I am a historian of the Second World War and the aim of this site is to enable others to access some of the research I have carried out over the past few years, and to encourage people to exchange ideas and views about a wide range of subjects relating to the conflict. On this site you will find an oral history archive with transcriptions of many of the interviews I have conducted with veterans of the war from many different countries, and there are also blogs, comment pieces, book reviews, suggested reading, and also contributions from other leading historians in this field.
I hope you find it interesting.

James Holland

Blog - Wednesday 8th February 2006

Diary of Writing Italy’s Sorrow

Northants, February 8, 2006
Sarah has agreed to help, which is an enormous relief.  Like Julia, she’s bright as anything, and at the moment is doing only small amounts of architectural work so as to be a full-time mother to her and her husband Michael’s five year-old son.  She does, however, think she could find the time to work with me.   She has warned me that she doesn’t really type, however, but that’s OK.  Instead, we’ve agreed that she will translate into a Dictaphone and then send me the tapes.  I can then give the tapes to Lalla, who does a brilliant job of transcribing all my interviews.

Went to see Harry Bland today near Burton Latimer in Northants.  Harry was a driver at G2 (Intelligence) at Army HQ in Caserta during the war and over the years has done a lot of research into No. 1 Special Force SOE and OSS in Italy.

 

Posted by James Holland
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