially good with the younger Rastalls on board.

Performed with gusto! Music enhanced it. Caught the 'feel' of wartime.

A delightful combination of fun, drama and entertainment.

Simply wonderful. I loved this event.

Very good. Thought provoking. Pacy and fun.

Encore! Wonderful show!

Splendid - well up to standard on the big stage - a really good group of players.

Interesting mix of domestic/military episodes. Lively and humorous. Music expertly performed. Most enjoyable! (an earlier starting time preferred)

Extremely well performed and made excellent use of the Thoresby ??? Publication. A very poignant, moving production. ??? Further performance.

Very entertaining. Well produced. Great characterisations and atmosphere

Brilliant evenings entertainment - such skilled performers and very thought provoking.

Excellent production. Really enjoyed this nostalgic evening. Thank you. Great choice of songs. A bit of dancing/movement at appropriate moments would improve it

Enjoyed it - quite evocative BUT needed a stage. Also pity lighting could not be used for effects - and lines perhaps learned. But well done Trio Lit..

Lovely event, well performed, moving, uplifting.

Very good. Enormous talent. Really enjoyed it.

The show was very good and was very cheerful (And Excellent)

The show was excellent.

Excellent night with a great mix of music and theatre.

Very enjoyable as always

Great and entertaining.

It was alright, reminiscent of sentiments still prevalent.

Another enjoyable event from Trio Lit and  Headingley LitFest.

Wonderful … so very Leeds x

Very evocative and enjoyable. Let's have some more!!

Trio Lit as good as ever.

An excellent production! More please.

Fine drill. Voices from Leeds

The Mayflower Generation - The Leeds Library

Ellie Goodwin writes:

Rebecca Fraser
Photo: Richard Wilcocks

Another lovely talk at the wonderful Leeds Library. This talk on passengers on the Mayflower voyage was really informative and delivered with a lot of expertise. What really struck me about those who were on the Mayflower was their circumstances prior to the voyage. Rebecca demonstrated that they were gentlemen farmers and successful middle class people who gave up their positions in the hopes of bringing their religion to the new, 'pure' land of America, far away from preexisting Christian institutions. Not the desperate bunch I expected at all!

It was interesting to see the ornate writing desks and cradles among the possessions the Mayflower passengers took with them and from these objects get an idea of the life they had in England and then later in Leiden.

It was really sad to learn about the change in attitudes towards Native Americans from when the Mayflower passengers first landed in America. Rebecca described how they were treated kindly by the Native Americans, and were in turn tolerant and kind to them, believing that they did not have authority over the indigenous people. Yet, as Rebecca very nicely put it, more English people arriving in America ruined the relationship between Native Americans and the colony. The Mayflower passenger Edward Winslow seemed to epitomise this shift as he moved away from Plymouth (founded by the Mayflower voyagers) to Boston and grew more conservative and wary of Native Americans, compared to the tolerant attitude of his younger years. He was also the only passenger on the Mayflower to have his portrait painted! 

Rebecca ended her talk by comparing the experience with Mayflower passengers with refugees today and it was interesting to consider how the Pilgrim fathers would have fared if they were travelling in the present day. I loved the care and passion that you could see in Rebecca's talk and I left with lots to think about!

LitFest is grateful for the support from Leeds university students Ellie Goodwin and Ashley Phun

Audience Comments

Very informative talk.

It was interesting how the main reason for the Mayflower was freedom of religious belief and they clearly did not come from an affluent background. You have to commend (Pastor) Robinson for not attempting to force Christian beliefs on the Indians. It would have been hypocritical but in the end this is what happens: as was quoted at the time, 'the persecuted became persecutors'. The second series of Sky One series 'Jamestown' seems to me to be very reflective of tonight's talk - the tragic story of the mail-order bride in episode five was romantically very emotional and something that could really have happened especially when only half the passengers on the original Mayflower did not survive the voyage.

A very important talk presented well - lots of modern resonances. Speaker very erudite.

Great talk full of facts I did not know about he Mayflower voyage, like the time the pilgrims spent in the Netherlands. 

Very interesting article with a lot information. Would work better if not just read out, but more of a talk with slower rhythm.

Well-paced, enjoyable presentation of facts.

LitFest should do more historical talks - local history included.

The talk was formal and a bit academic but impressive. Fraser best when she was informal during question time, for me.

Great to attend a presentation by an authority on her subject.

I liked the way the speaker drew parallels with the refugees of the present day, for example from Syria. Important to remember how there have always been asylum seekers escaping from persecution. We should remember that it is a mark of a mature democracy to treat their cases with sympathy.

Not really expecting a lecture.

It was very interesting to learn about the Mayflower settlers on both a personal and political level, particularly their relationship with the Native Americans in the region. It was a very informative and nuanced account. The library itself was a beautiful and very pleasant location.

Most insightful account of historic expedition and story of survival against all odds.

I found it very difficult to sit through 45 minutes of being read to. Very little eye contact with the audience. We had expected to hear more about the settlers themselves and the development of Plymouth as a colony.

A very informative talk. Loved it all. 

A very informative talk. 

Very interesting and informative.