WORLD WAR II AND BINGHAM
BHTA first researched the impact on Bingham of the Second World War in a series of unconnected studies in 2003. They formed the basis of the original pages on World War II and were always intended to provide a starting point for future research. The stimulus for us to embark on this updating was provided by the completion, in 2018, of our World War One Project which had made us aware of how much hidden material remained to be discovered. So it was that, in early 2019, with some significant anniversaries of key wartime milestones imminent, we launched our World War Two Project. The results reported here have incorporated, built on and extended the earlier studies and can be accessed by clicking on the links at the foot of this section.
As in the earlier conflict, the men and women of Bingham played their full part in the Second World War. Among those who served, some made the ultimate sacrifice, while the lives of those who returned would be forever shaped by their experiences. Here we attempt to preserve the memory of some of those people as well as recording the part played by Bingham and its citizens more widely in what was to become ‘total war’.
Researching World War 2 presents different challenges from WW1 in particular because many of the relevant Census and military records remain closed for reasons of data privacy.
On the other hand, while those who served in the armed forces are, sadly, a shrinking group, there remain many Bingham residents who have their own recollections of the war or who have access to the memories and personal archives of relatives and friends. We are grateful to those who have generously given of their time to grant us interviews or provide relevant artefacts and records. We are particularly grateful to Bingham and Orston Branch of the Royal British Legion for their good offices in getting access to key documents and informants.
A further difficulty is that while the town’s wartime Roll of Honour for WW1 lists not only those who fell but also those who served and returned, for WW2 it lists only those who fell. As a result, there exists no complete and definitive list of those from Bingham who served in the armed forces and returned. An incomplete copy of a listing of those of who benefited from grants provided by the Bingham and Saxondale Returning Forces Fund gave us a starting point on which we have built utilising the research methods listed below but we are conscious that we have yet to identify everyone.Bingham in WW2 - A BHTA Research Project
Aim:
To research the lives and experiences of those from Bingham who served in WW2 set against daily life in Bingham during the War.
Objectives
- To understand the lives and family backgrounds of those who fell during the War.
- To compile as comprehensive a list as possible of those who served and survived.
- To understand the lives, family backgrounds and post-war experiences of those who served and survived.
- To gain a picture of daily life in Bingham during the War, including the experiences of those who served in the Home Guard, Land Army, as ARP Wardens and who had roles in relation to POW camps.
- To understand the impact of the War on civilians and to collect the stories and experiences of residents.
- To collect memorabilia and images as appropriate.
Research methods
- Interrogation of sources such as the Bingham Roll of the Fallen, Commonwealth War Graves Commission records, Ancestry, findmypast, Genes Reunited, Forces War Records, the Army Roll of Honour 1939-45 and cognate records, and the Bingham and Saxondale Returning Forces Fund listing.
- Examination of official records, where available, including the 1939 Register, the 1911 Census, Civil Registration records, Nottinghamshire County Council burial records.
- Examination of newspaper records using such sources as the British Newspaper Archive, the archives of the Newark Advertiser, together with RDC and CC minutes.
- Minutes and records of Bingham organisations, including Royal British Legion, WI, church and chapel records, youth organisations and schools.
- Public appeals for information.
- Interviews with relatives and family members where these can be identified and located.
- Interviews with key informants.
At the time of writing in early 2021, our research remains incomplete, having been significantly disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic and the interruptions it has caused to our activities. We shall be updating and expanding these pages, as more of our work comes to fruition.
A useful source of information about Bingham during World War II is the book Bingham’s Children of the Twentieth Century by Catherine Haynes and Hilda Smith (ISBN 1-904102-03-4)
Explore the outputs of our research by clicking on the appropriate link below:
Links:
The Armed Services
Women's Land Army
Evacuees
Town Council 'Invasion strategy'
Personal testimonies
War Time Installations
A miscellany of information on wartime Bingham