New WW2 archive unveils rare stories and artefacts from Scotland

The materials have been preserved by an Oxford University project that has digitised more than 25,000 previously hidden artefacts from the Second World War.

Photos of the objects and stories will be available to view on the project website, theirfinesthour.org, on June 6 to complement events commemorating the 80th anniversary of D-Day.

The archive contains a remarkable range of stories and objects that capture both the extraordinary and everyday lives of those who experienced the war.

Eupheme Sutherland and friends making sandbags on the second day of the war.

Artefacts include the memoirs of James Glass from Currie, Edinburgh, who served in the Royal Army Service Corps as a driver in Palestine and the Western Desert; class photos from Rumford Street School, Glasgow; pages from the wartime diary of Sheila Jenkinson, a teenager in Edinburgh during the war; and a photograph of Eupheme Sutherland and friends making sandbags on the second day of the conflict.

The archive includes the story of William James Carrie, a Colonial Service member from Edinburgh University, who was interned at Stanley Internment Camp in Hong Kong after its fall to Japan on Christmas Day 1941. During his internment, William served as head of burials, and his diary details significant wartime events and daily life before Hong Kong fell.

Several accounts and artefacts relate to those who were evacuated to safer areas of Scotland. Frank McBride was evacuated to Wallyford, a mining village, separating him from his mother and sister. At eight years old, he and his brother witnessed significant wartime events, including the downing of the Humbie Heinkel – the first German aircraft to be brought down over mainland Britain – from which they retrieved a dashboard souvenir.

As a child, Isobel Fyfe experienced the Aberdeen Blitz, which resulted in her school closing due to blown-out windows. Isobel recalled how derelict bomb sites were covered in swathes of purple willow herb, “nature's way of trying to cover up the devastation.”

John Miller Law, an RAF Corporal from Edinburgh, drew cartoons while stationed in India and Burma.

Other stories in the archive include that of the Battle of Britain pilot, Alexander (Sandy) Johnstone; David Sands, Sergeant Major in the Black Watch who died in Normandy; and John Miller Law, an RAF Corporal from Edinburgh who drew cartoons while stationed in India and Burma.

Dr Stuart Lee, project director, said: “We knew from previous projects that people have so many wonderful objects, photos, and anecdotes which have been passed down from family members and which are at risk of getting lost or being forgotten. We’re delighted that we have been able to preserve so many of these stories and objects and make them available to the public through our archive of memories.”

Funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and based out of the Faculty of English at Oxford University, ‘Their Finest Hour’ worked with hundreds of volunteers to organise over 70 free events in 2023 and early 2024.

Over 2,000 people attended the events, called ‘Digital Collection Days’, to share their war-related stories and mementos and have them recorded and photographed by volunteers. Those who could not attend a Digital Collection Day in person were able to submit stories and photos via the project website.

Class photos and cookery book from Rumford Street School, Glasgow.

Events took place in all regions of the UK, including Dumfries Museum, the University of Edinburgh, Duncansburgh Church Hall, Nucleus: The Nuclear and Caithness Archives, and the AK Bell Library in Perth.

Dr Matthew Kidd, project manager, said: “The success of the project would not have been possible without the voluntary effort of thousands of dedicated volunteers and contributors."

"Thanks to their efforts, we’ve been able to create a ‘people’s archive’ of the Second World War that showcases both the extraordinary and everyday objects passed on by those who lived through the war.”