Lizzie Holmes: Oral history transcript
Memories of being a young married woman in Horden in the First World War
When Lizzie Holmes was interviewed in 1976 for the People Past and Present Project, which focused on East Durham, she gave a powerful account of what it was like to survive poverty and adversity from an early age. Orphaned as a child, she always worked hard and developed a strong character.
Her description of her working life in Horden during the First World War is fascinating and demonstrates how much the role of women changed during this period.
She must have been thinking of her own childhood experiences when she took Jimmy Mackinlay, an orphan from a Catholic home in Carlisle, under her wing.
About the People Past and Present Archive
http://www.durham.gov.uk/article/2075/People-Past-and-Present-Archive
Reference: ND/Ea Acc: 7911, no. 388
Where to find this: Durham County Record Office
Contributed by Durham County Record Office | Durham at War volunteer Paul M