Women played a major role during World War II.
From building ships to driving trains, and from manufacturing ammunition in factories to working on farms in the Women's Land Army, they helped in the momentous six-year effort that finally overcame Adolf Hitler's Nazi Germany in 1945.
Others even served in the armed forces themselves, for example in the Women's Royal Naval Service.
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All this, for many women, on top of the already challenging everyday roles of bringing up families and running homes.
Now, history staff at Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums (TWAM) are researching women’s experiences during the war on Tyneside, and want to hear your stories, some of which will be featured in an exhibition in 2022 at the city's Discovery Museum.
Kylea Little, Keeper of History at TWAM, said: “The iconic photograph of the female shipyard worker was taken by the Ministry of Information wartime photographer Cecil Beaton at a Newcastle shipyard - yet there isn’t any information about the woman in the photograph, who she was, or anything about her life.
"We have so few stories of women’s experiences during this hugely significant time. We want to hear as many stories and experiences as possible of women who lived in the region during the Second World War.
“Did your female relatives or friends work in the shipyards or any of the Tyneside factories? Did they join the Women’s Royal Naval Service (WRNS), or the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS), or the Women’s Land Army?
“Did the women in your family keep their communities and families going, were their children evacuated? Please, we urge you to share these stories with us.”
The research is part of a wider national partnership with Imperial War Museums and the Second World War and Holocaust Partnership Programme which aims to uncover underrepresented local stories to make sure they are recorded for future generations, before they are lost forever.
Anyone who would like to get in touch for an informal chat can email history@twmuseums.org.uk with some details and contact number.
Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums is one of eight culture heritage groups across the UK who are working with Imperial War Museums to uncover hidden or lesser-known stories from this time.
The project culminates next year with a touring installation from the partnership. There will also be an exhibition sharing the new Tyneside stories at Discovery Museum. Over the course of the project TWAM will be working with artists, young people, schools, and care homes too.
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