Home guard, protected employment in the North 1939-45

[Skyedriver]

Over the next 8 or 9 months my son has set a task for himself to try and document life between 1939 & 1945 in the North of England, particularly but not solely the North East. So the NE, NW, maybe as far south as Leeds, Manchester.
So much is seen & heard about the blitz, but mostly it's London and the south.

The TV programmes "Dad's Army" whilst great TV doesn't depict the reality of life then.

So he's looking for,
Women at work, land army, forestry girls, manufacturing.
Home Guard
Ship building,
Armament factories.
Coal mining.
Can anyone recommend places to visit, books to read, with specific links to the above and similar. He has quite a bit of literature but the more the better.

Thanks in advance.

[Regbuser]

He should get himself over to > https://www.northeastmuseums.org.uk/archives

[Gary29]

I used to read these for hours:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/catego...

[Custerdome]

https://www.sunderland-antiquarians.org/

[greygoose]

There was a lot of bombing in the north too, 95% of houses in Hull were damaged, the 1940 Christmas blitz in Manchester killed 680 people and the northeast cities were heavily targeted too.

[Skyedriver]

Thanks for those suggestions
I agree there was a lot in the NE that rarely gets mentioned, aimed at the coal mining, engineering and shipbuilding. It's trying to find genuine details. IIRC some relations were bombed out in Newcastle.
I've told him to get onto Woodhorn Colliery Museum as they hold a lot of the mining records for the area but i'll send him the links you recommend.
Didn't know about Hull, thanks.

[J6542]

Beamish have a 1940’s farm

[Skyedriver]

J6542 said:

Beamish have a 1940 s farm

It's years since we went to Beamish, it's growing year by year, might be worth another look. Prob is we're 250 miles away from it.

[J6542]

Skyedriver said:

J6542 said:

Beamish have a 1940 s farm

It's years since we went to Beamish, it's growing year by year, might be worth another look. Prob is we're 250 miles away from it.

We live 200 miles away, near Dundee. We often have short breaks on the Northumbrian coast. There are always cheap deals available at 1 of the many caravan parks or airbnb’s. We have been to Beamish twice and will visit again in the future.

[NDA]

Your son might also include the lives of those who were evacuated during the war - my parents were two such people. It wasn't all beer and skittles from their description of it.

[Skyedriver]

J6542 said:

Skyedriver said:

J6542 said:

Beamish have a 1940 s farm

It's years since we went to Beamish, it's growing year by year, might be worth another look. Prob is we're 250 miles away from it.

We live 200 miles away, near Dundee. We often have short breaks on the Northumbrian coast. There are always cheap deals available at 1 of the many caravan parks or airbnb s. We have been to Beamish twice and will visit again in the future.

Delay in responding due to a holiday in Rothbury
Didn't make Beamish although we have been a couple of times a few years ago.
As an aside Alnwick Gardens is very good, were last there when it was under construction.

[Skyedriver]

NDA said:

Your son might also include the lives of those who were evacuated during the war - my parents were two such people. It wasn't all beer and skittles from their description of it.

Good call, thanks. He's started doing reading and research since getting back home. I'll mention that to him.